“You’re only as good as your last fight” gets thrown around a lot in combat sports, and for good reason. One bad night can derail years of momentum, especially if you’re an undefeated fighter. Just ask Justin Gaethje after the UFC 300 loss or Devin Haney after that loss to Ryan Garcia last year.
But while Gaethje has now been allowed to rebuild his career by getting a chance to demand a title shot, Haney’s reputation, despite the fight being overturned due to Garcia’s PED suspension, has taken an irreversible hit.
This, according to UFC star Yoel Romero and journalist Jorge Ebro, is because things play out a little differently in the world of MMA. The two pointed out how the UFC, under Dana White’s leadership, has built a culture where a loss isn’t the end—it’s just part of the journey.
“It’s a big difference between boxing and UFC. In boxing there is a terrible belief that someone has to be undefeated and that if you lose you’re out of it”, Ebro said.
Pugilism’s current demography awards fighters for maintaining an undefeated record, a demoralising affliction often celebrated courtesy of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who retired with a perfect 50-0 record.
Mayweather’s career was a testament to the lucrative and prestigious benefits of remaining undefeated. This trend has led many fighters to adopt a risk-averse approach, often avoiding challenging matchups to safeguard the zeroes at the end of their records.
“But not in the UFC, you can lose, you can lose two fights but if you win the third you’re back in the game”, Ebro added. The scribe then cited former interim champion Gaethje’s road to redemption after a comeback win against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 last month.
“Because they (UFC) know how to revive a career”, he noted, praising the White-led promotion.
While this might be true to a certain extent, popularity and fame also play a huge role in the chances a fighter gets to bounce back. And fighters who are not as famous get left behind.
UFC selective with its second chances?
Being well-liked by the fans is a huge advantage to have for any fighter, just ask Nate Diaz. The younger Diaz brother lost three of his last five fights in the UFC and still continued to headline PPVs and cash in massively. Why?
Because he was well-liked amongst fans. However, on the flip side, if you look at Aljamain Sterling, ‘Funkmaster’ defended his bantamweight title thrice against some of the biggest names in the sport- Henry Cejudo, TJ Dillashaw, and Petr Yan.
He was then rushed into a fight with Sean O’Malley just three months after the Cejudo fight at UFC 292 in August 2023 and lost the fight.
And while O’Malley now prepares for a rematch against Merab Dvalishvvili after dropping the title to him at UFC 306 with just one successful defense under his belt, Sterling has been relegated to prelims (UFC 310).
These situations speak for themselves.
So, while the UFC is a lot better than boxing when it comes to giving fighters second chances after losses, it can also biased, often handpicking its favorites whenever they need a little lift.
