Sidekick Ranks: Top 5 Fighters Who Revived Their UFC Careers
In the world of the UFC, it’s very easy to write a fighter off as being washed up or finished. Sometimes this turns out to be true, but other times, those ideas are proven wrong.
Over the years we’ve seen a number of UFC fighters who enjoyed a surprising career resurgence, some even claiming titles in the process. Let’s take a look at 5 best revivals below:
Top 5 UFC Fighters Who Revived Their Careers
#5 Andrei Arlovski
One fighter who definitely enjoyed a surprising career resurgence was former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. After suffering a bad loss at the hands of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, Arlovski appeared to fall off a cliff in terms of his fighting ability.
He lost another three fights, two by knockout, and it looked like his career was basically over. Surprisingly though, ‘The Pitbull’ suddenly turned things around. He won seven of his next eight bouts on the regional scene to make his way back to the UFC, and there, the resurgence stunningly continued.
#4 Mark Hunt
Somewhat of a legend in the world of kickboxing, Mark Hunt came into MMA relatively late. He made his debut in Japan’s PRIDE promotion in 2004, and quickly became a cult hero, fighting the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett and even beating Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop.
However, when PRIDE crashed and was bought out by the UFC, Hunt was left in the cold. By 2010, he was on the wrong end of a five-fight losing streak. ‘The Super Samoan’ reeled off five wins and a draw in his next seven bouts making one of the most memorable revivals.
#3 Dan Hooker
The latest fighter to enjoy a surprising career resurgence is popular lightweight veteran Dan Hooker. Remarkably, ‘The Hangman’ currently sits at a career-high ranking of No.5 in the UFC’s lightweight division. It is something that would’ve seemed impossible a couple of years ago.
The native of New Zealand gained plenty of fans for his reckless and exciting fighting style when he debuted in the Octagon in 2014. By 2020, a run of seven wins in eight bouts moved him into title contention at 155 pounds, but he then hit a brick wall when he ran into Dustin Poirier and went on to lose the next three fights.
Hooker took some time away to recover and returned to form by stopping Claudio Puelles. He has since pulled off upset victories over Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot, the latter of which bumped him to his current high ranking.
#2 Robbie Lawler
A run of three losses in four fights saw him wash out of the promotion in late 2004, and from there, Lawler became a journeyman of sorts. However, he came back and secure a streak of wins. Suddenly, ‘Ruthless’ was in line for a title shot, and while he initially lost the bout to Johny Hendricks, the resurgence didn’t stop.
Lawler won two more fights to earn another shot at the gold, and this time came out on top, becoming one of the more unlikely UFC champions. His reign didn’t last too long but did encompass some legendary brawls, and he continued to compete at the top until his retirement in 2023. To say his resurgence took most fans by surprise would be a massive understatement.
#1 Glover Teixeira
When Glover Teixeira initially debuted in the UFC in 2012, he was considered a hot prospect of sorts. However, at the age of 32, he was actually older and more experienced than many fans realized. Teixeira put together an initial run of five wins in a row, pushing him up the ladder and into a title fight with light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones in 2014.
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian was outclassed and came up short. It felt like the high watermark of his career, and from there, he settled into a role as a gatekeeper and reliable headliner for smaller shows. By 2017, though, it appeared that Teixeira had begun to slow down. He suffered violent defeats to Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson and struggled against lesser opponents even in wins.
The Brazilian took six months off and returned in early 2019 with vengeance.
Hitting a true resurgence, Teixeira reeled off five wins in a row to climb back into title contention and then stunned everyone by submitting champion Jan Blachowicz to claim the gold.
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