Alistair Overeem (0-2) On April 4th, 2012, Alistair Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test and was suspended by the NSAC for nine months. When he finally returned to the UFC in February of 2013, his confidence was undiminished. In the pre-fight press conference he told his opponent Antonio Silva "I'm going to fucking destroy you." To his credit, Reem battered Silva for the better part of two rounds before getting knocked out. In his next fight he faced rising heavyweight star Travis Browne. Again, Reem controlled the early part of the fight, damaging Browne with knees and elbows, but when the two separated Browne threw a succession of front kicks that eventually knocked Overeem out. Reem's got Frank Mir next month in what many are calling a "loser leaves town match". Jon Fitch (1-2) MMA is not the kind of sport in which an athlete can hang around purely based on past accomplishments. Even legendary fighters are eventually forced out once their chins fail or they stop fighting with purpose. Even ranked fighters coming off one loss can get their pink slip, as evidenced by Jon Fitch's dismissal following his unanimous decision defeat to Demian Maia in February. Fitch was 14-3-1 in the UFC at the time and pundits and fans criticized the UFC for firing him. Fitch found work for World Series of Fighting, debuting against Josh Burkman in June. Early in the fight Fitch was rocked by Burkman who subsequently lunged on him and secured a guillotine choke, finishing Fitch in 41-seconds. Fitch fought again this past October but only narrowly edged out unknown fighter Marcelo Alfaya for a split decision victory. Anderson Silva (0-2) On July 6th, 2013, Anderson Silva was dethroned by Chris Weidman, snapping a 16-fight, seven-year winning streak that saw him rise to the very top of the sport. Silva fell behind early in the fight, unable to defend against Weidman's wrestling and forced to fight from his back where he was eating punches and elbows. When he got back to his feet Silva started taunting Weidman, imploring the New Jersey native to keep the fight standing "for the fans". In the second round it was more of the same with Silva picking at Weidman and throwing his hands down. Silva got exactly what he asked for in the form of a left hook that knocked him down and a follow up flurry of punches that put him out, relinquishing him of his title. Everyone who was hoping to see a refocused and dangerous Silva return this past December were disappointed to see Weidman once again controlling the fight, at one point rocking Silva with a short punch in the first round. Weidman used crafty kick checks in the second round to block Silva's low attack and eventually end the fight in horrendous fashion, snapping Silva's lower leg like dry kindling. 2013 could hardly have gone more wrong for Anderson Silva. Miesha Tate (0-2) 2013 wasn't all bad for Miesha Tate. Her turn on The Ultimate Fighter helped increase her star power in MMA, heightened by Ronda Rousey's antics on the show. Both of her fights were awarded Fight of the Night bonuses. That being said, getting knocked out and submitted in the two biggest fights of your career is a tough pill to swallow. Tate was winning her fight with Cat Zingano in April before Zingano flipped the switch in the third round and blasted her out with knees, leaving Tate with the proverbial Mir face. Tate lucked into another title shot when Zingano couldn't take the fight but that luck went sour fast in her rematch with Rousey. Tate was mostly ineffective through two and a half rounds with Rousey in December, eventually succumbing (again) to an armbar submission. This time Tate had the sense to tap out before getting her wing broken. It's very unlikely the 27-year old can make the drop to strawweight so gatekeeper status seems to be her role in the UFC for the foreseeable future.
