10 Times UFC Championships Were Practically Given Away

TL;DR

Ten UFC title fights where champions or challengers made deliberate, repeated strategic blunders that directly handed the belt to their opponents.

Key Points

• 1.Jan Błachowicz vs. Aljamain Sterling tops the list. Jan, clearly dominating and ahead on cards deep into round four, kneed Sterling on the ground after being explicitly warned not to, resulting in a disqualification loss and handing Sterling the belt he may not have earned.
• 2.Tank Abbott vs. Maurice Smith is the only title fight where a challenger quit mid-fight. Abbott admitted he stepped off a bar stool and hadn't been training, was visibly exhausted within 30 seconds, and gave up entirely after roughly six minutes of action in 1997.
• 3.Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson repeatedly shot for takedowns against Olympic-level wrestler Daniel Cormier. Without landing a single punch first, Rumble initiated multiple takedowns in both rounds, gifting DC exactly what he wanted, leading to a rear naked choke finish in their second fight.
• 4.Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2 produced historically low striking numbers. Rose, clearly the superior fighter, was so mentally consumed by her first loss that she fought almost entirely defensively, allowing Esparza to win by doing marginally more in one of the most criticized title fights ever.
• 5.Alexsandro Pantoja retained his flyweight title because Steve Erceg inexplicably kept shooting for takedowns in round five. With two of three judges scoring it tied entering the final round and Erceg winning the striking, he initiated grappling twice, got reversed both times, and lost the round and the fight.
• 6.Fabricio Werdum gave away his heavyweight title by charging Stipe Miocic face-first twice in rapid succession. After nearly getting KO'd on the first blitz, Werdum immediately repeated the same rush at full sprint just three seconds later and was knocked out cold in front of 45,000 home fans in Brazil.
• 7.Jiří Procházka vs. Carlos Ulberg represents the freshest debate on the list. Procházka repeatedly let Ulberg recover from falls caused by his own damaged leg rather than pursuing a ground advantage, then abandoned leg kicks for boxing range in the final seconds, leading to a finish Procházka's deliberate choices enabled.