Before the Elimination Chamber PPV, there was a very real possibility that the main event at Wrestlemania would be, yet again, Randy Orton vs. John Cena. It is the single most overdone rivalry in the history of sports entertainment and people are quite sick of it.
Despite Orton’s efforts to sell the match, the crowd was against it from the get-go and luckily for all of us, the WWE did the right thing and put the WWE Championship on Bray Wyatt at the Chamber. Now, we get to see a whole new rivalry instead, thank the Gods.
It’s not only pro-wrestling which is guilty of overdoing rivalries, though, as MMA has its fair share of these rivalries as well. When two people don’t like each other in MMA, they decide to settle things inside the Octagon, no matter how saturated people are with the matchup.
So, without any further ado, here are five MMA rivalries which are as overdone as Randy Orton vs. John Cena:
#5 Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz booked his ticket to the big leagues when he stepped on short notice to fight Conor McGregor following Rafael dos Anjos’ injury. The American shocked the world by making The Notorious One tap out, setting up a hotly anticipated rematch as people waited to see if McGregor could bounce back.
Following months of bickering and childish antics, the rematch finally took place at UFC 205 with the Irishman winning the contest via unanimous decision in a brutal affair. But, right after, though, both men got the ball rolling on a potential third bout.
Seeing what Conor has gone on to achieve and with him already getting back that loss to Diaz, there is no real need for this third match, especially considering McGregor hasn’t defended a Championship in the history of his UFC career.
There are more interesting options in the form of Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and even Floyd Mayweather. We really don’t need McGregor vs. Diaz III anytime soon.
#4 Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones
Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier, and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, have had only bout inside the Octagon, but if you ask me, that’s more than enough.
Bones took that fight against DC via unanimous decision, but what really stood out was the amount of bad blood between the two men in the build up to the encounter. While everyone knows about Jones’ bad-boy behaviour, his antics even managed to get a rise out of the ever-composed Cormier and the rivalry descended into pettiness.
With Jones dominating DC in the Octagon, there was very little payoff for this intense rivalry and there seems to be very little reason to do this yet again, if we’re going to go through the same process of Jones annoying Cormier into a fit of rage and then picking him apart during their fight.
Nothing against these two great fighters but we feel Cormier vs. Jones II can wait.
#3 Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos have enjoyed a storied rivalry over the years in one of the most gripping rivalries in the UFC’s Heavyweight division. If rumours are to be believed, Dana White is looking at making Velasquez vs. dos Santos IV happen and that’s just too much.
Cain and dos Santos faced off for the first time back in 2011, where dos Santos ended his opponent’s undefeated run as an MMA fighter with a vicious knockout in what many considered a shock result.
This would set the stage for a rematch the following year where Velasquez completed dominated proceedings picking up the victory via unanimous decision, while also becoming the first man to reach at least 100 significant strikes and 10 takedowns in the same match. There was little doubt who the better fighter was.
For some reason, the UFC decided to book a third match between the two, which Cain won again via TKO and the rivalry was put to bed. Having already seen an unnecessary third match in the rivalry, we certainly don’t need to see a fourth four years later.
#2 Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn
Frankie Edgar seems to thrive off rivalries. It’s kind of like his jam. He has enjoyed a number of famous ones against the likes of Gary Maynard, Ben Henderson, and BJ Penn. For this entry, we’re focusing on the last one – Edgar vs. Penn.
While BJ Penn is considered one of the finest fighters in the history of the sport, he never enjoyed much success against Frankie Edgar. The Answer enjoys an impressive 3-0 record against the Prodigy which started with two back-to-back fights that went to a decision in 2010.
Edgar picked up unanimous decision victories in both those encounters before putting the final nail in this coffin in an unnecessary third fight in 2014. With Penn entering the twilight of his career, Edgar picked out a TKO victory against the veteran to put this overdone rivalry to bed.
#1 Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber is without a shadow of a doubt the most overdone rivalry in the history of MMA. Starting off in 2007 back in their days with the WEC, Faber picked up a submission victory over The Dominator to kickstart a rivalry which has lasted a decade.
They would face off two more times as the bad blood between Cruz and Faber – as well as Faber's gym, Team Alpha Male – reached critical mass. Faber would lose both these encounters via unanimous decision in 2011 and 2016 but refused to admit that Cruz was the superior fighter.
Thankfully, the two somewhat buried the hatchet following Faber’s retirement but seeing Faber celebrating Cody Garbrandt’s victory over Cruz at UFC 207 made us all happy we don’t have to see these two bicker like school children anymore.
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