Knockout losses that were good for a career

[van1ty]

Just giving my top 3:

GSP: Some may say that GSP's knockout loss to Serra caused him to start using a boring 'conservative' style. Such people must not have watched parisyan/gsp, since if GSP has ever lnp'ed in a fight, that was the one. Regardless, since the Serra loss, GSP has cared more about his legacy than ever, and has realized how easily it can all be taken away.

Korean Zombie: KZ kind of bought into his own hype after the Garcia loss, which was effectively a moral victory. Afterwards, he would fight George Roop, and decided to slug it out again. Things ended in brutal fashion, with KZ ending up in the hospital, where he vowed to never slug it out again. He would fight much more conservatively against Garcia in the rematch, and is now a top contender fighting a lot more intelligently -- although no less entertainingly.

Brian Stann: Came to the WEC as a slugger, and took the title from Cantwell. He would slug it out in their rematch, and this time it was him ending up unconscious. In their rubber match, Stann introduced a new, much more conservative style, which he has kept ever since -- although it sure as hell hasn't prevented the knockouts from racking up.

 

[J Mill]

Bisping as well

 

[Bboy]

I definitely agree with the Korean Zombie one. That KO was good for him. A real wake up call. Let me list some that I think were good for them.

Rashad Evans - After he KO'd Liddell, he forgot that he was a wrestler. So the Machida KO made him remember where his best asset is. Even Forrest was beating him on the feet in their fight.

Mark Munoz - That KO made him go to middleweight haha. But seriously, he was a small light heavyweight.

 

[milenss]

GSP-Serra !!

 

[van1ty]

i actually completely agree with evans. he bought too much into his own hype as a striker.

munoz shoudl have been 185 from the beginning.

 

[tjumper78]

kz said he still has the bloodied shirts (it was on him when he woke up in the ambulance after the ko) hung up on the wall in his room so he could be reminded of that loss when he wakes up every morning.
some harcore shit, and i love it!

 

[diazisawesome**]

I would say the KZ.

 

[codymo]

Bisping as well

Came in to say this. I think he'd do anything to avoid being humiliated like that again haha.

 

[elzar]

i was going to come in and say "when the fuck is a KO loss ever good for a career?" but then i saw some reasonable examples. LOL.

 

[equus]

leben

 

[Break Brick]

kz said he still has the bloodied shirts (it was on him when he woke up in the ambulance after the ko) hung up on the wall in his room so he could be reminded of that loss when he wakes up every morning.
some harcore shit, and i love it!

Did he really say that? That's pretty fucking awesome

 

[iwhoopedbatman]

Another vote for Evans, since I see he's been named

Rory getting comeback TKO'd by Condit has given him more time to develop before getting top-ranked competition, which has probably been good for him.

 

[SimonNova]

Penn after his TKO (to the death/quit) loss vs GSP

he's been on a tear since then

 

[awymore]

i was going to come in and say "when the fuck is a KO loss ever good for a career?" but then i saw some reasonable examples. LOL.

Agreed. Some excellent examples.

 

[phd]

Just giving my top 3:

GSP: Some may say that GSP's knockout loss to Serra caused him to start using a boring 'conservative' style. Such people must not have watched parisyan/gsp, since if GSP has ever lnp'ed in a fight, that was the one. Regardless, since the Serra loss, GSP has cared more about his legacy than ever, and has realized how easily it can all be taken away.

Korean Zombie: KZ kind of bought into his own hype after the Garcia loss, which was effectively a moral victory. Afterwards, he would fight George Roop, and decided to slug it out again. Things ended in brutal fashion, with KZ ending up in the hospital, where he vowed to never slug it out again. He would fight much more conservatively against Garcia in the rematch, and is now a top contender fighting a lot more intelligently -- although no less entertainingly.

Brian Stann: Came to the WEC as a slugger, and took the title from Cantwell. He would slug it out in their rematch, and this time it was him ending up unconscious. In their rubber match, Stann introduced a new, much more conservative style, which he has kept ever since -- although it sure as hell hasn't prevented the knockouts from racking up.

Great point on KZ. Guy could have just fallen into being the Asian Leonard Garcia, but decided to evolve his game. It's been easy to forget about that Roop loss, but it obvioulsy affected him a lot...and in a good way.

 

[PridefulChaos18]

Chad Mendes, maybe?

Although, I think we already knew that he could finish low level fighters.

 

[Paralakz]

Jones vs Pole.

Not joking at all here... I feel that it took away some of the pretense and brought him down to earth a bit.

 

[Nova44]

100% agree with KZ, and now he's the #1 contender (not mendes)

 

[PUO3]

overeem: all of them.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Bisping as well

I am no Bisping fan but this is true. Bisping could have let that wreck his career instead 3 years later he is still close to the top of his weight class..