Every now and then a fighter comes along that everybody has pegged for future greatness and somewhere along the way, for whatever reason, we end up scratching our head wondering where it all went wrong. Also other times, established fighters finally bring their talents to the UFC only to see their legacy tarnished or crushed.

With so many fighters passing through the organization Im sure not everyone will agree, but please feel free to let me know who you think should have been added or left off the list.

Honorable Mention: Gilbert Milendez, Jake Shields and Eddie Alvarez. All three successful champions of other promotions that failed to achieve the same kind of success in the UFC. While it may still be a bit too early to judge Alvarez, his loss to Cerrone was definitely a step back from where he was perceived to be. Despite this, the loss looks better now and could look very good if Cerrone wins the title. Also I would like to add Rolles Gracie just for the fact that a Gracie performing so crappy in his UFC debut was just sad.

20. Denis Kang - the feared Pride striker had been on an impressive 23 fight win streak before losing in close fights to Gegard Mousasai, Kaz Misaki and Sexyama. It was thought that he would be a legit contender in the UFC. However Kang went 1-2 losing to Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher, earning himself a pink slip.

19. Mayhem Miller - the talented wrestler had the unfortunate bad luck of drawing a young fellow named GSP in his first one-off fight in the UFC. After bouncing around regional promotions Mayhem proved in StrikeForce and Dream that he had the skills to match his eccentric personality. Too much fan fare he resigned with the UFC and starred as a coach on TUF opposite Michael Bisping. Unfortunately for Mayhem he was rag dolled by Bisping and completely dominated, a loss to C.B. Dollaway followed by bizarre behavior led to the release of Mayhem Miller from the UFC, leaving him with a 0-3 record in the promotion.

18. Robert Drysdale - Drysdale is one of the highest regarded grapplers in the land and one of the most sought out coaches in MMA, thats why when he signed with the UFC many assumed the undefeated light heavyweight would add much needed depth to the division. Unfortunately Drysdale has had more dirty drug tests than fights in the UFC (2 to 1) and the one fight he has had was overturned to a No Contest. Simply put, its been extremely disappointingto see Drysdale's career unfold. He still appears to be with the UFC despite not fighting since 2014.

17. Phillipe Nover - When this fighter was starring on the eighth season of TUF Dana White began to compare Nover to GSP. The hype machine was in full swing and then Nover lost in the TUF finals to Efrain Escudero and then lost his next two UFC fights, going 0-3 in the promotion and earning his walking papers. He did however find success outside the UFC and recently returned to the UFC and won an ugly decision over Yul Chul Nam.

16. Joe Moreira - Simply put, following the absence of Royce Gracie following UFC 5 there was an absence of the traditioal Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner that early UFC fans had come to love. Because of this following the signing of Marco Ruas, it was apparent that the promotion wanted another Gracie type fighter. Enter Joe Moreira. He was undersized and a black belt under Carlson Gracie. Because of this, Moreira was extremely hyped entering the UFC 8 tournament with many believing he would likely reach the finals if not flat out win. 1 loss to Paul Varelans later and it was clear, Royce Gracie this was not. Moreira managed to return and win at UFC 14 before fighting Joe Son and Paul Herrera outside the UFC. While Moreira clearly never reached the heights many had expected of him, he did manage to fight 3 well known fighters, even if they are well known for all the wrong reasons (polar bears, nut shots/rape, Big Daddy elbows)

15. David Terrell - Poor David Terrell, if not for injuries he really might have been a former champion, if not a well known longtime middleweight contender. When he entered the UFC he was on a 4 fight win streak and relatively unknown, all of that changed after he blasted the highly regarded Olympian Matt Lindland in less then thirty seconds. Within a minute Terrell was one of the most hyped prospects in the sport, was worthy of a title shot and was a huge favorite going into his title fight against Evan Tanner. However, Evan Tanner won the fight in the first round and Terrell's body could never seem to hold up throughout another camp. He was able to make it out for jsut one more fight, a win against Scott Smith before retiring due to a number of injuries. Terrell ended up 2-1 fighting 3 fights in 3 years for the promotion. Now widely forgotten, for a brief moment he was one of the faces of the sport.

14. Houston Alexander - HOUSTON ALEXANDER IS FOR REAL......no ...no he's not. But man we all thought he was. After blasting Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara in the first round in his first 2 fights in the UFC, everyone was expecting big things from the angry corn husker, then as soon as he came, he was gone, losing 3 fights in the first round before bowing out in an epically bad fight against Kimbo. Some will probably be mad and say Kimbo should be here over Houston, but we already knew Kimbo wasnt for real when he finally debuted in the UFC (Petruzelli and TUF had shown us that). No we all thought Houston was for real and in hind sight its kind of nuts to think we ever thought that way.

13.Kid Yamamoto - he was considered the top little man in the game before a knee injury derailed his 14 fight win streak which included wins over the likes of Royler Gracie, Caol Uno, Genki Sudo, Rani Yahya and Bibiano Fernande's. After rehabilitating for over a year, Kid returned and lost a stunning upset to Joe Warren and then later in the year lost another upset to Kanehara. Still those who had watched Kid dominate believed he was just getting his legs back underneath him and we all rejoiced when he signed with the UFC. Unfortunately for Kid his first fight was against some feller named Demetrius Johnson and he was dominated from the opening second. Sadly he has failed to get a win in the UFC going 0-3 with 1 NC. A truly abysmal record for someone who was so hyped half a decade ago.

12. Yoshihiro Akiyama - When he signed with the UFC he was a superstar in Japan whether for singing or kicking peoples asses. He signed a large contract (rumored) and was viewed as an opportunity for the UFC to get some money out of the Asian market. He debuted on the main card at UFC 100 vs Alan Belcher winning a controversial split decision, despite being entertaining he dropped his next 4 fights, proving he was no where near the caliber of fighter as he was originally believed to be.

11. Townsend Saunders - this impressive physical specimen won a silver medal for freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympic games and was instantly considered a favorite to win UFC gold in the newly created Lightweight division (modern welterweight division). Unfortunately for Townsend he had the bad luck of facing off against pat Miletich in his first mma fight (UFC 16) after losing a split decision to Miletich he would lose a unanimous decision to #1 contender Mikey Burnett. Saunders would retire with an 0-2 record, fighting the two best early era welter weights in his only two mma bouts.

10. Royce Alger - Alger was a 3 time Big Ten wrestling champion, 3 time all american and 2 time National champion at Iowa. When he entered the UFC he was being hyped as the next Mark Coleman, a super monster wrestler that would smash people. Although he was not as highly touted a wrestler as Saunders, he entered the sport a little earlier when the talent pool was a little less deep and there were less stars. Arguable but just seemed a little more hyped to me. Unfortunately for Algers he face Enson Inoue in his first bout and walked away with a sore arm in less than 2 minutes. clearly disappointed Alger worked with Coleman and won 3 fights outside of the UFC before returning at UFC 21 only to be knocked out by Eugene Jackson. The Iowa wrestler went 0-2 in the UFC hardly impressive for such a hyped addition to the promotion.

9. Brandon Vera - The guy was talking about holding the Heavyweight and light Heavyweight titles simultaneously and the UFC took him serious enough that he was rewarded with a 500,000 contract (after a well known contract dispute). Almost instantaneously Vera began to drop fight after fight, leaving many to wonder how so many could have held so many lofty goals for Vera. From turning down a title shot and demanding bigger money to begging to remain in the promotion, Vera's ride was a wild one, showing the peaks and valleys that come with being an mma fighter.

8. Hector Lombard - He was considered the best middleweight outside of the UFC at a time when Anderson Silva was dominating the division. Had a nutty record (something like 32-1) before signing with the promotion and was basically knocking out cans in 1 round on Bellator programming for a few years before making his way to the UFC. Everyone was excited as it seemed Anderson Silva had a new legit title challenger in town. Then Tim Boetsch happened, followed by some failed drug tests. While he is still a force in the division, Lombard definitely fell short of expectations so far.

7. Hatsu Hioki - Considered the best 145 pounder outside the UFC at a time when Jose Aldo desperately needed a solid challenge. When Hioki signed with the UFC I remember rejoicing and penciling in a Hioki vs Aldo title fight. Unfortunately Hioki declined a title fight with Aldo after barely managing to go 2-0 in the UFC. Instead he opted to face Ricardo Lamas and the rest as they say, is history. Beaten by Lamas, Hiokis guard play brand of fighting seemed to befall him as he lost numerous fights via decision before finally being released, never challenging for a title and never making an impact.

6. Sokoudjo - Coming off devastating upset first round stoppage wins over Ricardo Arona and Lil Nog, Sokoudjo made the jump from Pride to the UFC with a ton of hype, with many thinking this was just the beginning of his glorious run. Unfortunately he debuted against some Dragon Machida fellow and the air was let out of the balloon relatively quickly. Now he is viewed as a flash in the pan but for a brief moment everyone was wondering if Sokoudjo was about to change the game.

5. Kevin Jackson - The most decorated wrestler to ever enter the sport, Kevin was a monster, a freak and virtually everybody thought he would dominate the sport. His career started off promising as he won a UFC tournament, but things went downhill from there. Jackson was set to face Frank Shamrock for the inaugural Middleweight (modern Light Heavyweight) Title and many expected Jackson would win easily. 16 seconds later and Jackson was holding his arm while Shamrock celebrated. In his next fight Jackson was against tapped out via armbar against Lions Den fighter Jerry Bohlander. Jackson was then effectively black balled out of the sport by the USA Olympic Wrestling team as they forced Jackson to choose his UFC career or his Olympic wrestling career (he was a trainer) Jackson chose wrestling and left the UFC on a 2 fight losing streak.

4. Alistair Overeem - Many considered Overeem the best heavyweight for a period of time and only had those thoughts seemingly vindicated when Overeem hulk smashed Brock Lesnar. But from then on it has been one disappointing ride, from failed drug tests to improbable knockout losses. Overeem just isnt the same fighter that he was in 2011 and its glaringly obvious. While he is still a dangerous clinch monster, it is clear the Overeem has been exposed and is not the invincible horse meat eating god that some thought he was.

3. Caol Uno - Early in the Zuffa era, the UFC made Caol Uno, one of the highest regarded Lightweights in the world, one of the promotions highest paid fighters with the intent of developing an entire division around the entertaining fighter. In his first fight in the UFC he was fighting for the new Lightweight title, unfortunately for Uno him and Jens Pulver fought to a draw that night effectively freezing the new division. Uno would go 3-1 after the Pulver draw, with the 1 loss being an insane 11 second KO loss to BJ Penn. 3 years after the Uno - Pulver title draw the UFC would against attempt to crown a lightweight champion at UFC 41 with BJ Penn facing Caol Uno. inexplicably the two fought to a draw and the UFC would nix the Lightweight division for several years following the multiple failed attempts at crowning a lightweight champion. Uno would leave the organization and return in his later years, going winless in his return. While he was successful and talented, Uno never managed to reach the heights Zuffa had hoped he would.

2. Vitor Belfort - Its hard to imagine this but at one time we all thought Vitor Belfort would rule the UFC/MMA/NHB landscape for however long he wanted. The Brazilian teenager was running roughshod over everyone, culminating in his 40 second pimp smack beat down of Tank Abbott. We were already saying he was "our Tyson", then some old bald guy beat him down like a little kid and we were all left to wonder if this Randy Couture guy really was that good or if Vitor just wasn't as good as we thought. While we learned a lot since then, it has become clear that Vitor would possess insane talent and never really harness it effectively despite winning some UFC gold. Yes he is a great fighter and did great things, but he never became "our Tyson".

1. Cro Cop - Simply put, Cro cop could have lost to anyone else by any other way in his second UFC fight and it wouldn't have gone down in infamy. But it happened the way it happened and we were all SHOCKED. The greatest kicker in the sport just had his head knocked off and his leg destroyed for good measure. When Cro Cop came to UFC the possible dream match ups were endless and unfortunately we never really got any of them .