5 times when a UFC fighter called out an opponent from a different weight class

#4. Jon Jones – former UFC light heavyweight champion

Jon Jones called out former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar in 2017, but the fight never took place

While former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been talking about a potential move to the heavyweight division for a number of years now, the first time he called out a foe from the higher weight class came back in 2017.

That summer saw ‘Bones’ leave no doubt as to who was the best 205lber in the world. He dismantled bitter rival Daniel Cormier, unifying the UFC’s light heavyweight titles in the process.

After the fight was over, though, rather than call out another light heavyweight contender, Jones had other, bigger, plans.

He decided to call out former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, despite the fact that ‘The Beast Incarnate’ had only fought once since 2011, a 2016 victory over Mark Hunt that was overturned for a positive drug test, and had been performing in WWE rather than the octagon.

At the time, though, the fight did at least make some sense. Jones had no fresh contenders at 205 pounds and a fight with Lesnar almost certainly would’ve drawn millions of dollars. It would also have likely been an easy win for ‘Bones’ too.

However, any idea of the fight actually happening went right down the pan when Jones also tested positive for banned substances after the fight with Cormier, resulting in a lengthy suspension.

By the time he returned just over a year later, any chance of a fight with Lesnar had long gone. In the time that has followed, Jones’ mooted move up in weight still hasn’t happened.

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#3. Lee Murray – former UFC middleweight contender

After winning his octagon debut, Lee Murray wasted no time in calling out old rival Tito Ortiz, despite giving up 20lbs to him

While his legal issues meant that he ended up being little more than a footnote in UFC history, nearly two decades ago, British brawler Lee Murray was one of the hottest prospects in MMA.

While ‘Lightning’ came into the promotion with a decent enough record of 7-1-1, the hype around him actually came from a notorious incident that took place in London after the UFC’s visit there in the summer of 2002.

According to multiple sources, during a wild drinking session that followed the event, a brawl broke out between various fighters, resulting in Murray, attending as a friend of welterweight champ Matt Hughes, knocking out then-light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

When Murray arrived in the octagon nearly two years later and submitted Jorge Rivera, then, it was hardly a surprise to hear him issue a challenge to Ortiz. That was despite the fact that had a fight between the two taken place, ‘Lightning’ probably would’ve been giving up at least 30 pounds in weight.

Murray simply stated that if Ortiz wanted to fight, he’d be ready for him. When ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ taunted him from the crowd, he went onto say that he’d always be in Tito’s head unless he got in the octagon to face him.

Of course, before the fight could be made, Murray’s career with the UFC fell through when he was refused a visa to enter the US. He later became one of Europe’s most notorious criminals, torpedoing his MMA career altogether.

Whether the promotion would’ve bitten and booked a fight between Murray and Ortiz at the time remains a question mark, but the fact that a 185lber had gotten into the head of their biggest star at the time remains fascinating nearly two decades on.