Sherdog’s Top 10: Biggest Underachievers

10. David Terrell

Terrell is one of the great mysteries of MMA. When he debuted in the UFC at 26 years old, he was a very good wrestler and a world-class BJJ practitioner, having won a bronze medal at the 2003 ADCC at 88 kilograms. Those weren't his only weapons either, as he fired off fast, powerful kicks to the legs and body from a southpaw stance, and had a missile of a left cross, a very fast, accurate punch that laid opponents out cold. Olympic wrestling silver medalist and elite middleweight Matt Lindland found that out the hard way, as Terrell required just 24 seconds to knock him out with that left hand. Terrell then fought for the vacant UFC middleweight title against Evan Tanner, a man Lindland dominated every day at Team Quest practices. Terrell was a slight favorite, but let the moment overwhelm him, throwing a slew of big head kicks and loading up on his left hand in search of an early highlight-reel stoppage. He also chased the takedown, getting his foe down twice, only for Tanner to easily get back to his feet on each occasion. Tanner, for his part, simply stayed calm and let Terrell exhaust himself. After an ill-advised guillotine attempt, Terrell found himself on the bottom and was ruthlessly pounded out by Tanner late in the first round. It was one of the poorest examples of fight IQ I've ever seen in a championship bout.

The setback was also an opportunity to learn and improve, and Terrell would return to the UFC a little over a year later, submitting talented striker Scott Smith in the first round. And oddly, that was it for Terrell, who was only 28 years old at the time. He had a few more fights scheduled over the years but would always pull out due to injury. Even after that, there would be a news story every year or two of Terrell stating he wanted to return to the UFC, but nothing ever materialized. Why did he stop fighting? It's impossible to know for certain. But what we do know is that he had exceptional physical talents for both grappling and striking, and with the right training and mindset, would have absolutely become UFC middleweight champion. There's a great contrast here with Rich Franklin, who knocked out that very same Tanner to win the title. Franklin didn't have anywhere near the level of talent Terrell did, but he continually worked hard and maximized his potential, becoming one of the biggest overachievers in the sport's history. One sees the difference across those two careers: Franklin is an all-time legend, while Terrell is a what-if footnote in MMA history.

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