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MMA is the kind of sport that usually does not need to be spiced up to be sold, but the UFC does an incredible job nonetheless. The ruthless violence and jaw-breaking moves allow fights to sell themselves. Regardless, there is practically nothing more interesting than an event that involves fighters with bad blood between them.
However, that recipe is not always enough to make the fight an interesting event. Given the unpredictability of the sport, fiery rivalries and promising rematches sometimes end up being quite boring as soon as they are taken to the octagon.
In this article, we look at three UFC rematches that didn't live up to the hype:
#3 - Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson II
Stephen Thompson challenged Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 205. The fight saw vicious ground and pound by Woodley, who cut 'Wonderboy' up early in the fight. However, Thompson bounced back with spinning kicks and counter punches from his karate stance. The fight got even more intense, with Woodley's power-striking knocking Thompson down on multiple occasions. And then there was that guillotine.
While Tyron Woodley had bigger moments in the fight, Stephen Thompson had more volume. In what was one of the most action-packed UFC fights, Woodley won the contest via a majority draw. The field was set for an exciting rematch.
But when Thompson and Woodley squared off at UFC 209 just four months later, it seemed that the fire inside the two had been doused. Apart from some late drama, most of the fight saw the fighters staring and selling fakes. In the end, it was Woodley who had done just enough to get the majority decision to retain his title.
#2 - Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II
Nate Diaz went from a promising lightweight to one of the biggest UFC stars when he defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 196. Diaz opted in on short notice and while there was no title involved for the catchweight bout, it was the fight of a lifetime. A bloodied Diaz battered down on McGregor before choking him out in what was an instant fan favorite.
The UFC immediately booked a rematch six months later, a bout that became the third highest PPV selling event in the organization's history. However, a rematch that saw McGregor take the win via a razor-thin margin failed to live up to the hype.
UFC 202 saw Conor McGregor start brilliantly, picking Nate Diaz apart carefully for the better part of the first two rounds. However, as Nate bounced back with combinations of his own, the rest of the fight saw a gassed-out Conor try to avoid contact and move away from his bloodied rival.
Apart from the occasional bursts of back and forth in the clinch, there was only one successful takedown attempt by Nate, which came in the last few seconds of the fifth round. The judges awarded McGregor the win with a close yet contentious decision of 48-47, 47-47 and 48-47.
#1 - Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier III
Daniel Cormier won the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 and then lost it again a little more than a year later at UFC 241. After having no answers to Stipe's body shots in August 2019, Cormier wanted to bounce back, complete the trilogy and end his career on a high.
With UFC 226 ending in Daniel Cormier KO'ing Stipe Miocic and UFC 241 ending in the exact opposite, MMA fans were in for an electric rubber match at UFC 252. However, the rematch failed to live up to the hype.
Stipe Miocic dominated Daniel Cormier just like their previous match. DC did not seem to have an answer to Miocic's body shots and the occasional right hand he landed didn't seem to bother the champion. There were alleged eye-pokes by both sides. With both fighters having strong wrestling backgrounds, there was just one takedown in five rounds.
The fight went the distance as there were no knock-outs. While Cormier's fans would call his loss a close decision, it was, in fact, a considerable margin. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 for Miocic.
