10 UFC Fighters Who Made Legendary Comebacks, Including Jorge Masvidal and Brock Lesnar

When the UFC acquired rival Japanese promotion Pride Fighting Championships in 2007, it also inherited the contract of Kiwi kickboxer Mark Hunt. But his five-fight losing streak and sub-.500 record meant the UFC had little interest in bringing him over. However, Hunt reportedly turned down a $450,000 buyout to compete in the Octagon.

A quick submission loss to the unheralded Sean McCorkle in his UFC debut did little to justify that risky decision. He’d then score four knockouts in five wins to get the opportunity to earn an interim heavyweight title. While he fell short that evening, “The Super Samoan” carved his own lane among fans and became one of MMA’s most beloved personalities.

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Fourteen years into his pro-fighting career, the book appeared to be written about Jorge Masvidal. While he was respected among his peers as a consistently tough opponent with a refined striking game, ill-timed decision losses kept him from elevating his status as a competitor and a public figure.

That all changed after returning from a 16-month hiatus to film a reality TV series to face UK contender Darren Till in London. Masvidal knocked out Till in the second round and went viral for a backstage altercation with current champion Leon Edwards. Just a few months later he would go viral again for his record-setting KO of Ben Askren at UFC 239.

With fan interest in “Gamebred” at an all-time high, he and Nate Diaz would successfully campaign for a main event against one another with the symbolic BMF (Baddest Mother You Know…) title going to the winner. Masvidal would completely control the action until forcing a doctor stoppage after the third round.

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Originally known as Mirko Crop Cop’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach, Fabricio Werdum’s first stint in the UFC is most notable for launching the career of Junior Dos Santos, in which JDS debuted with a thunderous KO that led to “Vai Cavalo” being unceremoniously being given his walking papers. Werdum would rebound in Strikeforce and become the first person to hand Fedor Emelianenko a legitimate loss.

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With that moment fresh in the minds of fans, Werdum returned to the UFC and stormed through the ranks before earning the interim title at UFC 180. He would then unify the belt as a significant underdog to Cain Velasquez at UFC 188.

If Jose Aldo rode off in the sunset following his decision loss to Merab Dvashvili at UFC 278, nobody could blame him. By then he was already arguably the greatest featherweight in history and narrowly missed a chance at bantamweight gold. Opting to remain active in his time away from the UFC, Aldo took up boxing and earned a 2-0-1 record. 

Nearly two years after his last appearance in the Octagon, Aldo returned to Rio De Janeiro for a hero’s welcome at UFC 301. Against an up-and-coming dangerous contender in Jonathan Martinez, Aldo looked as sharp as ever. Earning a unanimous decision victory, “Scarface” may have found new life at 37 years old.

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Brock Lesnar successfully parlayed his stardom in the WWE and freak athleticism to take over the world of mixed martial arts. In just his fourth fight, he became the UFC heavyweight champion and one of the company’s biggest pay-per-view draws. But it took a comeback from adversity to endear him to MMA diehards.

After falling ill with a severe case of diverticulitis, Lesnar was forced out of action leading the UFC to introduce an interim crown in his absence. His return a year later at UFC 116 put him up against Shane Carwin, a fellow collegiate wrestling champion with a nearly identical physical stature.

In a performance symbolic of the struggles to return to the cage, Carwin nearly finished Lesnar in the first round with heavy ground and pound, out-landing him 61-16 in significant strikes. In the second round, Lesnar would takedown Carwin and sink in an arm-triangle choke to tie the UFC record for most successful heavyweight title defenses.

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For the first eight years of Charles Oliveira’s UFC tenure, the Brazilian earned a unique reputation. He emerged as one of the promotion’s most prolific finishers and action fighters with a long list of post-fight bonuses, his difficulties making weight and downright bizarre losses set his ceiling as someone fun to watch who would ultimately fail to make an impact beyond entertainment. 

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Beginning in 2018, Oliveira began rewriting that narrative. That’s when he started an 11-fight win streak that took him from contender to champion with wins over fellow elite lightweights Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler. In a short time, “Do Bronx” made a strong case for being the greatest champion the division had ever seen.

For the average athlete, four years on the shelf would guarantee that a return to top form would be next to impossible. But that’s exactly what Georges St. Pierre did. 

After cementing his place as the greatest welterweight the sport had ever seen, GSP decided to go on a leave of absence and vacate the belt that he successfully defended nine times. Four years after his final welterweight championship bout, the Canadian would make his grand return in Madison Square Garden at UFC 217. But this time he’d be testing himself for the first time at 185 pounds. 

GSP looked like he never missed a day. He handled Michael Bisping’s superior size and strength en route to a third-round submission victory and the middleweight title.

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Robbie Lawler’s departure from the UFC was a significant fall from his celebrated arrival. The man whose signing Dana White once called a birthday present to himself became a middling fighter in Strikeforce.

When Strikeforce was purchased by the UFC’s parent company, Lawler’s return to the Octagon was an inevitable afterthought. But what followed was far from forgettable. 

“Ruthless” stormed his way into a vacant title fight against Johny Hendricks, narrowly missing out on the win, fought his way back to Hendricks, and dethroned him in the 2014 Fight of the Year. He then went on to successfully defend his belt in two of the all-time greatest welterweight title fights.

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Just when Dominick Cruz appeared ready to cash out on the name that he built in the WEC as the best bantamweight in the world, an unfortunate run of injuries sidelined him forcing the division to move on without him. 

Three years later, Cruz returned epically with a first-round KO of Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178. Unfortunately, that comeback would be cut short with another injury. Undeterred, he just repeated the impossible a year and a half later, snatching the belt from TJ Dillashaw and reclaiming what he never lost in the Octagon.

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Randy Couture’s entire story defied the odds. After a distinguished career as an amateur wrestler, “The Natural” turned to professional fighting at the tender age of 34, when most are typically contemplating retirement. 

But beyond being the first to win UFC titles in multiple weight classes, defeating his equally legendary peers, and carving a legacy that defines excellence in MMA, it’s another clock-defying feat that earned him the number one spot on this list

After suffering his first KO loss in a trilogy bout with light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, Couture announced his retirement and settled into life as a commentator and TV personality. But the next year he would opt to face 6’8” heavyweight champ, Tim Sylvia. The 43-year-old would dominate Sylvia for the entire 25 minutes to become the oldest man to hold a UFC bet.

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