10 Veteran Fighters the UFC Has Used and Abused for Name Value

By now I'm sure it seems like I have an anti-UFC bias, but I swear it's not the case.  

It just so happens that all the positive UFC articles keep getting written, and nobody wants to read the same thing several times over.

One of the great things about the UFC is that they rarely have mismatches.  This doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, but that it happens rarely.

And yet it does happen.  No matter how much Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg try to spin it, some fights are just plain awful and don't seem competitive from the first time they're mentioned to the final bell.

The reason for some of these is because some of the fighters in them are old and worn out.  Anything that might have remained of the glory is faded, and the fighter is badly injured.

Yet somehow the UFC and Joe Silva find these fighters and convince them to step in the cage for us to watch.

Let's take a look at some of the worst uses of veteran fighters.

UFC 41: Tank Abbott

Sadly, this wouldn't be the last time that Tank fought for the UFC. However, fighting with Kimo Leopoldo isn't as bad as fighting a young Frank Mir.

Sure, Mir was coming off a loss, but he was an all-around better fighter than Abbott and was in far better shape.  

At one time, Abbott had fought for the heavyweight title, but the UFC had changed since then.  Now martial artists were expected to be better athletes and consummate professionals.  It seemed like they threw a homeless person in with a highly trained martial artist just to make people tune in.

I'm not sure what went through the minds of anyone who set this match up, but it couldn't have been much.

UFC 55: Tra Telligman

Telligman had lost every single time he had fought in the UFC.  

Never was it worse than in his last UFC appearance, where he was knocked out by a head kick thanks to Tim Sylvia.

Now it might seem like that isn't a big deal, but at the time Sylvia was 18-2 and coming off a win.

At the same time, Tra was 7-4-1 and coming off a loss.

Oh, and if you didn't notice, he has only one pectoral muscle.

Ortiz vs Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter: Ken Shamrock

This one is almost too sad to type.  It is also the easiest name on this list.  

At any point in the Tito Ortiz trilogy, you could say that Ken Shamrock didn't have anything left, but never more than in the last fight.

Ken just didn't have anything left in the tank, and the fight was mercifully stopped in the beginning minutes of the first round.  

After the fight, the UFC mercifully cut him, though it was a bit too late in my opinion.

Sadly, Ken still fights. Hopefully he retires by choice one day, and not by force.

UFC 106: Phil Baroni

I'm not sure why Phil was brought back into the UFC for two fights, especially since he had lost his last fight before that in Strikeforce against Joe Riggs.

But they did bring him back, and the New York Bad Ass was brought in to go against Amir Sadollah.  My guess is that it was supposed to be a build-up fight for Sadollah since he was coming off his first loss.

Then Baroni was brought in against Brad Tavares.

To see a man who helped MMA get off the ground reduced to a gatekeeper for young guns was a bit sad.

Phil just fought in ONE Fighting Championship.  

He lost.

UFC 109: Frank Trigg

Even though he was riding a four-fight win streak when he returned to the octagon, Frank didn't have much of a chance against Josh Koscheck.  However, that isn't the fight where the UFC used the old warhorse as a stepping stone.

It was after that fight, where Josh blasted Trigg out in just one round, that he was used to get people to tune in.

It was obvious that Frank couldn't compete at the highest level, but the UFC threw him back into the octagon and let him face Matt Serra.

On the surface it looked like two older men were going to square off, but in reality Serra was a lot fresher than Trigg, and it showed.

Matt dispatched him in one round, and then so did the UFC.

UFC 112: Renzo Gracie

There is a reason that I was willing to put Renzo and not Royce down. Royce had won a few fights in a row, was on the cusp of turning 40 but still in his 30s, and had fought within a year of his return to the UFC.

Renzo, on the other hand, was 43 and hadn't fought since 2007.  He was also three fights removed from a three-fight losing streak, and each win he had gained had been over worn-out veterans like himself.

Then the UFC put him against Matt Hughes.

The two reasons for this was it was a great revenge story and that most of the people in Abu Dhabi would know who he was, because of the Gracies and grappling tournaments that have been held in the region.  It definitely worked. 

I was amazed that Renzo made it to the third round, but Hughes finally was able to beat him into submission and win the fight.

On a happier note, Renzo has transitioned away from the cage and has become a coach.

UFC 115: Chuck Liddell

There is only one reason that went through my mind and made me include Liddell.

Concussions. 

Chuck Liddell had been knocked out in brutal fashion in his last two fights before his final fight with Rich Franklin.

He had probably gotten at least one concussion for his troubles.

I realize that he put up a decent fight, but when he started pulling his hands down and telegraphing the right hand it was already over.

Franklin just needed the opening to get the knockout punch, and Liddell provided it.

The UFC then pushed for Chuck to retire after the fight.

I honestly thought it should have been one fight sooner.

UFC 128: Mirko Cro Cop

I think we can all admit it.  Cro Cop peaked at the Gonzaga fight.

If we just go by numbers, then Cro Cop is doing well in the UFC.

However, a closer look shows that every time he has taken a step up he has been beaten badly.

He had a horrible fight with Frank Mir and then got thrown to Brendan Schaub to put a big name on the American's record.

Now he has a fight coming up with Roy Nelson.

Hopefully it will be his last.

Hopefully it will be by choice.

UFC 132: Wanderlei Silva

I questioned myself for a second after writing this one.  Wanderlei is only one loss removed from beating Michael Bisping.

And then I remember that he is 2-6 in his last eight bouts, having been knocked out in four of them.

It says a lot for Silva that he can still beat somebody like Bisping.  However, if it had been the old Silva, he would not have knocked down the much younger man in the third round, but finished him off.

No matter what, Wanderlei puts on great fights.

But there comes a time when we need to let go.  The knockout loss to Chris Leben was a great time to do it.

Honorable Mention: UFC 118: James Toney

You could consider him the 10th fighter, but you might not.  It's true that he is a boxer and not a mixed martial artist, but he still gets into a place of combat and dukes it out, so I decided to include him.  

Toney is now 43. He fought in his only MMA fight against the much-older MMA legend, Randy Couture.  He was in terrible shape for it and had only trained in grappling for about six months.  He was the co-main event.

Dana White even acknowledged that it was a sideshow attraction and willingly smiled and joked about it.

Come fight time, it went down like most thought it would.  Couture dominated with his wrestling and then proceeded to put Toney in an arm bar.

Now Toney is fighting Ken Shamrock.

Ironically, they choose to do so outside of the UFC, showing that even off the big stage, fighters still fight.

Even when they shouldn't anymore.

Let Me Know What You Think

What do you think of my list?

Did I miss someone?

Did I put down someone I shouldn't have?

Feel free to comment and speak your mind.