MMA: The 10 Biggest Losers from the Month of October

Time to put a bow on the month of October. Was it a good month for MMA? I don't know. Actually, not particularly. Was it memorable? I guess that's the point of this slideshow. The goal is to sift out those things that might be worth remembering and encapsulate them for posterity.

We've already celebrated the winners from October. Now it's time to single out the losers. Good stuff.  

10. Jussier Formiga

Division: Flyweight
Promotion: UFC 
Why is he a loser: Lost to John Dodson by TKO, Round 2, UFC on FX 5

Jussier Formiga looked pretty good in his first fight in the octagonal cage, but not good enough to handle the whirling Dodson dervish. In the process, he lost, at least for the moment, his chance to fight for a UFC belt. 

9. Ryo Kawamura

Division: Middleweight
Promotion: ONE Fighting Championship
Why is he a loser: He got Kay Tee Eff Owed by Melvin Manhoef

The unheralded Kawamura was on the business end of one of those Manhoef daisy cutters. It was Manhoef's second straight win. For Kawamura, back to the trenches.  

8. Stephan Bonnar

Division: Light heavyweight
Promotion: UFC
Why is he a loser: He got toyed with, knocked out, retired

This one's a little bittersweet. As you probably know, Bonnar retired Tuesday.

(UPDATE: And now he's failed a drug test. So bump him up a few more spots in your mind.)  

Yes, he lost to Anderson Silva at UFC 153 in embarrassing fashion. Just like everyone said he would. But he has a bright future in the broadcast booth, I would imagine. And even if he doesn't, he'll always be remembered for his fights.

Nevertheless, he's still a loser this month in my book. Then again, I'm just an armchair quarterback. They're going to bury me in an unmarked grave.

But the mixed bag for Bonnar is the reason he's so far down this list. Yes, he lost a big fight and retired, but his career as a whole is a victory.

7. Rick Story

Division: Welterweight
Promotion: UFC
Why is he a loser: Demian Maia Submission of the Nighted him at UFC 153.

You can't squeeze blood from a stone. But you can squeeze blood from a skull. That's what Demian Maia demonstrated on poor Rick Story a few weeks back.

It's now three losses for Story in his four fights since he derailed Thiago Alves in May 2011.

6. Alexander Sarnavskiy

Division: Lightweight
Promotion: Bellator
Why is he a loser: Rich Clementi defeated him by split decision at Bellator 77

The 23-year-old Russian's much-anticipated major-league MMA debut was spoiled when Clementi, who is the very paragon of wiliness, subdued Sarnavskiy in the quarterfinals of Bellator's latest lightweight tourney.

5. Dave Herman

Division: Heavyweight
Promotion: UFC
Why is he a loser: Lost (by jiu-jitsu submission!) to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Round 2, UFC 153

It was the quip that launched a thousand ships. 

Well before and then again leading up to his fight with Nogueira, Dave Herman was vocal in his assertion that jiu-jitsu didn't "work."

So can you see how delicious the old ironing must have been—and how bitter the crow—when the old jiu-jitsu lion jiu-jitsued Herman with an armbar in front of a Brazilian crowd that likely contained a good number of vocal jiu-jitsu fans?

I still remember all the joke tweets. They flowed like wine in the streets that night!

UPDATE: Then he failed a drug test; the same one Bonnar failed. Boooooo....

4. Travis Browne

Division: Heavyweight
Promotion: UFC
Why is he a loser: Injured knee in cage, lost by TKO to Antonio Silva, Round 1, UFC on FX 5

Travis Browne's toes got a little too twinkly, it seemed. In any case, something that wasn't Antonio Silva caused Browne's knee to fail him during the main event of UFC on FX 5, and it led to a TKO loss and the derailing of the Browne hype train. 

3. Strikeforce

Not a banner month for Strikeforce. They announced on Oct. 14 that injuries had forced them to cancel their Nov. 3 event. Not positive news for a promotion already teetering on the brink.

They've promised a "stacked" card in their next event in January. We'll see. I still think they should turn it into the AAA UFC, but hey, maybe that makes too much sense.

Cheer up, Ronda. You're gonna be fine. 

2. Thiago Santos

Division: Heavyweight
Promotion: Bellator
Why is he a loser: May have lost means of procreation

In this latest installment of his never-ending saga/rivalry with Eric Prindle, Thiago Santos came out with a win. Problem is, the win came by DQ, and that DQ came by way of five words that should never be uttered together: axe kick to the groin. 

1. Jerry Poe

Dear Jerry,

I bet Marius Zaromskis wishes his skull was as numb as yours.

Then he would not have had to feel the, by my count, 11 unanswered blows Andrey Koreshkov rained in his face while you stood there waiting for him to hold up a little sign like Wile E. Coyote. 

But there was no sign forthcoming, was there, Jerry? Turns out you were responsible for determining when he had had enough. Turns out that in MMA, that's the referee's, what's the word I want here, job.

Watching Koreshkov bang away, I actually shouted "STOP THE FIGHT!" at the television set. This despite the fact that I knew you couldn't hear me. That should speak to the alarming nature of your little mental butterfly chase. It was so blatant, I had to shout something out, even in the face of logic. My response to you came from the very bottom of my amygdala.  

Now, your handiwork is under review. But don't worry. I'm sure they just want to review it to see if you're eligible for some kind of university-level neuroscience award. Because you advanced something here today, Jerry. You advanced something.

Sincerely,
Everyone who watched that fight 

P.S. Also at Bellator 78, referee Greg Franklin had his own special moment, when in the main event, Lyman Good appeared to poke Michail Tsarev in the eye. Franklin made the crack decision to not stop the action. Good immediately finished Tsarev with strikes.

P.S.S. Because the UFC is not immune, Mario Yamasaki also called for some very bad stand-ups both in the Octagon and the Bellator cage.

Keep up the great work, fellows!