10 Former UFC Fighters Who Deserve Another Shot

Everyone deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes. That includes MMA fighters, and that includes the front office of the UFC.

Like everything else with a pulse, plenty of people from both camps have had their share of mishaps. The truly unfortunate part occurs when people cut off their noses to spite their face, digging into an unfair or uninformed position, or refusing to acknowledge a change in circumstances.

That is, I believe, the case with these 10 fighters. Each was fired or released from the UFC. I think that, for one reason or another, they have earned another shot in the Octagon or never should have lost their shot to begin with.

I'm not saying all or even most of these guys have a great shot at actually getting that second chance. But personally, I would like to see them happen.

10. Marcus Davis

Yes, he lost four of five to earn his UFC walking papers in January. But he has stayed plenty busy since, fighting four times and winning three of them (most recently, though, a loss to fellow TUF alum Chuck O'Neil kind of stifled his momentum). Nevertheless, Davis has a crowd-pleasing style and a 9-5 overall record in the UFC.

9. Jesse Taylor

Taylor has a pretty checkered history, but since his release from the UFC in 2008, he has gone 14-5 in other promotions, with wins over the likes of Denis Kang, Chris Camozzi and Jason Day. I'm not saying they should give him a title shot.

But maybe they just give him another shot, period.

8. Patrick Cote

Now fighting in Quebec, Cote is 3-0 since his release from the UFC. He may need to notch a few more wins before fighting his way back into the Octagon, but his overall history as a fighter makes him one to watch.

7. Akihiro Gono

His UFC tenure lasted only three fights, during which time he went 1-2.

My personal bias may be showing, but the welterweight is one of the sport's consummate showmen, and he should have gotten a slightly longer leash from UFC brass. He also has wins over guys like Hector Lombard, Gegard Mousasi and Yuki Kondo. Why not bring him back for the UFC's forthcoming event in Japan?

6. Houston Alexander

Fans will remember the cannonball-sized splash Alexander made in the UFC with devastating consecutive KOs of Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. He then had a bit of a rough patch, to put it mildly, but has since righted the ship by winning four of his last five. Indications are that the brutal Muay Thai striker is still a fairly one-dimensional fighter. But what a dimension it is.

If for no other reason, I'd love Alexander to come back so I could hear Mike Goldberg say it one more time: "That...dude...is...VIOLENT!" 

5. Corey Hill

It took Hill more than a year to recover from a ghastly leg fracture he suffered at UFC: Fight for the Troops in 2008. Though Hill has said the UFC was very supportive throughout, it seems they should go a step further and give him another chance in the Octagon. The rangy lightweight has gone 3-2 since his return, and he still seems to be growing in the sport. He would be a fan favorite right off the bat.

4. Gerald Harris

The well-rounded Harris was 3-1 in the UFC when he was cut after losing to Maiquel Falcao. Many fans and even other fighters—including one Jon Jones—expressed surprise and even a little outrage (on the Internet? Noooooo!) after the release and speculated there was something more to it than his actual performance in the cage.

He is 2-1 since his release and knocked off Kazuhiro Nakamura last September in the DREAM promotion.

3. Paul Daley

Yes, he cheap-shotted Josh Koscheck. No, there's no excuse for that. And yes, Daley should have been punished. But a lifetime ban without parole felt a little hasty back then, and it still does nearly two years later.

White has recently shown just the tiniest bit of wiggle room on the ban. If Daley, now 6-2 post-release, can string together some more wins, who knows what the future holds?

2. Josh Barnett

This one might be a serious long shot given Barnett's past issues with positive drug tests and subsequent licensing issues (plus the fact that White just plain old doesn't seem to like him).

But if Barnett can defeat Daniel Cormier and win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, that would give the charismatic catch wrestler nine wins in a row over opponents with names like Kharitonov, Yvel, Rizzo and Monson. His return would give some needed depth to the UFC's top-heavy heavyweight division.

Sometimes it seems the UFC, both for good and for bad, makes decisions with its heart more than its head. But if Barnett wins the grand prix, to my way of thinking, this one becomes a no-brainer.

1. Nate Marquardt

Dana White seems to entrench himself in a position in the heat of the moment—and sometimes before all the facts come out. That seems to have been what happened with Nate Marquardt, a very good fighter and by-all-accounts good guy who undoubtedly made a mistake, but not one that came out of malice or anything like that. If nothing else, the situation seems sufficiently complex to warrant something a little more thoughtful than a knee-jerk termination.

If he can win in the new BAMMA promotion—where he will debut this February against Yoshiyuki Yoshida for the inaugural welterweight title—here's hoping White and company do the right thing and reconsider their position.