Five Times Fighters Were Surprisingly Defeated by Own Techniques

In mixed martial arts, there are those MMA fighters who have catapulted themselves into mainstream stardom because of one particular strike or submission, with some of these moves going on to become staple additions to their respective fighter’s highlight-reel. Such examples include Dan Henderson’s devastating right hook and lone follow up ground punch on Michael Bisping at UFC 100, and Leon Edwards’ now iconic head kick starching of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.

It is moments such as these that have made certain techniques completely synonymous with the MMA fighters that had implemented them, almost becoming the standard for which future athletes will be judged should they manage to replicate them.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, however, there are those MMA fighters who have had their own seemingly-patented attacks used against them, with the results sometimes being catastrophic for their health.

From living legends to preeminent contenders, these following five MMA fighters proved that no one is safe from being leveled by the same skillset that delivered them so much success in the past.    

These are five MMA fighters beaten by their own signature moves:

5. MMA Fighters Beaten By Their Own Signature Moves: Michael Chiesa

Beloved today for his stellar career and contributions to the analyst’s desk, Michael Chiesa was a perennial figure among the elite in both the UFC’s lightweight and welterweight divisions. Gaining entry into the promotion after winning the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2012, the Colorado native went on a tear in the 155-lb class, besting other talented MMA fighters like fellow TUF champion Colton Smith, Jim Miller, and Beneil Dariush. For all his triumphs, though, he still found himself struggling to reach top contender status, losing two key matchups in a row against Anthony Pettis and Jorge Masvidal. 

This skid would prompt Chiesa to move up to his original weight category at welterweight in 2018. The decision appeared to have paid off in spades, with “Maverick” winning his next four bouts back-to-back, defeating the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny.

Sadly, much like his stint at lightweight, he still couldn’t quite get over the hump at 170-lb, losing to notable MMA fighters such as Sean Brady and Kevin Holland. Competing just recently at UFC Seattle last month in what wound up being his retirement fight, Chiesa finished the durable Niko Price to walk off into the sunset off the back of a four-fight win streak. 

During his tenure in the UFC, Chiesa had become known as a talented submission ace, currently holding the record for most rear-naked choke stoppages in the company’s history at the time of this writing at eight. Gaining repute for his ability to take the back and end the contest with his Jiu-Jitsu, it was almost always a foregone conclusion that he was going to make his opponent’s life hell when the tilt went to the canvas, which is why it came as a complete and utter shock when he was apparently tapped out by Kevin Lee with his own signature submission.

Crossing paths with “The Motown Phenom” at UFC Fight Night 112, Chiesa ended up tapping to Lee’s rear-naked choke in the waning moments of round one.

Almost immediately, the stoppage was marred with controversy, with Chiesa looking to have never submitted at all before referee Mario Yamasaki waved off the fight. Despite the nature of the defeat, it still stands on Chiesa’s record to this day, with it being the only setback by rear-naked choke of his entire mixed martial arts career.

4. MMA Fighters Beaten By Their Own Signature Moves: Holly Holm

When former multi-time world boxing champion Holly Holm began to make the full transition into an MMA fighter in 2013, the combat sports world was curious as to how far “The Preacher’s Daughter” could go. Including a few wins that she accrued while she still fought in the square circle, Holm found herself heading to the UFC after just two years with a pristine 7-0 record. 

Winning her first two bouts in the organization, the Jackson Wink product eventually secured a title shot at the soon-to-be landmark event UFC 193. There, Holm went up against women’s MMA icon Ronda Rousey, who was in the midst of a robust championship reign after six consecutive defenses as the bantamweight queen. Peppering Rousey on the feet early on, the boxing specialist shocked the world by finishing the champion in the second round with a hellacious head kick that dropped her, earning her the 135-lb strap by knockout.

The victory thrust Holm into stardom overnight, making her one of the most popular MMA fighters on the planet. Unfortunately, her time as the incumbent didn’t last very long, because following her triumph over Rousey, she was choked out by Strikeforce veteran Miesha Tate in her first retention. In the wake of a failed move up to featherweight, Holm was able to nab another shot at her former throne, putting her on a crash course with promotional titan Amanda Nunes at UFC 239.

Looking completely outclassed in every facet of the sport, Holm found a great deal of difficulty in getting anything started on Nunes, with the Brazilian outmatching her from the very start of their contest.

Then, as the first round began to near its end, “The Lioness” dropped the figurative jaws of everyone in the T-Mobile Arena by dusting Holm with a hard kick to her head, mirroring the latter’s win over Rousey almost four years prior. The stoppage still remains a lasting image in the reign of Nunes, who became the only woman to stop Holm by strikes in her time as one of the most dominant MMA fighters to exist.

3. MMA Fighters Beaten By Their Own Signature moves: Jiří Procházka

Emerging as one of the best MMA fighters outside the UFC before signing with the company in 2020, Jiří Procházka had embarked on a warpath of terror on the international circuit, compiling a monstrous 27-3-1 record. The Czech had also collected a vast array of accomplishments for his trophy case, including the GCF and Rizin light heavyweight belts.  Making his debut at UFC 251, Procházka would make an immediate impression with fans by knocking out former championship challenger Volkan Oezdemir in dramatic fashion.

He then followed that up by starching another man who contended for the belt in Dominick Reyes, stopping him in the second round with a well-executed spinning elbow. After just two bouts, Procházka was already fighting in his own organizational title match, defeating Glover Teixeira in arguably the greatest fight the weight class had ever seen at UFC 275. 

Being forced to vacate his throne due to suffering an injury in training, Procházka spent the next three years trying to get back on top in the division, losing twice to Alex Pereira by stoppage. However, while “Denisa” had failed to reclaim his championship, he also had recorded several more splendid triumphs, including taking out fellow entertaining strikers Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. 

For the entirety of his involvement in the UFC, Procházka has been hailed as must-see television, regularly logging one to several post-fight bonuses whenever he competes. While his awkward style of punching has presented himself as a tricky puzzle to solve for anyone in the division not named Alex Pereira, there seemed to be a signature attack that always dealt a major amount of damage to his opposition: his hooks.

Counting his debut against Oezdemir, and his subsequent wars with Hill and Rountree Jr., the Czech had tended to end his bouts fairly decisively after managing to land one of his solid horizontal punches and cementing his place among the dominant MMA fighters at 205 lbs.        

Stepping into the Octagon at UFC 327 on the back of a two-bout winning streak, Procházka was eager to at last get his hands on the strap he never lost, locking horns with surging New Zealand-based contender Carlos Ulberg, who was riding a nine-fight undefeated run at the time. Shortly into the tilt, it appeared that Ulberg had seemingly compromised his leg after a failed exchange. Having backed his adversary onto the cage, Procházka swooped in for the kill, only for Ulberg to floor him with a destructive hook of his own that nearly knocked him out cold.

The ending to the contest was certainly a shock for audiences everywhere, but astute viewers will also remember that Procházka was laid out by the same hook more than two years ago at UFC 295 during his first tussle with Pereira.

Despite getting the better of the Brazilian due to his grappling, “Denisa” was ultimately defeated by “Poatan’s” iconic left hook, almost mirroring his future setback to Ulberg at the knuckles of the exact technique that had previously brought him to the forefront of MMA fighters the 205-lb class.       

2. MMA Fighters Beaten By Their Own Signature Moves: Vicente Luque

Gaining notoriety during his time on the 21st season of The Ultimate Fighter, Vicente Luque’s first introduction into the UFC didn’t have many speculating a great career for him, with the Brazilian losing his debut to the unbeaten Michael Graves. Turning a corner as an MMA fighter, however, “The Silent Assassin” would experience a monumental surge in success inside the Octagon, going 10-1 in his next 11 contests, losing only to future welterweight king Leon Edwards.

Luque boasts one of the best finishing rates of those MMA fighters currently on the 170-lb roster, getting his hand raised seven times by submission across his 17 wins in the UFC, three of them coming by way of anaconda choke. Including attaining one during his days on the regional scene, Luque holds four victories stemming from this move.

Competing just recently at UFC 327, he put this submission to highly-effective use by stopping former Ultimate Fighter winner Kelvin Gastelum in four minutes, making Luque the first man to beat him by tapout in half a decade at 185.

As much as Luque has shown incredible proficiency among his fellow MMA fighters with the anaconda choke, he hasn’t proved invulnerable to being caught in it himself.  In his main card opening fight opposite Kevin Holland last summer at UFC 316, the Kill Cliff FC product was sadly strangled in a similar fashion. Making it all the way to the second round, Luque would lose the pairing via the anaconda to record his third straight loss by stoppage. 

1. MMA Fighters Beaten By Their Own Signature Moves: Mirko Cro Cop

Seen as a one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time by many, Mirko Filipović, better known as Mirko Cro Cop, had risen to international fame over the course of his tenure with the then premier mixed martial arts organization on the planet: Pride FC. Fighting mainly in Japan, the Croatian sensation had solidified his place in the sport’s history as a feared kickboxer. During his time with Pride, Cro Cop collided with and beat many top combatants such as Josh Barnett, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, and Wanderlei Silva. 

Although his arsenal of elite-level techniques was vast, it was his powerful head kick that truly made Cro Cop one of the most fearsome MMA fighters in the world. With a shin that appeared to be made of steel, he delivered a bevy of devastating kick knockouts to the face against other future legends like Igor Vovchanchyn, Satoshi Ishii, and Wanderlei Silva. 

In 2007, following a stupendous stint in Pride, which saw him win the promotion’s 2006 openweight grand prix, Cro Cop attempted to enter the next phase of his illustrious career by signing with the UFC, marking his freshman outing to the Octagon by massively impressing the crowd by starching Eddie Sanchez 

Looking to be the next big heavyweight contender, he then swiftly booked a title eliminator scrap two months later, facing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70. While many expected an easy night in the office for Cro Cop, the combat sports world would be turned upside down when he was emphatically knocked out by Gonzaga with a head kick.

The finish sent waves throughout the mixed martial arts community, with some to this very day labeling it amongst the most exciting stoppages ever in the UFC. Out cold on the canvas, fans were left completely dumbfounded after witnessing Cro Cop being trounced in that way by a man many felt he should have easily dominated.

Losing his next tilt to Cheick Kongo on the cards, Cro Cop eventually left the UFC to pursue other endeavors. Over the next 12 years, Cro Cop would continue to add even more to his resume as one of the best MMA fighters this world has seen.

In 2016, he ended up winning the Rizin openweight grand prix, picking up a huge victory over Muhammed Lawal. He also re-joined the UFC on two different occasions, once in 2009 and also for a one-off rematch with Gonzaga in 2015. In his two subsequent stints with the promotion, the Pride legend compiled wins over other heavyweights in Anthony Perosh, Pat Barry, and Gonzaga, getting his revenge over the latter after a three-round affair at UFC Fight Night 64.