8 Soul-Crushing Title Defeats in UFC History

No title loss is easy to take. Whether the loser is the former champion or the contender, it can be painful. The depth of the pain does vary, however. Some are more affected than others.

Some men lose the title after fighting hard and battling strong. Others contenders are instead caught off guard, picked apart or simply outmatched in every aspect.

Almost every fighter puts his entire heart into his title bout, as it may be his only opportunity.

This is a list of eight men who had to deal with soul-shattering losses in title bouts. Some recovered well. Others salvaged some form of career. None ever returned to the stature they once had held, thanks in part to the title loss that likely haunts them still.

Dog Day for Miletich

The loss that Pat Miletich suffered at UFC 31 against Carlos Newton cost Miletich his middleweight title and his place in the forefront of the organization.

The “soul crushing” portion of the bout came from how it ended.

After controlling a majority of the match with both superior striking and takedown defense, Miletich was caught in the now rare “Bulldog Choke” in the third round.

Seemingly, neither Miletich nor Carlos Newton could believe it had really happened. Miletich had made a career out of submitting fighters, and while that loss was not his first, it was likely the most embarrassing.

Miletich went on to little else in his fighting career. He had already been a part of 34 fights by the time he took on Newton. He fought twice more in the UFC, defeating Shonie Carter at UFC 32, then losing to Matt Linland at UFC 36.

Miletich is remembered fondly by the hardcore fans, but unlike some of his peers, Miletich recognized the sport was evolving past his capabilities as a fighter. The veteran focused on coaching and commentating instead of fighting, and the sport is likely better off for it.

Good Morning, Here's a Belt

Carlos Newton was a bright star in the early rebirth of UFC. He looked to have a promising UFC title reign until what is probably the most controversial UFC call of all time cost him his belt at UFC 34.

Newton and Matt Hughes were well-matched opponents. Hughes was a great wrestler with talent that had only just begun to be recognized. Newton had just beaten an early icon in Pat Miletich and was a dangerous submission-based champion .

The two fought hard for almost two full rounds. Then a choke and a slam created an argument still causing divisions among fans across various forum boards.

Newton had locked in a triangle choke and Hughes had him lifted in the air, pressing him against the top of the cage. Hughes suddenly fell, crashing to the floor and taking Newton with him. The two fighters came to, and Hughes was handed the victory.

Hughes stated it was an intentional slam (Cage Potato). Others have noted that Hughes was clearly groggy following the incident and the move seems more like an unconscious drop than a slam.

Newton never returned to form after that fight. He amassed a 5-8 record while Hughes went on to be one of the greatest UFC champions to date. Some impartial fans and longtime fans of Newton likely still experience at least some pangs of empathy for “Ronin.”

Unfortunately for Newton, the referee and the UFC went with a “Whomever wakes up first is champion” rule, and he had slept in.

'Shadface'

Have you ever had a meme made about something embarrassing that happened to you? No? Then consider your soul more intact than Rashad Evans' after he dealt with the “Shadface."

Evans had good reason to assume he was on pace to be one of the greatest fighters of all time. He was undefeated at 13-0-1 and had attained the UFC light heavyweight belt.

Then UFC 98 ushered in the Lyoto Machida era, and Rashad Evans became a joke to just about everyone.

"Suga” was rocked around 3:30 of the second round by his Brazilian foe. What followed can be described as 15 of the more embarrassing moments ever experienced by a champion. Being wobbly is always a little funny for everyone else. But for Evans, it all ended with a brutal knockout and a still-frame shot picture that will haunt him for eternity.

The defeat was brutal and the fallout was soul-stealing to say the least.

Since then, “Suga” has avoided a career in shambles like some others on the list. But he no longer carries the same aura of invincibility.

He simply can no longer afford his swagger after such an unfortunate display in his first title defense. Part of him, for better or worse, was crushed in his unsuccessful title defense.

Franklin Nose Better

When Rich Franklin lost to Anderson Silva in their first meeting at UFC 68, it was humbling. That said, many felt like Franklin had been caught a bit off guard by a new and unprecedented opponent.

The second loss took away almost any opportunity Franklin had of being a champion in the middleweight division.

The rematch defeat at UFC 77 was devastating not merely because Franklin was dismantled again. It was devastating because he worked hard to avoid one thing, and that one thing is exactly what happened.

There was seemingly endless video leading up to the rematch showing Franklin working hard to prepare. The veteran had always shown a tireless work ethic when it came to training and strategy. He was prepared to avoid the clinch, but he had also trained hard to survive if he was forced into it.

By the end of the bout, all of Franklin's efforts were for naught. He was tagged from a distance and found himself in the clinch multiple times. Not without effort to avoid his fate, Franklin was once again undone by the Brazilian striker via clinch strikes.

It's not as if "Ace" wasn't a great champion or a fantastic role model for the sport. He fought the way a sporting warrior should fight. He was, and still is, intelligent and hardworking.

Unfortunately, Anderson Silva lives in his weight class.

One could see in Franklin's eyes that he knew it was essentially over for him. He could still be a commodity for the sport, but the belt was not going to be his ever again.

NaPOW! Right in the Kisser

When Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga took on Randy Couture at UFC 74, he was riding a six-fight win streak that was capped with a knockout of Mirko Filipovic. The most recent win had launched him out of the shadows and into the limelight of the UFC. He had a shot at the coveted UFC heavyweight title, and it was his big moment to shine.

Unfortunately for Gonzaga, the fight exposed him as both breakable and lacking in true elite quality.

Randy Couture was already a champion multiple times over when he entered the Octagon to face the Brazilian. That said, he was supposed to be older, smaller and slower coming into the bout.

While he certainly came in old, he seemed to match Napao in size and was even able to outpace Napao. One round into the UFC 74 main event, and Couture had the fight fully under control.

Napao suffered a broken nose following “The Natural” slamming him to the canvas, unintentionally crushing Gonzaga's bridge in the process (MMA Weekly). Couture continued his onslaught into the second round. He left the challenger knowing where he stood in the division, which was somewhere near the bottom of the Top 10.

It was later reported that Couture had suffered a broken arm during the bout. Gonzaga had been beaten by a one-armed 44-year-old man (MMA Mania). That had to add a bit of insult to literal injury for the heavyweight, who has yet to taste equal success since the loss.

Sonnen Gets Invited to a Barbecue

Anderson Silva relied on absurd levels of patience and a Hail Mary submission to defeat Chael Sonnen late in the fifth round of their UFC 117 bout.

In their second meeting, despite all of Chael's best efforts, his fighting soul was clearly crushed by the champion.

Some will point to shorts-pulling as an excuse. It definitely happened and we should all wag a finger at Silva.

Once done with that, blame lies on Sonnen. The Team Quest member lost his composure, got stupid and the Spider pounced when the opportunity arose. With one giant running knee, Anderson crushed all Sonnen's hopes.

The most interesting quote of the night came from Dana White. The UFC president relayed Sonnen's remarks (Bloody Elbow):

"

This is what Chael Sonnen said to me after the fight. He didn't say it at the press conference, but he said it to me. 'In that first round, when I was on top of him, hittin' him with those big elbows, I felt him break. I broke him in that first round. He came back in the second round and destroyed me. I've never seen anybody do that, ever.'

"

If you believe Sonnen, then the fight is the most soul-crushing bout in UFC history. Not only did Sonnen have his spirit crushed, but apparently Anderson did as well. The only difference in the two is that apparently Silva used some Brazilian voodoo magic and conjured up a new soul in the one minute he is afforded between rounds.

Immediately following the bout, Silva thanked Sonnen for promoting the fight masterfully and even extended an invitation to a barbecue. The move officially pulled back the veil on Sonnen's persona. Everyone knew Sonnen was more about hyping than hating, but in that moment any future trash talk he made seemed bland and forced.

In other words, Silva took everything from Sonnen that night.

The Murder of Crow

If you aren't quite sure why Rich Franklin's beating of David Loiseau is the one of the most soul-crushing title defeats of all time, find a hardcore fanatic of the sport and get comfortable as they explain who “The Crow” was.

In the spirit of brevity, Loiseau was exciting, dangerous, unparalleled in creative striking and a stand-up-first striker that understood the ground game.

None of those skills seemed to matter in the UFC 58 bout, as he was beaten mercilessly by the champion for five full rounds.

Loiseau had won 12 of his previous 14 matches, which spanned a half-decade. The record rivaled the best in the world, and he was considered a surefire obstacle for Franklin.

Most people thought that “Ace,” while clearly the bigger and more established fighter in the Octagon, would have some seriously trouble with “The Crow.” It turned out the only trouble Franklin had was breaking the Canadian's will to match his face.

Rich Franklin controlled the fight from "Let's get it on"-to-horn. He took Loiseau down at will, which opened up the striking portion for Franklin as well. By the end of three rounds “The Crow” was already battered and beaten. The elbows and punches just kept raining down upon the Canadian until the merciful final bell of the fifth round.

The Canadian gave a gutsy performance, never looking for a way out. But there is no doubting the five-round beating came at the cost of his fighting soul. He dropped his next three bouts and failed to win either of his two reentry fights into the UFC.

"The Crow" should not be disrespected. It is a shame he is somewhat forgotten in the annals of history. It is doubly unfortunate this slide is probably the first time many have heard of him outside of browsing Rich Franklin's fight history.

It is what it is, and “The Crow” is now relegated to trivial history due to his never fully recovering from the beating he took at the hands of “Ace.”  

Who's Your Daddy, Joe?

If you want to see a real soul-crushing beating, look no further than BJ Penn's shellacking of Joe “Daddy” Stevenson at UFC 80.

BJ could have a few additions to this list, but while others are mere soul-crushing defeats, the beating he put on Stevenson is bloody, one-sided, and almost hard to watch.

Stevenson rolled into the fight a surefire underdog, but did have a respectable four-fight win streak over veterans like Kurt Pellegrino and Melvin Guillard. He had also shown diversity in his game with two submissions, one technical knockout and a decision in the streak's span.

Despite seeming like he might have something to offer, Stevenson was put through hell at UFC 74. 

The bout was almost painful to watch. It wasn't just the blood. It was just how desperately Stevenson wanted to hold on for a chance to pull out a win.

Even during the fight, everyone could see a young man who felt this might be his only shot at greatness. Try as he might, after just one round he was a ruby-colored mess and clearly had to hurry toward a finish before he passed out from blood loss.

Stevenson did not finish the fight and really didn't even come close. Penn was on another level, forcing “Daddy” to tap to a read-naked choke while sputtering his own crimson liquid in the closing minute of the second round. His tears were profuse.

Stevenson never returned to true form after the loss, dropping seven of his next 10 bouts. BJ had crushed the young man's spirit with the brutality so many love from the Hawaiian.

Honorable Mention

• BJ Penn defeats Diego Sanchez
• BJ Penn defeats Sean Sherk
• George St-Pierre defeats BJ Penn
• Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Interim)
• Brock Lesnar defeats Shane Carwin
• Brock Lesnar defeats Frank Mir