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Cheating in the form of intentional or accidental fouls takes place in the UFC from time to time. While breaking the rules is generally frowned upon in the sport, there are some who wholeheartedly agree with the late, great Eddie Guerrero's favorite life motto:
"If you're not cheating, you're not trying."
A foul usually leads to a warning from the referee, a point deduction, or a no-contest at worst. But other times, dirty tricks can swing the momentum of a fight in a massive way and even result in wins.
For this list, whether the foul was committed on purpose or inadvertently is irrelevant. What matters is that the fighters mentioned below either evaded penalties or even got a favorable outcome after committing a foul. On that note, here are five UFC stars who got away with cheating:
#5. Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor
Many believe Conor McGregor used questionable tactics against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 229.
'The Notorious' earned his monicker for a reason; he has always been one of the most controversial figures in sports due to his habitual troublemaking outside the octagon. But a number of observers have pointed out that the Dublin native has had his fair share of shenanigans inside the UFC cage, specifically during his title bout against Nurmagomedov.
The issue did not become a significant talking point after the fact because Nurmagomedov dominantly retained his crown just the same. Nonetheless, cheating is considered a mortal sin in any professional sport.
From the get-go, McGregor tried to neutralize his rival's advantage in the wrestling department by grabbing his trunks to prevent a takedown. The strategy initially worked as 'The Eagle' had his takedown attempts stuffed early in the fight. However, the Dagestani's brute strength allowed him to execute his gameplan.
Once the fight shifted to the ground, the cheating didn't stop. McGregor proceeded, on multiple occasions, to grab the cage with his toes, preventing Nurmagomedov from advancing to a more dominant position. On top of that, the former two-division champ struck Nurmagomedov with a couple of 12 to 6 elbows – the move that got Jon Jones disqualified – off his back.
There are several reasons why McGregor ultimately fell short in his quest to recapture the lightweight title. One thing's for sure, though, the lack of trying isn't one of them.
#4. Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier hacking the weigh-ins is a divisive topic among UFC fans. Some believe it was a genius plan, while others believe it was blatant cheating.
Ahead of Cormier's light heavyweight showdown against Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, 'DC' failed to meet the most significant requirement to fight for any title. During the official weigh-ins, Cormier clocked in at 206.2 pounds – going 1.2 pounds over the division's threshold.
As per the rules, Cormier had an hour to lose the extra weight before penalties were dealt. However, it only took 'DC' two minutes to step back on the scale and weigh in at 205 pounds.
How did Cormier miraculously shed a pound that quickly? On top of losing every garment on his body, the reigning champ sneakily put pressure on the towel that was used to cover him, reducing his weight.
The fight subsequently went on as planned, and Cormier marched his way towards a dominant title defense.
#3. Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
If you were told that somebody cheated during the main event of UFC 148, your mind would automatically drift to Chael Sonnen (don't lie!). After all, he's the self-professed 'Bad Guy' of the octagon and has had his fair share of employing dirty tricks during his MMA career.
But during the highly anticipated rematch between Sonnen and Anderson Silva, that wasn't the case at all. Not to take anything away from the legendary Brazilian's successful title defense, but he was definitely guilty of committing a crucial foul.
The first fight between Silva and Sonnen wasn't even close. 'The American Gangster' shocked the MMA world when he dominated the seemingly invincible champ for almost five rounds before a slip-up cost him the UFC middleweight belt.
When the rivals ran it back two years later, it appeared that Sonnen would finally get the job done when he gave Silva a dose of deja vu early in the fight. Similar to their first go-round, Sonnen took the champ down with ease and proceeded to pummel him with a barrage of ground-and-pound.
But at the start of the second round, Silva decided to prevent another takedown by any means necessary. 'The Spider' grabbed Sonnen's shorts as he attempted another takedown, which resulted in a verbal warning from referee Yves Lavigne.
Ultimately, though, Sonnen only had himself to blame for his eventual downfall. The challenger decided to bust out an ill-timed spinning back fist, giving Silva an opening to land the coup de grâce.
#2. Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo
The cage grab is one of the most common fouls committed by UFC fighters, especially when a dominant wrestler is involved. It happens when a fighter is on the verge of getting taken to the ground, and as a last-ditch effort, they grab on to the cage – deliberately or out of pure instinct – to defend themselves.
The best example of this occurrence took place during Jose Aldo's first meeting with Chad Mendes at UFC 142. Heading into the fight, it was no secret that Mendes' best chance of securing a victory over Aldo was by taking him to the ground and keeping him on his back for as long as possible.
A veteran of the fight game, Aldo was aware that Mendes would undoubtedly try to outwrestle him. Come fight night, Mendes wasted no time closing the distance as he pressed Aldo against the cage. The Team Alpha Male star summoned all his might to lift Aldo, but just as he was about to slam the Brazilian to the mat, a cage grab prevented him from completing the action.
A few more failed attempts later, Aldo landed a thunderous knee on Mendes' face to secure the knockout win. It's likely that Aldo would have won regardless of the cage grab, but he still got away with a blatant foul.
#1. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
Every time Jon Jones fights, a couple of things are to be expected. The first is that he'll likely win – he always does – and the other is that he'll probably poke his opponent in the eye.
Jones is adamant that he's not cheating when he pokes his challengers in the eye because he only extends his fingers to gage his range. Nonetheless, his opponents have suffered the consequences of having their eyes poked while 'Bones' was usually allowed to continue without any penalties.
Jones has yet to lose due to a point deduction and has only been disqualified once for decimating Matt Hamill with illegal elbow strikes. However, it is widely believed that Jones' habit of poking his opponents' eyes was a driving factor for the changes to the unified rules of MMA.
