Fighters That Never Came Back The Same After A Knockout Loss

[Deleted member 545701]

Thanks to the snooze fest this past weekend of Hernandez / Trinaldo, I think it'd be interesting to look back on fighters that never fully recovered from a knockout loss.

Prior to the Cowboy fight, Hernandez was essentially Daniel Cormier at LW. He would never take a back step and keep moving forward

Then he faced somebody that could pick him apart like Cowboy

Then Hernandez became gun shy. He wouldn't throw a strike against Trinaldo without running away right after.

On the flip side, there's fighters like Jose Aldo that come back stronger after getting knocked out. He was beaten for the first time in 10 years & knocked out for the first time in his whole career, then came back to do this.

So, what are some examples of fighters that never came back the same after being knocked out (became gun shy)

 

[Thunderchild]

Renan Barao went from the P4P list to being 1-5 since Dillasnake KO'd him the second time, 2-7 since the first time.

 

[King.]

Ooh nice subject there. Gun shy I would say the poster boy is Alistair Overeem. He was a destroyer / glass cannon but after getting beat by Bigfoot and Browne he adapted beautifully, however with a style that has him hesitant to pull the trigger.

 

[blingking]

GSP.

He came back and didn’t lose a round for five years.

His killer instinct seemed to go as well though.

 

[TheAmericanCrack]

Aldo after mac schooled him.

 

[Flex Plexico]

 

[Deleted member 545701]

Renan Barao went from the P4P list to being 1-5 since Dillasnake KO'd him the second time, 2-7 since the first time.

Yeah, Renan's downfall is crazy. He went from the best in the world to an absolute bum within a few years.

Ooh nice subject there. Gun shy I would say the poster boy is Alistair Overeem. He was a destroyer / glass cannon but after getting beat by Bigfoot and Browne he adapted beautifully, however with a style that has him hesitant to pull the trigger.

Overeem's style change is bizarre lol.

I guess another one is Cody Garbrandt. After he got KO'd by TJ the first fight, he lost his fight IQ and abandoned his defense

 

[Flex Plexico]

Vinny Magalhaes getting KO’d by Bader seemed to have changed him a bit

I mean he kept fighting, but seemed altered somehow

 

[King.]

Yeah, Renan's downfall is crazy. He went from the best in the world to an absolute bum within a few years.



Overeem's style change is bizarre lol.

I guess another one is Cody Garbrandt. After he got KO'd by TJ the first fight, he lost his fight IQ and abandoned his defense

My word that last one landed FLUSH.
Overeem is indeed bizarre however I do think he has made the most significant and worthwhile style change any fighter has ever made with good to great success at one point. Never mind the amount of fights he had until said change. Unprecedented really, it takes some balls and setting aside your ego to do that in my opinion.

 

[Lint]

I was afraid that Hooker would lost his killer instinct after Barboza, now I'm good.
GSP was a pretty good fighter before Matt, he's the biggest downfall ever. (Wait for the horde of GSP fans to burst in outrage)
JDS is a prime example.

Aldo lost a tad of his killer instinct after fighting Hominick, but I can cope with it... The guy punched Hominick so much he defaced Hominick off and still couldn't put him to sleep, from there on we saw an Aldo that managed his gas tank in case of else.

Seems like Conor hasn't been the same after Diaz as well, if only we could actually see him fighting.......

 

[Judge Lance Ito]

Stefan Struve after Mark Hunt punched his teeth into brain (literally I think).

Struve was on a real tear (including stopping Stipe) and was definitely in the title mix.
He came back a complete bum. Looked like he had PTSD the whole time.

 

[BJpencil]

Thanks to the snooze fest this past weekend of Hernandez / Trinaldo, I think it'd be interesting to look back on fighters that never fully recovered from a knockout loss.

Prior to the Cowboy fight, Hernandez was essentially Daniel Cormier at LW. He would never take a back step and keep moving forward

Then he faced somebody that could pick him apart like Cowboy

Then Hernandez became gun shy. He wouldn't throw a strike against Trinaldo without running away right after.

On the flip side, there's fighters like Jose Aldo that come back stronger after getting knocked out. He was beaten for the first time in 10 years & knocked out for the first time in his whole career, then came back to do this.

View attachment 620005

So, what are some examples of fighters that never came back the same after being knocked out (became gun shy)

The scorecards didn't do that fight justice. Edgar couldn't do anything that night against Aldo (second fight).

 

[jsbx45]

GSP was a pretty good fighter before Matt, he's the biggest downfall ever.

Really?Are you that much of a hater or an confirming yourself as an idiot?

Yes, prepare for your beating.

 

[OldBoy91]

Fedor

 

[jsbx45]

Rochhold and Teh Chris seem to be struggling to get it back together.

 

[Paulsp]

Vick after the gaethje KO

He was KO’d before by darisuh but has just looked uncomfortable in there’s since the gaethje KO and lost his next two

 

[Fire Fist]

Khabib after mcgre... oh yeah

Pettis was never the same after RDA/USADA

 

[Aluminati]

Wanderlei after eating that left high kick from CroCop.

 

[Lint]

Really?Are you that much of a hater or an confirming yourself as an idiot?

Yes, prepare for your beating.

Called it.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Wanderlei after eating that left high kick from CroCop.

And Crocop after he was Crocop'd by Gonzaga.

To see both legends decline after being on the receiving end of a brutal high kick to the head really got me crestfallen.