Over the years there have been more than a few controversial moments involving the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Like any billion dollar sports company, things are never going to be easy, but when you're dealing with something as specific and brutal as mixed martial arts, there can be a few issues that you won't get quite as often in other sports.
There's no shame in it for people like Dana White, because certain problems will be thrown to the side as being "just a part of the business".
Unfortunately, there are some things that you just can't ignore and whilst some may not find these entries that extreme, they've certainly affected the business and not for the better, over the years.
At the end of the day, the UFC is indeed a phenomenal form of entertainment, but at what point do we stop phasing out all of the noise being created around us?
Unlike WWE, the UFC tends to face these situations head on more often than not which can certainly make for some interesting viewing in the media. After all, these fighters are larger than life personalities.
With that being said, let's take a look at five of the worst kept secrets in UFC's history.
#1 Belfort's TRT use
Vitor Belfort is a fan favourite in the world of mixed martial arts due to his fascinating fighting style and his inability to age in the octagon. Some may put that down to his performances, but others will rightly point towards his use of performance enhancing drugs.
The former UFC Champion was suspended back in 2006, and since then, things seem to have continued to spiral out of control for him.
Also read: 5 Reasons Why Conor McGregor is the UFC's Biggest Star
After returning to the octagon, Belfort enlisted the help of testosterone replacement therapy in order to try and enhance his performances.
It was a controversial method and many people believed that UFC not only knew about Vitor's involvement but actively embraced it. The promotion denied all wrongdoing but to this day, many feel that they were involved in a cover-up.
Onto a man who has been surrounded by controversy in the last year or so.
#2 Brock Lesnar’s steroid usage
Brock Lesnar was one of the most intimidating figures in MMA, which led him towards the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
The Beast's unbelievable strength and speed made many think that he was a mutant of some kind, and upon his return to the octagon for UFC 200, he looked as good as ever with a decisive decision victory over veteran Mark Hunt.
Unfortunately, Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene and the win was overturned, with many fans believing that the UFC were aware of the situation before the actual fight.
The card had already taken several hits courtesy of Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, so it would make sense that Dana would do anything in order to preserve his biggest attraction by any means necessary.
Speaking of Mr Jones, let's talk about one of his greatest fights ever.
#3 Jones vs Gustafsson controversy
Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafsson was one of the greatest fights in the history of the UFC. The two men battled it out for the right to be called the World Champion, going toe to toe for five rounds in what remains as one of the greatest examples of two warriors battling it out for glory.
It was a fantastic effort from both men, but things started to go a little sour in the hours and days following the fight.
After Jones was given the decision victory, FightMetric stats suggested that Gustafsson was leading 191-120 when it came to significant strikes landed in the fight.
However once, the final count was read out, the score in that department read 137-114 in Jones' favour which led many to believe that UFC purposely kept the belt on Jones. The promotion obviously denied this, but it remains a sore spot for the Swede's supporters to this day.
Onto something of a delicate subject for many fighters.
#4 Fighter pay
You've probably heard this being recycled time and time again, but on average, the UFC fighters don't earn nearly enough when it comes to maintaining a stable living.
In addition to the fight bonuses, they can expect anywhere between four and five figures, and whilst that seems like a suitable amount of money, some of them are only fighting for the promotion once or twice a year.
When you compare these figures to the likes of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey who are regularly getting seven figure fees, the practice becomes even shadier.
A number of fighters have spoken out about this in addition to the fact that the Reebok deal has further cut their ability to earn a proper living. The fighters’ union, spearheaded by GSP, has also taken up this issue recently.
We conclude with a saga that went on for an extremely long time.
#5 Couture rivalry
Randy Couture is one of the best fighters in the history of mixed martial arts and it's hard to deny that.
The guy was consistently able to re-invent himself no matter his age or diminishing skill set, which gained him many supporters over the years. Unfortunately, Dana White was not his biggest fan and that led to an ongoing feud that has barely been resolved to this day.
After complaints about his pay, despite being paid very handsomely, Couture took the UFC to court in an attempt to seek justice. Unfortunately this didn't happen and as a result, Dana booked him in to defend his championship against Brock Lesnar, who at that point only had a 1-1 record in the promotion.
Couture lost convincingly, and wasn't even allowed to be in the corner for his son Ryan's UFC debut a few years later. Brutal.
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