'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM7uwV//xAAhEAACAgECBwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQAGExgiIzNBYf/aAAgBAQABPwBrGer5WI3Z6U65GoKnEVWVo1ZSikKPaj7rl/3PL3H3FjAz9XifX//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECAQE/AIv/xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMRMf/aAAgBAwEBPwCVVh//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Earlier this year, fans were stunned when it was announced that Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, who headlined UFC 244 in 2019, would have their long-awaited rematch in June.
Masvidal and Diaz will be settling their score outside the UFC, though, in the boxing ring under the FanMio banner.
Masvidal and Diaz's rivalry won't be the first major one to begin in the octagon and end elsewhere, though, as numerous other feuds have been settled in rival promotions.
Here are five major UFC rivalries that ended with fights in other promotions.
#5. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz - UFC 47 & UFC 66
Chuck Liddell's rivalry with his former training partner-turned-bitter enemy Tito Ortiz remains one of the most memorable in octagon history.
The two light-heavyweights faced off in the octagon twice, with Liddell winning both bouts via KO.
The first clash took place in 2004 and saw 'The Iceman' dispatch Ortiz in the second round, while the second went down two years later, with Liddell needing an extra round to finish 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy'.
Dana White and company did attempt to book a third fight in 2010, but when Ortiz withdrew due to a back problem, it seemed like his rivalry with his old friend would never quite be settled.
Incredibly, though, that wasn't the case.
In 2018, with Liddell having been retired for almost a decade and Ortiz himself in semi-retirement, it was suddenly announced that the two men would settle their feud under the Golden Boy MMA banner.
It sounded like a bad idea all round, and indeed, both men looked far past their best, with the rusty Liddell going down to a first round KO. Even in victory, though, Ortiz didn't really look like a winner.
In fact, nobody involved in the whole debacle really won, per se, as the event reportedly flopped on pay-per-view - a far cry from the blockbuster number it drew for the UFC.
#4. Don Frye vs. Mark Coleman - UFC 10
Back in the earliest days of the UFC, when the concept of 'MMA' didn't exist and fighters largely brought one style of martial arts to the table, Don Frye stood out from the rest.
A high-level wrestler with an excellent boxing game, 'The Predator' was far more rounded than his contemporaries, and he swept to victory at UFC 8's tournament.
However, two events later, he ran into the juggernaut that was Mark Coleman. 'The Hammer' lacked the boxing skills of Frye, but he was a far superior wrestler and was more physically imposing, too.
Coleman bullied and beat down 'The Predator', becoming the octagon's top dog in the process.
Frye was clearly frustrated by his defeat, but despite winning 1996's 'Ultimate Ultimate' tournament, he couldn't secure a rematch with his nemesis in the octagon.
Instead, his rivalry with Coleman continued to simmer until 2003, when the two men finally met again, this time in Japan under the PRIDE banner.
Unfortunately for Frye, despite waiting the best part of seven years for his revenge, he was unable to take it and ended up losing to 'The Hammer' for a second time, although he didn't take as much of a beating as he'd initially suffered.
#3. Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski - UFC 51, UFC 59 and UFC 61
Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski's rivalry largely defined the mid-2000's in the UFC's heavyweight division.
The two big men faced off on three occasions in the octagon, trading the heavyweight title twice in two thrilling one-round affairs.
Their third fight, however, was so bad that most fans - as well as the promotion - tried their best to forget the rivalry entirely.
A five-round circle-fest, the bout basically ruined Sylvia's reputation as a top-level fighter and harmed Arlovski's, too. In fact, less than two years after it, both men departed the promotion entirely.
Quite why, in 2012, ONE Championship decided a fourth fight between the two was necessary remains anyone's guess. After all, while Arlovski was on a surprising career resurgence at the time, Sylvia looked firmly past his best and was tipping the scales at nearly 300 pounds.
That didn't stop ONE, though, and to be fair, the fight was at least more entertaining than their third bout. It ended in the second round when 'The Pitbull' dropped Sylvia with a combo and then knocked him out with a pair of soccer kicks to the head.
The bout was later declared a No Contest when it was decided that the kicks were illegal blows, but thankfully, ONE spared MMA fans an unneccessary fifth clash between these rivals.
#2. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva - UFC 92
Unlike the other fights on this list, the rivalry between Wanderlei Silva and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson didn't actually begin in the UFC.
Instead, the two men began their beef in the PRIDE ring, facing off in two wild clashes that saw Silva come out on top, knocking 'Rampage' out twice in similar fashion, with a series of brutal knees and kicks.
By 2008, both men were a big part of the UFC's roster and stood as two of the promotion's more recognisable stars, with Jackson having held the light-heavyweight title for a time.
With 'Rampage' coming off his title loss to Forrest Griffin, though, the matchmakers decided it was time to give him a shot to avenge his two most infamous losses. They matched him with 'The Axe Murderer', and sure enough, 'Rampage' delivered, sparking the Brazilian out with a vicious left hook in the first round.
The hatchet was never quite buried, though, and a decade after their bout in the octagon, Bellator MMA announced that they'd be facing off for a fourth time.
With both men being miles past their prime at that point, even fighting at heavyweight, it was hard to expect anything special from them.
Indeed, in a fight that was largely sad to watch, 'Rampage' used a big right hand to put Silva away in the second round, evening up their rivalry at 2-2.
'The Axe Murderer' has not fought since, officially retiring four years later in 2022, while Jackson last fought in 2019. With any luck, this rivalry will remain tied.
#1. Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie - UFC 1 and UFC 5
The earliest days of the UFC were defined by the huge rivalry between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, who famously clashed at the promotion's first-ever event.
That fight saw Gracie choke Shamrock out, leading to the first of an eventual three tournament victories for the Brazilian.
Shamrock was always desperate for a rematch with his rival, and after failing to secure it at UFC 3 due to injuries to both men, the promotion decided to book them against each other in a one-off 'Superfight'.
The eventual fight lasted 36 minutes, and with no clear-cut winner, was declared a draw. While it was seen as one of the most polarising fights in octagon history, with some fans considering it dull and others viewing it as a classic tactical bout, it at least seemed to settle the grudge between the two men.
Indeed, in 2003, a decade after their first clash, Shamrock and Gracie became the first two inductees into the UFC's Hall of Fame.
By 2016, of course, both men should've been firmly retired, which was why it came as such a shock when Bellator MMA announced that they would face off in a trilogy fight.
Gracie had turned 50 years old a couple of months before the fight and hadn't competed in nine years, while Shamrock was 52. While he'd been more active, 'The World's Most Dangerous Man' also looked painfully banged up.
Quite why Scott Coker and company thought anyone wanted to see the fight was an utter mystery, and things only became worse when the bout turned into an utter debacle.
Gracie appeared to hit Shamrock with a low blow early into the first round, but the referee judged it to be legal and allowed him to finish his foe with strikes, awarding him a TKO.
Shamrock was naturally furious, but thankfully, even Coker could see that another clash would've been a horrendous idea. Almost a decade on, neither man has fought again.
