5 champions who found themselves at loggerheads with the UFC

#4. B.J. Penn – former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion

BJ Penn's 2004 spat with the UFC arguably changed the promotion's business practices entirely

To newer fans of the UFC, it might’ve felt like B.J. Penn was the consummate company man by the time he was eventually released by the promotion in 2019. Not only was he kept around despite a lengthy losing streak, but he was also inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015.

However, when he won his first UFC title back in 2004, he ended up in a major spat with the promotion and could well be seen as the architect of one of their more questionable business practices today.

After narrowly failing to capture the UFC lightweight title, ‘The Prodigy’ was given a shot at gold in a fight with longtime welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 46. Despite coming into the fight as a massive underdog, Penn was able to submit Hughes in the first round via rear-naked choke, becoming the new titleholder.

However, the fight with Hughes turned out to be the final one on the Hawaiian’s contract with the UFC. Citing a bigger financial offer, he decided to jump ship to Japanese promotion K-1 while still holding the title.

Naturally, the UFC were furious, with Penn later stating that he received an angry phone call from Dana White, who essentially threatened to erase him from the promotion’s history altogether.

While ‘The Prodigy’ did return to the fold two years later, with his relationship with White seemingly repaired, this incident is usually cited as the reason the UFC introduced its much-maligned “champion’s clause” to their contracts. The clause essentially prevents a fighter from leaving the promotion while holding a title.

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#3. Jens Pulver – former UFC lightweight champion

Jens Pulver clashed with the UFC over pay issues in 2002, resulting in his departure from the promotion

A genuine pioneer of MMA in the lighter-weight classes, Jens Pulver became the UFC’s first-ever lightweight champion when he defeated Caol Uno at UFC 30 in 2001.

However, despite defending his title successfully on two occasions, beating Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn, ‘Lil Evil’ has never been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, nor is his name regularly mentioned on the promotion’s shows.

The reason for this is probably because he left the promotion under a serious black cloud in 2002, abandoning his UFC lightweight title without actually losing it in the octagon in the process.

Naturally, Pulver’s spat with the promotion was all about money. While the UFC was not the pay-per-view juggernaut it is today back in Pulver’s time as champion, his pay was still remarkably low. His manager Monte Cox stated that he received just $22k to beat Penn, for instance.

However, after the Penn fight, Pulver’s contract expired. Quietly, Cox allowed the UFC’s 30-day option of a contract extension to expire, freeing ‘Lil Evil’ from the promotion. According to Cox, Dana White was left livid and suggested that he and Pulver would never do business in the sport again.

So even though Pulver did eventually return to the UFC for a time in 2006, even coaching the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter alongside his old rival Penn, this incident is probably the reason that he’s now persona non grata with the promotion.