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It's strange to think that the UFC has an element of superstition to it. But this is undoubtedly the case regarding a few scenarios. One of the most well-known superstitions in the promotion revolved around the infamous matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, two of the greatest 155'ers in history.
The bout was scheduled five separate times but kept getting canceled every single time, with each reason growing more ludicrous than the last. It became a belief among MMA fans that the matchup was cursed. But there have been longer-lasting curses of a more general nature, all of which are still ongoing.
This list compiles five MMA curses that are well-known throughout the promotion's history. Some are mostly comical in nature, while others are truly unexplainable and have become memes.
#5. The EA Sports UFC cover curse
Many years ago, the UFC signed an agreement with EA Sports, making the latter the official publisher of a series of UFC video games. Only the most well-known stars in the promotion are given the privilege of appearing on the video game's cover. After the first EA Sports UFC game, a curse revolving around the cover arose.
Fighters who appeared on the cover of these games lost their next bouts. Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey were the cover stars for EA Sports UFC 2. The Irishman lost to Nate Diaz after the video game's release, while 'Rowdy' lost to Amanda Nunes. McGregor was also the cover star for EA Sports UFC 3.
Thus, he lost his subsequent fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The fourth installment of the video game featured Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal as cover stars. While 'The Last Stylebender' evaded the curse, 'Gamebred' suffered a brutal KO loss against Kamaru Usman after appearing on the cover. Adesanya did eventually lose to Alex Periera last year, though. Did it have anything to do with him being on the cover of the game? We'll never know.
#4. The Chael Sonnen prediction curse
Chael Sonnen is known for many things in the MMA world. He is a pioneer when it comes to using trash talk to generate PPV buys and draw fan interest. His silver tongue was so effective that he managed to talk Dana White into granting him a title fight against Jon Jones after he himself previously lost to Anderson Silva.
After 'The Bad Guy' retired from active competition, he parlayed his gift of the gab by becoming an MMA analyst. While Sonnen has mastered the formula of raking in as many viewers as possible by making inflammatory statements, his predictions for fights have always been severely lacking.
The former UFC fighter has become known for almost always predicting the wrong fighter to win a fight. Thus, he's become the center of his own curse. It's said that if Sonnen selects a fighter to win, they're almost guaranteed to lose. This is the case even when Sonnen's prediction makes sense.
He predicted a win for Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, which was the most likeliest outcome given the Nigerian's dominance and past win over Leon Edwards. Instead, after being dominated for over three rounds, 'Rocky' stunned the world and flattened his foe with a KO just seconds before the final bell.
#3. The Frank Mir curse
The curse surrounding Frank Mir is hilarious once it's given context. In mixed martial arts, the primary goal for a fighter is to defeat their opponent. Fighters who successfully overcome their foes are paid more handsomely due to their win bonuses. Furthermore, they're afforded more opportunities.
The only reliable way of securing title fights, for example, is by winning enough times to ascend to the top of the divisional rankings. Thus, no fighter wants to lose to another one. The most superstitious fighters, however, were probably wary of facing Frank Mir during the latter's run as a UFC heavyweight.
The former heavyweight kingpin is the subject of a curse that supposedly punishes opponents for KO'ing him. Every fighter who has ever KO'd Frank Mir, with the exception of Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko, immediately lost their subsequent bout.
Mark Hunt, Junior dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Brandon Vera, Josh Barnett, Ian Freeman, and others were all unsuccessful in their next fights after defeating Mir. Thus, the curse's message is clear: KO Frank Mir at your own peril.
#2. The Conan O'Brien curse
Certain UFC fighters have achieved a high-enough level of stardom to earn the chance to be interviewed by Conan O'Brien on the latter's late-night talk show. Doing so grants these fighters the chance to promote their upcoming fights in front of a global audience that isn't otherwise interested in MMA.
The talk show has hosted several fighters, including Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping, Miesha Tate, and Nate Diaz. Despite the massive opportunity that these interviews present, they've also been regarded as cursed. Every UFC fighter who appears on Conan O'Brien's show suffered a loss.
This has been the case for all of the aforementioned MMA fighters who have (some of whom still are) competed under Dana White's banner. To date, the only fighter who has managed to break the curse is Daniel Cormier. The former two-division champion overcame the curse by dethroning Stipe Miocic.
#1. The UFC Embedded haircut curse
The UFC Embedded series is one of the primary ways that the promotion allows fans to connect with the promotion's fighters. In the final weeks leading up to a PPV event, the promotion has a camera crew following fighters as they arrive in the city before their fights.
Fighters offer brief tours of their accommodations while giving fans glimpses of last-minute training and weight-cutting. That isn't all these fighters do, however. Sometimes, UFC fighters frequent their friends' homes or introduce the fans to their families.
Other fighters, however, get haircuts on the Embedded series. Unfortunately, this has led to a supposed curse that involves fighters who get haircuts on Embedded to inevitably lose their fights. The curse doesn't have a 100% success rate, but it's occurred enough times to earn an internet-based reputation.
