Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones and six other fighters who let fans down
Brazilian UFC legend Loyto Machida was pulled from his rematch with Dan Henderson on Wednesday after admitting to the USADA that he took a banned substance while preparing for his UFC Fight Night bout in Tampa.
The announcement shocked many, but mostly, it broke our hearts.
Machida began his career a perfect 16-0 and became a fan favorite after notching wins over the likes of Shogun Rua, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva and Tito Ortiz. His respect toward the game was endearing and his karate fighting style was entertaining. So despite his 1-3 record over his last four fights, MMA fans still held "The Dragon" in high regard. That is, until yesterday's announcement.
Machida isn't the first, and he won't be the last fighter to let fans down. Here are six more fighters who ripped our heart out and stepped on it.
Dan Henderson and BJ Penn keep on keepin' on
The H-Bomb will never die, Hendo. Even if you retire.
We love Dan Henderson and BJ Penn. No doubt about it. Which is why it hurts so much to see them fight so far past their prime. Penn, 37, announced that he was returning to fight Dennis Siver after getting punished by Frankie Edgar, Rory MacDonald and Nick Diaz in his last three fights, respectively. Henderson, 37, has taken just as much, if not more damage over his 45 professional fights. Both fighters have won titles, beaten the best of the best and have nothing left to prove to fans. We loved watching you win, so please stop making us watch you lose.
Anderson Silva gets caught
At one point, it was unclear if Anderson Silva's winning streak would ever end. 16 straight UFC wins, all but two of which came by way of KO/TKO or submission, the charisma inside and outside the Octagon to captivate fans of all nationalities and a legitimate rivalry with Chael Sonnen made Silva one of the promotion's biggest stars of the late 2000s. But then Silva started getting cocky, and when you get cocky you get caught. Silva got caught twice, once by Chris Weidman's left hook, and another by the USADA when he tested positive for PEDs before UFC 183. Truly two devastating moments for "Spider" fans everywhere.
Jon Jones crashes
Jon Jones has always been one of the UFC's premiere and more entertaining fighters. But despite his success when he puts on the gloves, Jones has served up plenty of heartbreak during his career -- especially between 2014 and 2015. The former longtime champion brawled with Daniel Cormier at a pre-fight event, failed a drug test to kick off the year, then, in April, was involved in a hit-and-run accident that tarnished his legacy and reputation and got him stripped of the UFC light heavyweight title. Only time will tell if winning another title can mend his relationship with fans.
Georges St-Pierre steps away
Listen, I know this slightly contradicts the heartbreak around Hendo and Penn. GSP's last three fights were wars, he got to go out on his terms and he's 34 years old, now. But hear me out. St-Pierre's retirement after his fight against Johny Hendricks was very sudden -- so sudden not even GSP was sure he wanted to do it.
And he was only 32 at the time riding a 12-fight win streak. Happy to see him leave on top, but his retirement marked the end of an era, and if you weren't even a little sad, you might be a robot.
Nick Diaz's Jordan act
No doubting Nick and Nate Diaz are two of the most entertaining fighters to ever fight under the UFC banner. Their relationship with the UFC, however, especially Nick's, has been rocky at times. Nick left the UFC in 2006 after 10 fights in three years before returning to the promotion in 2011. Since then he's fought just four times -- four -- and has gone nearly two years between his last fight against Anderson Silva and his title fight against Georges St-Pierre. Come back to us, Nick!
Gina Carano's return to MMA ... psych
Gina Carano, the Ronda Rousey of the late 2000s, abruptly retired from MMA after her 2009 loss to Cris 'Cyborg', and that was heartbreaking enough to fans as Carano had really just started to gain mainstream notoriety. So in 2014, when the former Strikeforce title contender announced on "The Arsenio Hall Show" that she was interested in a comeback and Dana White later confirmed they were, indeed, in negotiations, fans began to salivate over a potential Rousey-Carano matchup. Then nothing happened. Negotiations stopped with no real explanation and Carano went back to doing movies. There's a pretty good chance this is one of those highly-speculated fights we'll never get to see.
