10 UFC Fighters Who Failed To Live Up To Expectations

1. Brandon Vera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgLbW1SYvE0 Topping the list is Brandon Vera (12-6-1) who was once the fighter everyone was excited about. After winning the WEC Heavyweight Grand Prix and going 4-0 as a professional, Vera was signed by the UFC and matched up against Fabiano Scherner. Vera outlasted Scherner and won the bout via knees and punches in the second round. His next two outings both ended in the first round, though the first was via KO and the second via submission against Justin Eilers and Assuerio Silva respectively. Then, Vera was put up against his biggest test - Frank Mir. Coming off a motorcycle accident that almost ended his MMA career, Mir went into the fight with a 9-2 record after winning his first fight since the accident after losing in his return against Marcio Cruz. The Truth defeated the gnarly veteran Frank in just a minute and the hype train was seemingly justified. Brandon was then placed in deep waters and paired up against top-10 heavyweight and former champion Tim Sylvia, a fight which the outsized Vera lost via unanimous decision. After picking up his first loss as a pro, Vera faced another defeat in his next bout but this time it was a controversial one. With his opponent, Fabricio Werdum, mounting Vera in the first round and teeing off on him, Brandon did a good job of protecting himself and looked set to escape the first - or so we thought. The referee decided to stop the contest and awarded Werdum a TKO victory, handing Vera a second loss in a row. After picking up a decision to Reese Andy in his light heavyweight debut, The Truth was matched up against Keith Jardine and lost via split decision - one which many scored for BV. After two wins in his next two, Vera then faced Randy Couture in a main event bout and lost another controversial decision. Albeit his next two subsequent defeats were far more decisive and Vera was cut from the UFC. The third of his three defeats, however, was overturned due to a failed drug test by opponent Thiago Silva, thus Vera's contract was reinstated and he took the opportunity by defeating Elliot Marshall in his return. In Vera's last bout, he was matched up against ex-light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua and many believed Rua would outclass The Truth with relative ease. Vera proved to be a far bigger test, rocking Rua though ultimately losing via fourth round KO in a highly entertaining and competitive affair. After this performance, the UFC announced that Vera would not be cut and hitherto he doesn't have another fight book. Although Brandon Vera remains in the UFC and holds a record of 8-6 (1), he had the potential to achieve greatness. Numerous factors prevented this, however, and his career has been full of controversy - from poor decisions and overturned decisions due to drug tests, to controversial stoppages and broken body parts, Mr. Vera has had his fair share of bad luck. The good luck for him is that he remains in the UFC and has become immensely popular due to the barnburner with Rua.