The beauty of MMA is that the sport provides fighters with a platform to settle their differences and put an end to their rivalry. But, just like everything else in life, this isn’t guaranteed and on occasions, a fight inside the octagon only serves to exacerbate the bad blood between two fighters.
The good thing about this is that it gives mixed martial arts fans all around the world the opportunity to see two fighters recreate the magic of their first encounter. When Conor McGregor met Nate Diaz in their second encounter, the expectations were sky high and the fight delivered in a big way. Everyone went home happy that night.
Unfortunately, not all rematches quite have the same impact. In fact, there are a number of rematches that make us wish they had never happened as they have served to sour the memories of a great first encounter. A bad rematch not only destroys fond memories of the encounters before it, it also makes any future fights an impossibility.
So, without any further ado, here are 5 times a UFC rematch didn’t live up to the hype:
#5 Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin II
I kind of feel bad including this fight on the list because it was actually quite a decent encounter. The problem is that in the finale of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin had put on a fight that is in the discussion for Greatest Fight in the History of the UFC title
Unless both men brought an A++ game filled with superhuman effort, there was no way they were going to top the epic that was their first clash where Griffin picked up the victory after three rounds of intense back and forth action.
Griffin would be successful in this second fight as well but in a much more convincing fashion. A victim of its own success, there was no way Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin II was going to be able to match, let alone surpass the titanic encounter that was Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin I.
#4 Randy Couture vs Vitor Belfort II
Vitor Belfort was one of the most dominant mixed martial artists in the world during the 1990s and he was expected to absolutely demolish a young Randy Couture when the two faced off in 1997.
What followed was indeed a demolition but rather than the expected outcome, it was Couture who took Belfort apart in a way that hadn’t ever been seen against the talented Brazilian. It was a masterclass in MMA.
When a rematch was announced for UFC 46 in 2004, there was an unbelievable amount of hype around the encounter. Couture vs Belfort II for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Could it get better than this?
Turns out all the hype was unwarranted as the fight was stopped very early after a hook from Belfort cut Couture’s eye.
#3 Tito Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock II
Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock have one of the most storied rivalries in the history of the UFC. Two men shared a mutual hatred of each other which manifested itself both inside and outside the octagon. There was even an instance when their animosity almost led to an all out brawl and the police had to be brought in.
The two originally met at UFC 40 where an absolute barnstormer of a fight between the two men received universal praise despite the fact that Shamrock’s corner was forced to thrown in the towel before the fight reached its conclusion.
Expectations were at an all-time high for the rematch at UFC 61. Unfortunately, the fight would never live up to the promise as referee Herb Dean mistakenly thought Shamrock was knocked out and ended the encounter. Shamrock was understandably furious but the decision had been made and there was no going back.
One of the most disappointing ends to a fight ever.
#2 Mark Hunt vs Antonio Silva II
Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva are two of the most popular heavyweights in MMA and a major reason for this is their incredible encounter at a UFC Fight Night event in 2013.
A landmark event in Australia saw New Zealander, Hunt, and Brazilian, Silva, fight to an incredible majority draw after 5 rounds of brutal back and forth action. It was obvious that Hunt and Big Foot would have to meet again soon to bring this storied encounter to an end.
Said rematch took place at UFC 193 and after all the hype and the build up, the finish was eventually a mammoth disappointment as Hunt finished off Silva in Round 1 to pick up the win.
#1 Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson II
And finally, we come to the most recent fight on this list – Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson II. The two had met in an epic 5 round encounter at UFC’s historic 205 event in New York where the bout ended in a majority draw filled with some superb action. It was a potential fight of the year and one of the true great UFC encounters of all-time.
The rematch also went 5 rounds but wasn’t anywhere near the same level of excitement as both men very tepidly circled each other and warily threw some kicks and punches. The crowd booed throughout most of the encounter and their anger was compounded when The Chosen One was given an inexplicable victory by the judges even though most people felt Wonderboy had won three out of the five rounds.
A resounding disappointment all around.
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