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The UFC owes much of its success to the many feuds between its fighters. Tito Ortiz's historic rivalry with Ken Shamrock is credited with saving the promotion from financial ruin during a time when MMA was still fighting to be taken seriously as a legitimate sport.
Such rivalries are not only commonplace in MMA, they are natural. All sports breed rivalries due to the hyper-competitive fires found burning inside elite-level athletes. But when it comes to combat sports, the situation is magnified. In a competition that requires physically fighting one's opponent to win, rivalries are expected.
Most rivals settle their differences inside the octagon, often-times requiring more than one fight until a satisfying conclusion is reached. This, however, isn't the case with every rivalry. At times, feuds remain completely unsettled, and this list details five such cases.
#5. Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw
Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw are former teammates. While 'No Love' remains a Team Alpha Male member, the same cannot be said about his rival, who favored Duane Ludwig's guidance over Urijah Faber's teachings. His departure from Team Alpha Male led to him being labeled a snake by Conor McGregor.
After the heavy-handed 135'er dethroned Dominick Cruz to capture the UFC bantamweight throne, he sparked a heated feud with T.J. Dillashaw, against whom he tried to defend his title. Unfortunately, for Garbrandt, he lost his title defense and the subsequent rematch, both via KO.
Despite losing twice to Dillashaw, their feud isn't anywhere close to ending. In the wake of Dillashaw's positive test for EPO, 'No Love' claimed that his former teammate was responsible for teaching other fighters at Team Alpha Male how to use PEDs. In October last year, he even challenged Dillashaw to a trilogy bout.
He offered several reasons to explain his previous losses to his rival before asserting that EPO wouldn't save him again in a potential trilogy fight. Dillashaw, however, showed no interest in fighting him and expressed his shock that a fighter who has lost five of his last six fights is still in the UFC.
#4. Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov
Between 2017 and 2018, the conversation regarding the UFC lightweight division revolved around Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Thus, it was only natural for MMA journalists to ask the Irishman's former friend and teammate Artem Lobov about his thoughts on that potential matchup.
In response, 'The Russian Hammer' offered his unfiltered thoughts as he disparaged 'The Eagle' for withdrawing from previous bouts. He further branded him a coward who looks for a way out of matchups the moment he suffers a minor injury in training. His statements didn't sit well with Nurmagomedov.
So before UFC 223, 'The Eagle' confronted and slapped Lobov at the fighter hotel. This prompted McGregor to journey to New York and attack a bus that his rival was inside of. The Irishman's bus attack was the catalyst for a bout that took place at UFC 229. Before the fight, McGregor used vitriolic trash talk against his foe.
Once the pair locked horns inside the octagon, however, 'The Eagle' defeated him via fourth-round submission. But the feud was far from over. In the heat of the moment, Nurmagomedov scaled the fence and leapt from the octagon to attack McGregor's corner.
Since then, the pair have traded barbs on social media, with the Irishman campaigning for a rematch, insulting his rival's wife and even mocking the death of his father. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov has largely ignored 'The Notorious', but has branded him a prostitute who is desperate for attention.
#3. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier first crossed swords years ago in 2014. Their initial matchup went the Irishman's way as he scored a quick first-round TKO. The pair had their fateful rematch years later at UFC 257. Despite starting well, 'The Notorious' was eventually overcome by his foe in the second round.
The Louisianan's check-hooks and calf kicks set the stage for a stunning TKO win. In his post-fight interview after the loss, McGregor promised to donate to Poirier's charity, the Good Fight Foundation, as a gesture of goodwill. Unfortunately, a donation was never made, which caused Poirier to reveal as much on Twitter.
This sparked a feud with the Irishman, who believed his rival was staining his character. So once a trilogy bout was scheduled, McGregor resorted to deeply personal trash talk that targeted Poirier and his wife. He claimed that 'The Diamond's' wife was privately messaging him on social media.
Furthermore, the Irishman threatened to kill his foe and promised 'The Diamond' would leave the octagon on a stretcher. Ironically, it was McGregor who left the arena on a stretcher after breaking his leg against Poirier. The two have remained at odds, with McGregor once again threatening his family.
#2. Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira
The history between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira predates their UFC debuts. The two rivals first locked horns back in their kickboxing days. Their first bout was highly competitive, but 'Poatan' managed to earn a close decision win, which 'The Last Stylebender' contested.
Their second bout ended more decisively, with Pereira scoring a brutal knockout that left Adesanya in need of an oxygen mask. Afterwards, the Nigerian striking specialist transitioned into MMA, while the Brazilian power-puncher achieved kickboxing immortality by becoming the first two-division Glory champion.
While Adesanya achieved success in the UFC en route to capturing UFC middleweight gold, he claimed that Pereira's greatest accomplishment was beating him in kickboxing. He punctuated his statement by saying Pereira would spend his twilight years at a bar claiming to have beaten someone far more successful.
This prompted 'Poatan' to make his MMA debut, eventually earning a crack at Adesanya's middleweight throne. After a back-and-forth bout, Pereira earned a fifth-round TKO to dethrone his longtime rival. But immediately after the loss, Adesanya demanded a rematch and the two will now headline UFC 287.
#1. Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg
Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg will never settle their differences in the cage. The former UFC women's bantamweight champion has abandoned her MMA career to ply her trade in pro-wrestling with WWE. Meanwhile, Cyborg is currently a Bellator fighter deeply entrenched in her reign over the women's featherweight division.
Their history, however, is extremely contentious. 'Rowdy' was once a women's featherweight fighter but found her stride as a 135'er. The two were once Strikeforce fighters, but never crossed paths. Cyborg's ascension to Strikeforce's 145 lbs throne coincided with Rousey's transition to 135 lbs.
This prompted the Brazilian to claim that her rival was fleeing from her. The two have traded barbs since then. Rousey has frequently hit out at Cyborg's past PED usage and even made the damning claim that her nemesis was an "it" as opposed to a woman. She repeatedly challenged the Brazilian to cut down to 135 lbs.
Unfortunately, 135 lbs was a step too far for Cyborg. In response, Rousey claimed it was only because of her rival's steroid use that she couldn't make the cut. The trash talk between the two persisted but after 'Rowdy's' losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, she subsequently retired and the two never faced off.
