10 Times An MMA Fighter Tried A Technique (& Completely Failed)

The sport of mixed martial arts was created to see which martial arts technique is the best when it comes to fighting. As the sport evolved, fighters began using multiple martial arts techniques to make themselves the most well-rounded fighter possible.RELATED: The Heel Hook (& 7 More Of The Most Dangerous Techniques In MMA)With the sport now requiring fighters to know more than one technique, it is natural that some fighters may fail at using a technique while in the cage. For some fighters, failing to land a move, takedown, or submission is an inconvenience that requires adjustments to win the fight. For other fighters, a failed technique can cost them their fight, and for some UFC fighters that exact scenario has taken place in the octagon.

10 Tito Ortiz

In 2003, Tito Ortiz was on top of the world. He was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and managed to defend the title on five occasions, the second-most in the history of the weight class to this day.

However, Ortiz got embarrassed when he defended the title against Randy Couture at UFC 44. Ortiz was dominated by the much older Couture for five rounds. At the end of the final round, Ortiz locked on a desperation leg lock that had no effect. It actually resulted in Couture spanking Ortiz in the final seconds of the fight.

9 Travis Lutter

After winning The Ultimate Fighter, Travis Lutter received an opportunity to fight Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

RELATED: 10 Best Performances Of Anderson Silva's Career

In 2007, at UFC 67, Lutter made a lot of mistakes. First, he failed to make weight for his title opportunity. As a result, he still fought Silva, but it was a three-round non-title fight. In the fight, Lutter had some shining moments. He managed to get Silva to the mat and used his wrestling to stay on top. However, Lutter was unable to dominate with his wrestling. From the bottom, Silva managed to lock on a triangle choke and finished the fight in the second round.

8 Kalib Starnes

At UFC 83, in 2008, one of the most bizarre fights in UFC history took place when Kalib Starnes fought Nate Quarry.

In a strange attempt to win the fight, Starnes spent almost the entire fight running away from his opponent. This strategy resulted in Quarry mocking Starnes in the fight. Starnes did a “running man” dance and threw joke punches knowing Starnes would not engage. Starnes’ technique did not only result in him losing the fight by decision, but he also lost his job as part of the UFC roster.

7 Thales Leites

In 2009, at UFC 97, Thales Leites received an opportunity to fight Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Silva was in the midst of one of the greatest title runs in the history of the sport. In order to win the fight, Leites knew he could not engage in a striking battle with Silva. His best shot was for the fight to take place on the ground. However, shooting for a takedown on Silva can be dangerous. As a result, Leites would just lay on the mat and hope for Silva to engage him. Silva did not willingly go to the ground with Leites and this resulted in one of the most boring title fights in UFC history. In the end, Silva would win a unanimous decision.

6 Brock Lesnar

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step inside the octagon. However, his wrestling did not help him in his title defense against Cain Velasquez.

In 2010, at UFC 121, Lesnar’s UFC title run came to an end when he was knocked out by Velasquez. Lesnar tried to use his wrestling but was only able to land one out of three takedown attempts in their one-round fight. When Lesnar did land a takedown, Velasquez was able to use his own wrestling techniques to quickly get to his feet. Velasquez used his lethal hands to defeat Lesnar in less than one round to win the UFC title.

5 James Toney

Former boxing world champion James Toney failed at MMA in general when he made his UFC debut in 2010.

At UFC 118, Toney fought UFC legend Randy Couture in a boxing versus MMA fight. The fight lasted less than one round as Couture took Toney to the ground and submitted him with an arm-triangle choke. Toney did not get the opportunity to show off his boxing skills and completely failed at the ground techniques required for an MMA fight.

4 Dan Hardy

In 2011, Dan Hardy headlined a UFC Live event against Chris Lytle. Hardy wanted a fight with someone who would stand and trade punches with him. With this being Lytle’s retirement fight, he wanted the same thing.

For the majority of the fight, the two welterweight fighters traded blows with Lytle getting the better of the former UFC welterweight title contender. Towards the end of the third round, Hardy uncharacteristically shot for a takedown. Lytle quickly defended the takedown and managed to lock in a guillotine choke for the win.

3 Chael Sonnen

Former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen failed to land a spinning back fist in his highly anticipated rematch with then UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in 2012.

RELATED: UFC: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Anderson Silva

In their first fight, Sonnen dominated Silva for over four rounds before getting submitted by Silva. In their rematch, Sonnen did not have the same level of success. Silva was able to defeat Sonnen by technical knockout in the second round. One of the most memorable moments in the fight was when Sonnen completely missed a spinning back fist attempt that allowed Silva to land punches and knees that helped lead to the end of the fight.

2 Aljamain Sterling

In 2016, Aljamain Sterling was one of the top prospects in the bantamweight division with an undefeated record with 12 wins. A failed submission technique led to Sterling suffering his first loss. In a fight against Bryan Caraway, Sterling attempted to win the fight in the first round with a full nelson. The full nelson is a popular move for professional wrestlers, and schoolyard bullies, but does not typically work to actually submit an opponent in a professional fight.

Caraway refused to submit from the hold and Sterling tired his arms out. As a result, Sterling struggled for the rest of the fight and lost a split decision.

1 Brian Ortega

Last September, at UFC 266, Brian Ortega fought UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. In a “Fight of the Night” performance, Ortega failed to win the UFC title. In the fight, Ortega managed to lock on a triangle choke that almost led to a victory. However, Volkanovski escaped and went on to accumulate more damage throughout the fight. In the end, Volkanovski won a unanimous decision.

While the failed submission attempt led to him losing the fight, locking in the submission on such a dominant fighter showed MMA fans just how dangerous Ortega can be, even if he is losing the fight.