Three Dominant UFC Champions Who Suffered Brutal Loss in 2022

By: Shreya Jha Image Credit: UFC

[{"selector":"#anim-0569f635-30a4-42b2-8e6c-daf26c56f166 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(21.73065467259197%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] The UFC has gone through some major landscape changes this year with multiple new champions.

[{"selector":"#anim-09d07317-d6b5-4c6d-9bb0-2da0dd9529f2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dc09e224-c563-4aec-97fc-3c670c770f2b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-122.71062%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7beec112-b862-42cf-9f9c-de6bf2a413d9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-777e1195-565c-4fed-8796-65719a6f34d3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-159.38865%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-73189d08-ff32-43c8-be2c-921a9319370b [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(16.472120333570672%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Three dominant fighters in their weight classes lost their belts in the last three months with none of their fights going to the distance.

[{"selector":"#anim-553258d1-bb8d-4a89-a4a0-fb7b4224d749 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(19.744791577353865%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] At UFC 281, Alex Pereira knocked out Israel Adesanya to become the new middleweight champion.

Adesanya was the middleweight champion since June 2019 and had defended his belt five times, he also contended once for light heavyweight title.

[{"selector":"#anim-487de91c-3fa8-4d8b-9d0c-2996cf7aeeb6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-59d29bc6-f2a8-4115-820f-735e89728771","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-116.61129%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-35033c32-6f1f-4b24-8da7-19674268a8a7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a7efdde7-d042-48da-9609-493e0022438f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-159.47136%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-622b3d1c-11a0-4b5b-bfb2-3a871c405d7a [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(19.86587376913046%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

[{"selector":"#anim-c51e0598-6a27-47fd-8351-0403c84b7c58 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(19.511160624972916%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Earlier this year, Leon Edwards knocked out the champion from long-time Kumaru Usman to take the welterweight belt home.

[{"selector":"#anim-ca5fa812-bbbc-4cd6-a748-5ac5bc524b9a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c75f9298-76a0-4f76-b936-9ef9baac8853","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-123.18841%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f574130b-ac2c-4e52-8bd7-082ccd8fe81e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a9fa6929-e307-4562-9fc1-7caf20af1710","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-159.47136%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ef0ca000-b982-4251-9639-3760f76e2645 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(2.3176852730652193%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Usman was the champion since March 2019 and had defended his belt five times against three different contenders.

[{"selector":"#anim-5c367e67-aaf0-464a-bbfc-9afbaea82478","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e800399e-54e1-4bfe-9ad3-15076879f7ac","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-147.27273%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-20116811-eca9-4553-ba3b-767b462faf78","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":900,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d4c25dbf-cbdc-4713-80ec-d80e325f4a88","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-da7ddca7-dbb9-47cd-bd0d-94aafed7bcdd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120.13202%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1be28fb6-d5fc-446e-a8ab-b218a9f147cc [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(13.904017767830052%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] In lightweight class, submission king Charles Oliveira's title was stripped away after he missed the weight before fighting against Justin Gaethje at UFC 275.

[{"selector":"#anim-d010658d-2220-49b6-bd4c-f3228921472f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bbe54737-93a1-4e77-baba-89a17a9b2bf8","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-143.63636%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b4001ca9-6080-4368-b7b9-5ec37d7f1db5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1ae02d55-ad5e-4f81-bd37-95ddb0cbb606","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120.81912%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c8e36cf4-ecb1-4345-be85-bd9187f1edd4 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-10.165922529734809%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Oliveira then was submitted by the Russian Islam Makhachev in the title fight at UFC 280 making Makhachev the new lightweight champion.

Three Dominant UFC Champions Who Suffered Brutal Loss in 2022

Adesanya was the middleweight champion since June 2019 and had defended his belt five times, he also contended once for light heavyweight title.

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