UFC 129: Nate Diaz, Jake Shields and 10 Toughest Fighters to Finish in the UFC
All of the fighters on this list have three or more losses, and all of them have been finished at some point in their career.
Still, these are 10 of the toughest fighters to finish inside the Octagon, and they show in every one of their defeats just how hard it is to get beaten, let alone by submission or knockout.
If you are predicting them to lose, it's a good bet it's going to come by way of decision.
Remember, this is a list showcasing 10 fighters who show their toughness in every one of their fights but have been finished before.
No. 10 Clay Guida
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Of lightweight contender Clay Guida's 11 defeats, seven have come by submission with two of them coming inside the UFC.
Guida has survived everything from head kicks, submission attempts, cuts and blood to take his opponent the distance and even win some of the best fights fans have ever seen.
The only fighters who were able to finish him inside the UFC were Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta; both by rear-naked choke.
He took serious damage in both fights before losing, and it's heart and determination that continues to thrill fans when the wildman enters the cage.
His next fight is against Anthony Pettis on June 4th. That's a guaranteed "Fight of the Night."
No. 9 Sean Sherk
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Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk has four losses that have come against current or former champions. The only two stoppages he suffered were against BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre.
Sherk may be the hardest fighter to submit in MMA, which can be credited to the size of his neck. He survived multiple guillotine chokes from Evan Dunham, Hermes Franca and Nick Diaz, eventually defeating all three.
It's going to be a while before any fighter finishes the 37-year-old, and he may retire without ever being finished again.
No. 8 Roy Nelson
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Of Ultimate Fighter winner Roy Nelson's five defeats, one has come by knockout. The rest were by decision, including his three-round battle versus heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos.
Santos had been knocking everyone out, and it looked like he was going to do the same to Nelson.
He willed through an onslaught of head and body shots to take Santos the distance for the first time in his career.
Nelson's next fight will be against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
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No. 7 Jake Shields
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Jake Shields had a rocky start to his UFC career against Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. Visibly tired, he survived the dangerous striking of the Danish-kickboxer and pulled out a controversial split-decision win.
Shields is currently on a 15-fight win streak including wins over Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Robbie Lawler and Paul Daley.
He survived the power of power punchers Lawler, Daley and took a massive "h-bomb" from Henderson in the opening minute of their fight. It's a punch that puts middleweights and light-heavyweights to sleep.
The welterweight contender recovered and rallied to dominate Henderson for four rounds before winning a decision.
No. 6 Stephan Bonnar
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UFC light-heavyweight Stephan Bonnar has only been finished by cuts two times. His other five losses have come by decision, including four inside the UFC.
Don't be surprised if you see Bonnar bleeding. It has become a trademark of his fights, and stems from the massive amount of punishment he takes. He is a take two to give one fighter and is always in danger of being finished.
It hasn't happened yet aside from the cut stoppages, and that's a fighter's best bet of stopping him.
No. 5 Diego Sanchez
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Diego Sanchez showed just how hard he is to finish in his recent split-decision victory over Martin Kampmann at UFC Live on Versus.
He battled through swelling, cuts, blood and bruises all in the first round to come back and rock Kampmann in the second and third rounds.
Sanchez is one of those fighters that gets stronger the more he gets hurt. In all of the fights that's he's been in danger of being stopped, he has always come back to survive and sometimes win.
No. 4 Nate Diaz
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Of Nate Diaz's four losses inside the UFC, all have been by decision.
His demeanor and approach to fighting is what keeps him in the fight at all times. He is constantly fighting and training with some of the very best, and this definitely helps attribute to his fighting style.
Diaz leaves himself open and has been dropped occasionally by strikers Marcus Davis and Melvin Guillard, but he came back in both to submit his opponents.
His next fight will be against up-and-comer Rory MacDonald at UFC 129. The fight will be broadcast on Spike TV at 8 p.m ET.
No. 3 B.J. Penn
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Unless you are Georges St-Pierre or Matt Hughes, you can't say you have finished the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn.
Penn has one of the deepest records in MMA. His resume includes fights against St-Pierre, Hughes, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Jon Fitch and Lyoto Machida.
Penn is rarely put in danger, but when he is, he is one of the toughest fighters to finish. He has been a victim of cardio problems in the past, and this is the only real chance a fighter has of finishing him.
No. 2 Jon Fitch
9 of 10
Jon Fitch is 23-3 in MMA and has only lost one fight in eight years, falling to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
He has been in dangerous situations multiple times throughout his career, but wills his way through each of them to come back and win decisions.
For a fighter that has been to a decision nine times in a row, Fitch has found himself in several iffy situations where he got caught with a strike or stuck in a submission attempt. Still, his opponent wasn't able to finish him.
No. 1 Chris Lytle
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Chris Lytle is the pound-for-pound toughest fighter in MMA.
With 18 defeats to his record, 16 have been by decision. The only two stoppages he has on his record were by cuts suffered by strikes from Thiago Alves and Joe Riggs, which is the only way a fighter is going to be able to finish the 36-year-old former firefighter.
Lytle has expressed interest in retiring, but he has no reason to. As long as he is putting on tough and entertaining fights that go the distance, he should keep on fighting.
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