5 intense UFC rivalries that produced disappointing fights

#4. Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski – UFC 61

Andrei Arlovski's third fight with Tim Sylvia was a complete damp squib

It’s safe to say that Tim Sylvia’s feud with Andrei Arlovski, despite coming in a dark period for the division, remains one of the more storied in UFC heavyweight history. However, it would be far better remembered had the third fight between the two not been so disappointing.

The two big men first met at UFC 51 with the interim heavyweight title on the line. The fight ended dramatically as Arlovski dropped ‘The Maine-Iac’ and then submitted him with an Achilles lock in under a minute.

A year went by before the two rematched. While Arlovski thought he’d got the job done again when he dropped Sylvia with a right hand, this time things would be different. ‘The Maine-Iac’ rose up from the dead, caught ‘The Pitbull’ with a short uppercut and finished him off to claim the heavyweight crown.

After a pair of such dramatic clashes, it made sense to book a third bout between the two, but if fans expected a classic, they were severely mistaken.

Both Sylvia and Arlovski seemed shaken by the punching power of the other man. Rather than exchange like they’d done in their first two fights, they simply circled around and threw the odd feeler strike from distance.

The bout ended up going the distance. While Sylvia was granted a decision win, it felt like neither man had won, especially in the eyes of the fans. This was one UFC feud that ended not with a bang, but with a serious whimper.

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#3. Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz – UFC 158

After an epic feud, Georges St-Pierre's fight with Nick Diaz couldn't live up to the billing

When the UFC bought out its rival promotion Strikeforce in early 2011, the one inter-promotional fight that most fans really wanted to see was a battle between welterweight champions Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.

Sure enough, Diaz came aboard and a fight with GSP was signed. However, before it could happen, the Canadian blew his knee out and was sidelined for over a year.

Diaz instead defeated UFC legend B.J. Penn and subsequently called St-Pierre out, claiming that he wasn’t hurt, but instead was scared of the Stockton native. The callout triggered a major feud between the two stars. Suddenly, the fight became even bigger than before.

By the time it finally came around in March 2013, the entire MMA and UFC world was salivating over what could happen.

St-Pierre, who had been criticized for his conservative approach, promised that he was willing to go to a “dark place” in order to defeat Diaz. Meanwhile, Diaz simply maintained he had the skills to overcome the champion and offered those views in his trademark blunt fashion.

However, while fans expected fireworks when the two men squared off, they were instead greeted with a mere sparkler instead.

Rather than attack Diaz in the violent way he’d promised, GSP simply stuck to his usual gameplan. He jabbed and wrestled his foe, while Diaz offered very little in return.

It wasn’t a bad fight per say, but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype. When St-Pierre won a clear-cut decision, it was hard not to see the bout and the feud in general as a huge disappointment.