Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson — UFC 192
Another fighter coming off a loss that was gifted a title fight was Alexander Gustafsson, who jumped the line and got a shot at Daniel Cormier.
Perhaps the reason why the UFC gave Gustafsson the shot against DC was because of the devastating KO that he received in his home country of Sweden from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who also felt defeat from DC, not once but twice.
This has to be the closest fight on the list, one that could have potentially went to the challenger who was jumping the line. It just goes to show how thin the light heavyweight division really was without Jon Jones.
Official Result: Daniel Cormier def Alexander Gustafsson Decision (split)
Germaine de Randamie vs. Holly Holm — UFC 208
This is an interesting one. Holly Holm has become notorious for falling into luxury title shots, but for her to receive the opportunity at UFC 208 made no sense as she had two back-to-back losses to Valentina Shevchenko and Miesha Tate. Some could argue that this shot should have went to Cyborg as the division was tailor-made for the Brazilian, who was making the company her new home. However, Cyborg was dealing with a failed drug test due to a diuretic, and also wanted time off to recover from a difficult weight cut in her previous fight.
This fight was full of controversy with multiple illegal blows from Germaine, especially considering how prestigious of an inaugural title it was. Not sure if the UFC was shaking their head after this…
Official Result: Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm Decision (unanimous)
