5. Yoel Romero vs. Tim Kennedy UFC 178
This was a battle between an American war hero versus a suspected steroid user and frequent rule breaker. It was also a contest between two top 10 ranked middleweights. Kennedy was ranked #6 heading into this fight, and Romero #10.
After a competitive first round, and a competitive first 4 minutes of the 2nd round, Romero began to tire. As Romero slowed down it allowed Kennedy a chance to score from the clinch. In the final seconds of the round Kennedy hit Romero with a bunch of shots and put Romero on wobbly legs. In between rounds Romero was gassed and beaten up, so his camp decided to give him a little bit more time. His corner conveniently left the stool in the octagon, and Romero continued to sit and recover. Kennedy came all the way out from his corner up to protest the extra time Romero was taking, but McCarthy didn’t even take a point. Then Romero dropped Kennedy in the first 20 seconds of the 3rd round and beat him down until the fight was stopped.
It was highly controversial, but it still counts as a huge comeback after nearly having been KO’d the previous round.
