The 10 Worst Main-Event Fighters in UFC History

They lied. They cheated (sort of). They stole our money.

One of them even cracked his head open before he even left his dressing room.

These are the 10 worst main-event fighters in UFC history.

Because most of the earlier events were tournaments and thus didn't have a previously scheduled "main event" per se, I am excluding those from the list.

Second, I'm not including fighters on here who were good, but just happened to mutually put on a bad fight due to having an off night at the same time, an unfavorable blend of styles or game plans or something else (see Arlovski-Sylvia). I'm looking at individual fighters who, in retrospect, didn't deserve to be in the main event.

Third, I'm only looking at pay-per-views, as the free events tend to have a lower threshold for who can be part of a main event, making free events vs. pay events a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison.

Fourth, I'm defining the worst as guys who maybe didn't deserve to be there in the first place, but more importantly put on horrible performances once there. Maybe there are other ways to define it. This one was mine.

Thanks for reading.

10. Nate Quarry, UFC 56

Known for his intensity and work ethic, Quarry trained like a demon for several weeks in anticipation of his UFC 56 middleweight title bout with Rich Franklin.

Too bad it was all over in two minutes and 32 seconds.

Quarry was 8-1 going in, but unless you want to count Pete Sell, none of those wins are what you'd call signature.

9. Joe Stevenson, UFC 80

Stevenson's battle with then-lightweight champ B.J. Penn will always be on the short list of MMA's bloodiest beatdowns. It was clear from the get-go that Stevenson, while talented, simply was not on Penn's level on this particular night. That goes for standup, ground game, clinch, boxing, footwork, physically, mentally, psychologically, medically, diagonally and culinarily.

After that fight, which was Stevenson's first and only title shot in the UFC, Joe Daddy was never the same. After losing six of his next nine, he was released from the UFC.

8. Mirko Cro Cop, UFC 119

Reminder: This is not a career award. This is just for one event.

This one wasn't all Cro Cop's fault. He should be commended for taking this fight with Frank Mir on short notice.

Then again, he shouldn't be fully exonerated, either. The guy had the look of a man stuck in a nine-hour budget meeting that he knows, sooner or later, will come around to his presentation. Which he left in the cab.

(Photo credit: Caged Insider.com)

7. Mark Coleman, UFC 109 Version

In this fight with Randy Couture, you could see every day of Coleman's 45 years, 14 of which he spent as an active professional cage fighter.

Mercifully for everyone involved, Couture ended the fight by chokeout early in the second round. After that, the UFC mercifully ended Coleman's Octagon career by releasing him from the promotion.

6. Paul Buentello, UFC 55

Following Frank Mir's motorcycle wreck, this match was for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

Who would win? Interim champion Andrei Arlovski, who was riding a five-fight winning streak over the likes of Tim Sylvia and Vladimir Matyushenko? Or would it be Buentello, who came in on a six-fight streak over the likes of Lloyd Marshbanks and a 36-year-old Bobby Hoffman?

We knew in 15 seconds.

The Pit Bull KO'd the Head Hunter, and a really unworthy contender was exposed.

(Photo credit: Tapology)

5. Matt Hamill, UFC 130

Another fighter who was a late replacement for a bigger name, and showed as much during the action.

Hamill is an inspirational story to everyone familiar with his personal journey. But let's face facts: When he stepped in against a visibly disinterested Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 130, he was simply not equal to the challenge, and lost by about as unanimous a decision as decisions get.

4. Royce Gracie, UFC 60

This was a fight fans wanted to see, if only out of sheer curiosity. Even knowing how it ended, I bet more than a few would still want to do it over again on novelty factor alone.

Though Royce was the UFC's first champion and star, he was pushing 40 when he stepped in with Hughes. Before that fight, he had a grand total of four contests in the prior six years, amassing a record of 1-1-2. The fight happened at a catchweight of 175 pounds, so was not for Hughes' welterweight title.

Hughes nearly broke Gracie's arm in the first round before finally scoring the TKO before the first bell sounded.

3. Travis Lutter, UFC 67

One day before he was to face middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Lutter missed weight. Non-title fight ensued. Not that it mattered, but Lutter actually seemed to hold his own against Silva for a little while in the first round. But it ended soon enough, when Lutter tapped to strikes in the second frame.

After Silva, Lutter lost his next fight to Rich Franklin and was cut from the UFC. Talk about a quick fall from grace.

2. Kevin Randleman, UFC 24

Randleman was the man partially responsible for the worst main event that never happened.

At UFC 24, Randleman fell on the concrete floor and concussed himself. The main event was cancelled. Problem was, the UFC didn't tell anyone until after the event was over.

So while it's not Randleman's fault he got hurt (I guess), and the fight eventually took place at UFC 26, Randleman wins this ignominious honor for being part of the main event that never was.

1. Thales Leites, UFC 97

"Anderson, will you please jump into my guard?"

"Nope."

"Welp. I'm out of ideas. OK by you if I just lie here for the rest of the fight?"

"Hey, it's your manhood. I get paid either way."

In four scant months, Leites went from title shot against the greatest fighter in the world to Alessio Sakara to out of the UFC. No matter what he does from here, he'll always be the most egregious Silva ducker in The Spider's career.

And that's saying something.