(Inspired by this
recent thread from
@CageWalks and the below youtube short from Ramsey Dewey)
Two of the best examples I can think of are Ngannou vs. Stipe I and Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena I. But both of these were already title fights and in the case of Nunes she was already a champion, and we now know that going into it she wasn't fully fit and had an off night, a very un-Nunes-like performance.
I'm wondering who was broken early in their career and developed into a champion later on?
I know Charles Oliveira has the record for most losses in the UFC for someone who went on to become champion. He entered the UFC at an early age and has fought very frequently. But even though he was finished in most of his losses, I'm not sure how often if ever he was broken.
Being broken is not the same as being finished. You can get caught by a KO strike or a submission and it doesn't mean you were broken. If you wake up thinking I just got caught but I can beat this guy, I want to go again, you weren't broken. Even if you tap, it means you got caught in a position you couldn't get out of but doesn't necessarily mean you were broken.
Best example I can think of is the CDF vs. Gregor Gillespie fight where after a very competitive first round, Gillespie got into mount in the second round and Ferreira was too gassed to escape leading to a TKO. CDF is a very good fighter but he's also 38 years old. Has anybody lost like this early on and gone on to become a champ?
