8 Best Late Comebacks In UFC History
8. Yoel Romero Vs. Tim Kennedy
1337415This fight may well be higher up the list if it wasn't mired in controversy for the events that preceded the finish.
UFC 178 was the event which hosted the battle between two high-level wrestlers, and longtime middleweight contenders, in Yoel Romero and Tim Kennedy.
Romero won the closely contested first round, negating Kennedy's wrestling and winning the striking exchanges, managing to cause the American to bleed profusely with a big left hand.
The second round saw more success for Kennedy, but he was still coming off worse in the striking exchanges between the two. At the end of the round Kennedy showed off the resilience that has characterised much of his MMA career, landing successive clean uppercuts on Romero who was saved by the bell as he continued to eat clean shots.
Then the controversy happened.
Romero went back to his corner looking completely exhausted. His corner who appeared to be stalling for time, covered him in water, leaving referee Big John Mccarthy no choice but to wait while his corner had to dry him off.
Romero remained seated throughout, as Kennedy appealed the injustice. The incident has since been christened as 'stoolgate' in the MMA community.
The extra thirty seconds rest clearly benefitted Romero, who came out in the third round like a man possessed, landing a collosoal right hand before swarming Kennedy to get the come-from-behind finish.
Result: Yoel Romero def. Tim Kennedy via TKO (strikes) at :58 of R3