10 of the greatest UFC championship fight comebacks

There have been some remarkable performances in UFC championship bouts, but some fighters had to dig deep to get the job done.

Some of the greatest comebacks have come in title fights, whether from a defending champion or a title challenger who showed the heart of a champion to weather the storm and turn things around for the finish.

From strawweight up to heavyweight, here are 10 of the greatest comebacks in UFC championship fight history.

Without further ado …

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Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz – UFC 22
Sept. 24, 1999

After defending his title three times, UFC light heavyweight champion Frank Shamrock drew a young Tito Ortiz at UFC 22. It proved to be one of the toughest battles of his career, as Ortiz really took it to Shamrock from the opening bell.

Ortiz dropped him with a straight right just seconds in, and the next 15 minutes would be a nightmare for Shamrock. Ortiz landed numerous takedowns, putting heavy pressure in top position, while landing brutal ground-and-pound.

In Round 4, Ortiz started to slow down. Shamrock pushed forward with hard leg kicks, but Ortiz capitalized on Shamrock’s forward pressure, landing another takedown. With less than a minute remaining in the round, Shamrock reversed position, unloading a barrage of punches on Ortiz who ducked under for a desperation takedown.

Shamrock used a mounted guillotine to get back up, dropping big hammer fists on Ortiz, who was holding onto his leg. A couple more shots and an exhausted Ortiz was unresponsive, prompting the referee to call the fight. Shamrock never gave up, throwing everything he had in the small windows he got throughout the fight, showing incredible heart.

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