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While they were once essentially portrayed as thugs, these days, the UFC’s top stars tend to do their fighting inside the octagon only.
Unfortunately, over the years we’ve seen a number of examples of UFC fighters who got involved in street fights – with the altercations becoming infamous for being caught on camera.
Often, the professional fighters involved in these incidents weren’t guilty of much more than defending themselves, but on occasion, they also found themselves in legal hot water.
Here are five infamous UFC street fights that were caught on camera.
#5. Former UFC welterweight Nate Diaz vs. Rodney Petersen
The latest entry on this list involves former UFC welterweight and lightweight superstar Nate Diaz. Diaz recently departed the promotion following the completion of his contract in late 2022, and is now signed to box YouTube sensation Jake Paul.
However, last weekend saw him involved in a violent clash in the street with TikTok personality Rodney Petersen, an incident that was caught on camera.
The video appears to show Petersen – most well-known for being a lookalike of Logan Paul, the elder brother of Jake Paul – confronting Diaz, who at first appears to back off.
Before long, though, the two men can be seen to tangle, with Diaz wrapping Petersen into a high-angle standing guillotine choke before letting him drop to the ground, apparently unconscious.
In the days that have followed, New Orleans police put out an arrest warrant for the Stockton-based fighter, who has now handed himself in. According to reports, he now faces a battery charge.
Whether these charges hold up in court remains to be seen, as Diaz has claimed that he acted in self-defense.
However, given Petersen has since claimed that he was “caught off guard” and has threatened to knock Diaz out should they cross paths again, it’s unlikely we’ve heard the last of this issue.
#4. Former UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn vs. unknown individual
While B.J. Penn built a reputation for himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time in the mid-2000’s, by 2019, it was clear that ‘The Prodigy’ was past his best. Penn had held the UFC welterweight and lightweight titles in his prime, and had defeated opponents such as Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian.
After initially retiring in 2011, though, the Hawaiian returned to diminishing success. By May 2019, he found himself on a losing streak of seven bouts, and was seemingly only being kept around due to his name value.
Unfortunately, Penn’s life outside of the octagon also appeared to be spiraling out of control. When a video of him being involved in a street fight in his native Hilo emerged in August 2019, it signaled the end of his career with the UFC.
Remarkably, the video appeared to show an intoxicated Penn involved in a brawl with a shirtless man, with the incident ending with the man landing a left hook to ‘The Prodigy’, knocking him out cold.
It was a highly embarrassing incident for Penn, particularly as he’d been known throughout his MMA career for his iron chin.
Just weeks later, ‘The Prodigy’ was officially released from his contract by Dana White.
#3. Former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor vs. unknown individual
Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor remains the biggest star in MMA, but the Irishman has often found himself in legal trouble outside the octagon.
One such incident happened back in 2019, as an alarming video appeared online showing ‘The Notorious’ in an altercation with an unknown man in a Dublin pub.
The video, which seemed to have come from a CCTV feed, purportedly showed McGregor offering the man a shot of whiskey, only for the man to decline on more than one occasion.
Evidently, this was enough to anger the UFC star, who then lashed out with a short left hook, connecting with a glancing blow before bar staff quickly removed him from the situation.
Despite no damage seemingly being done by the punch, McGregor was charged by the Irish police with assault. ‘The Notorious’ later pleaded guilty to the charge, and was fined €1000.
While the incident was hardly as violent as one of his fights inside the octagon, it remains a fine example of how volatile ‘The Notorious’ can be outside of competition.
#2. Former UFC lightweight Roger Huerta vs. Rashad Bobino
While the majority of the UFC fighters on this list were largely condemned for their actions in street fights, the same cannot be said for former lightweight contender Roger Huerta.
‘El Matador’ had been considered one of the promotion’s top 155lbers from his debut in 2006 through to 2008. He even became the first MMA fighter to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
However, two straight losses and a contract dispute saw him depart for Bellator MMA in 2010, where his career stalled somewhat. That August, though, saw his profile rocket on social media when he was involved in a wild altercation with former NFL player Rashad Bobino.
A video emerged that appeared to show Bobino striking a woman and knocking her to the ground. In turn, Huerta – who quickly stripped to the waist – was shown chasing the former NFL player down before dropping him with a series of punches.
From there, ‘El Matador’ was shown hitting Bobino with a series of soccer kicks, knocking him out.
While the likes of Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor found themselves in legal hot water for their street fights, Huerta remarkably managed to avoid any kind of punishment for this incident.
Instead, he was widely praised on social media for his actions, with the video going viral across the internet.
#1. UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal
The afore-mentioned street fighting incidents involving UFC stars all saw them fighting – or assaulting – opponents who were not involved with the promotion.
The same cannot be said for the final entry, which is why it probably stands as the most infamous example of a street fight between UFC stars that was caught on camera.
The incident, of course, saw welterweight stars Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards come to blows backstage after an event in London, and was a big part of why ‘Gamebred’ became one of the promotion’s biggest drawing cards. Masvidal beat Darren Till in the night’s main event, while Edwards edged out Gunnar Nelson in the co-headliner.
The clash took place during Masvidal’s interview with Laura Sanko, when the Miami native spotted ‘Rocky’ nearby.
The two men clashed verbally before ‘Gamebred’ approached Edwards and lashed out with a quick combination, something he later referred to as a “three-piece and a soda.”
Edwards was left with a cut under his left eye following the incident, which only added to Masvidal’s dangerous aura.
However, the two men never did face off in the octagon, as numerous attempts to match them up failed, despite the rivalry between them still being bitter.
Most recently, Edwards – who now holds the UFC welterweight title – had hoped to defend it against ‘Gamebred’, only for the Cuban-American to choose to retire following a loss to Gilbert Burns.
