UFC 140: Frank Mir and the Top Career Comebacks in MMA History

At UFC 140, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira—two of MMA's most storied heavyweights—will meet in a rematch of their UFC 92 title match. 

Both Mir and Nogueira have overcome adversity throughout their careers.

And both men have staged remarkable comebacks inside and out of the Octagon.

Whether you love or hate a fighter, it's always great to see them bounce back from adversity.

Here's a look at 10 of the greatest career comebacks in MMA history. 

Matt Serra

Before Matt Serra was on season four of The Ultimate Fighter, he was 8-4, had lost three of his previous five and had recently moved up to welterweight. 

That season of TUF was different than others, as it featured fighters who had already fought in the UFC as its contestants.

This was supposed to give the fighters a chance to revitalize their careers.

The winners of the show would get a shot at the welterweight or middleweight titles. 

Serra won the finale and was set to meet Georges St-Pierre. 

Although he was a huge underdog, Serra scored the biggest upset in MMA history, defeating St-Pierre by TKO. 

Although Serra has since declined, the win against St-Pierre put Serra at a level he had never been at. 

Alan Belcher

After winning three straight, Alan Belcher looked to move up in competition in the middleweight division. 

Belcher was set to meet Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Fight Night 22 but had to pull out because of an eye injury suffered while training. 

Belcher had to undergo emergency eye surgery and started to lose vision in his right eye.

Although he was not on the top tier of middleweights, it would have been sad to not only see Belcher lose his career, but his eyesight as well.

Belcher recovered fully from the injury, though, and made his return to the UFC this past September.

For Belcher to come back was big. The fact he dominated the fight and won by TKO was even bigger.  

Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. 

The current UFC welterweight champion has only lost twice in his career. The first was to Matt Hughes while St-Pierre was still young and while Hughes was still in his prime. 

The second bout came right after St-Pierre won the welterweight title.

St-Pierre was on a six-fight winning streak and seemed unbeatable. 

He faced off against Matt Serra, who earned his title shot by winning season four of TUF.

St-Pierre was the heavy favorite to win the fight. Despite this, he got caught with a good punch from Serra and lost by TKO. 

The loss changed St-Pierre.

Fearing his legacy would be tarnished, St-Pierre started utilizing a more conservative style of fighting by attacking his opponents' weakness.

Although it's not always popular with the fans, St-Pierre has not lost a single fight since and has gone from being good fighter to one of the best in MMA history.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is one of the best light heavyweights in MMA today. 

Back in 2007, he was ranked the best light heavyweight and many believed he would run through the UFC light heavyweight division much like he did in Pride. 

At UFC 76, Rua made his highly anticipated debut with the UFC against Forrest Griffin. 

Despite being the favorite to win, Rua looked like a shell of his former self and lost the fight by submission in the third round. 

Rua also suffered a knee injury that put him out for over a year. 

He made his return against Mark Coleman at UFC 93. Despite the knockout victory, Rua still did not look like the Rua of old. 

The real "Shogun" returned at UFC 97, knocking out Chuck Liddell in the first round. 

Rua's UFC career has been plagued with a few injuries and a couple of close fights that many fans believed he won. 

It has also been filled with greatness, as he captured the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 113. 

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Throughout Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's life, he has seen much adversity. 

At age 10, Nogueira was run over by a truck. The accident left him in the hospital for 11 months and caused him to lose part of a rib. 

The accident did not stop Nogueira from living his dreams. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt grew up to be a great MMA legend. 

Nogueira has had many in-fight comebacks in his career. 

The wars have also taken a toll on his body. After losing to Cain Velasquez, Nogueira underwent surgery on his hip and both knees. 

His return fight against Brendan Schaub could have been make-or-break for Nogueira. 

Despite being a big underdog, he was able to score a huge knockout victory against a much younger Schaub. 

Nogueira will have a chance to avenge a loss to Frank Mir tomorrow night at UFC 140. 

Chael Sonnen

The biggest mouth in MMA has overcome a lot over the past year. 

Shortly after Chael Sonnen's fight with Anderson Silva, it was revealed that Sonnen had elevated levels of testosterone in his body.

Sonnen received a suspension as a result of the drug test. 

Despite appealing the decision, Sonnen's career was put on hold, as he was convicted of money laundering. 

Although Sonnen could have faced serious jail time, he only had to serve a couple years of probation and a fine. 

Sonnen returned to fighting at UFC 136, defeating Brian Stann. 

After the fight, Sonnen returned to his old self and called out Anderson Silva once again. 

Sonnen will have to wait for his shot at Silva, though, as Silva is set to take on Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2. 

Tito Ortiz

Before facing Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Tito Ortiz was well on his way out of the UFC. 

Ortiz had not won a fight in five years and was in a must-win situation. 

Despite being one of the greatest champions in UFC history, Ortiz was a huge underdog in the fight. 

Ortiz was able to fool everyone, as he stunned the world by making Bader tap. 

Overnight, Ortiz went from being one of the most hated fighters in the UFC to calling himself the people's champion. 

Ortiz took on Rashad Evans just one month after the Bader fight. Although Ortiz lost the fight, he still earned Fight of the Night honors. 

Ortiz know's he only has a couple fights left in his career. 

But he has made a huge turnaround. 

Randy Couture

Randy Couture is a legend and a hero to many people in MMA.

When Couture lost a light heavyweight title match to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57, he retired from the sport. 

Couture, was 42 at the time, had already won four UFC titles in two different weight classes and had beaten some of the best fighters in MMA history. 

Couture had nothing else left to prove. Retirement didn't last long for Couture, though. 

He came back and defeated Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title. 

Couture left once more after a money dispute but returned to defend the heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar. 

Although Couture lost the fight and his next one against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, he won three straight before facing Lyoto Machida at UFC 129. 

Couture has had many career comebacks and surprisingly has stayed fresh as he has gotten older. 

Frank Mir

When Frank Mir faced Tim Sylvia at UFC 48, he was 7-1 and had finished but two of his fights buy knockout or submission. 

Mir caught Sylvia in an armbar early in the first round. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight after seeing Sylvia's arm break. 

Mir was set to be one of the greatest champions in MMA history. 

But Mir suffered a motorcycle crash a few months after the fight that put his career on hold. 

Mir returned to the Octagon in 2006. Two years later, he faced off against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim UFC heavyweight title. 

Mir won the fight to become the first man to stop Nogueira by TKO. 

Although he lost the title to Brock Lesnar at UFC 100, Mir is never too far away from title contention. 

A win over Nogueira tomorrow night could put him right back on top. 

Brock Lesnar

When Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir at UFC 100, he was on top of the world. 

In a single night, Lesnar became the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, avenged his only career loss at the time and proved to many doubters that he deserved to be there. 

With Lesnar scheduled to take on Shawn Carwin next, he fell ill to what would eventually become a case of diverticulitis.

The digestive illness not only put Lesnar's career in jeopardy, it put his life in serious danger. 

After being out for a year to recover, Lesnar made his return at UFC 116. 

After being knocked around in the first round, Lesnar took advantage of a fatigued Carwin and submitted him in the second round.

Although Lesnar would lose the title to Cain Velasquaz in his next bout, it was a great feat just to see him return to the Octagon. 

Lesnar will be returning from a second bout with diverticulitis at UFC 141 against Alistair Overeem at the end of the month.