5 UFC champions who were accused of ducking opponents feat. Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz

One of the UFC's hallmarks is that the promotion usually puts on the best fights possible. That's because the top fighters don't avoid facing each other.

There have been occasions when fans have accused UFC champions of ducking certain opponents. The truth of this, of course, is always debatable.

In some of these instances, the champion in question did end up fighting the challenger they supposedly ducked, but of course, it is fair to ask whether this was under duress.

Here, then, are five UFC champions who were accused of ducking opponents.

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#5. Tito Ortiz - former UFC light-heavyweight champion

While he's been on the UFC's black list on several occasions over the years, Tito Ortiz remains one of the promotion's biggest legends.

'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' held the light-heavyweight title from 2000 to 2003, defending it successfully on five occasions.

However, when it came to fighting his former friend and training partner Chuck Liddell, it appeared that Ortiz had other ideas.

'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' claimed that he had a pact with 'The Iceman' to never face off with one another in the octagon. Liddell, though, who'd beaten the likes of Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman and Renato Sobral to earn his shot, firmly disagreed.

Quite where the truth lay remains a question mark, but it was easy to see why many fans felt Ortiz was ducking his former buddy.

Eventually, of course, the two men did end up facing each other, but only after both men had lost to Randy Couture, who took Ortiz's title away in the process.

Once the first fight—in which Liddell knocked Ortiz out—was over, their rivalry became more bitter.

They faced off again in 2006, again with Liddell winning, and even filmed a 'Bad Blood' documentary to build to a 2010 bout that never happened due to Ortiz's injury.

That documentary, though, shone some light on the issue. It genuinely appeared that 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' valued Liddell's friendship more than 'The Iceman' did, and perhaps the accusations of ducking were unfair.

Either way, the two men fought one last time in a sad 2018 bout, with Ortiz knocking out his rival. By 2023, it was reported that the two men had buried the hatchet, hopefully ending the story for good.

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#4. Germaine de Randamie - former UFC featherweight champion

When the UFC introduced a women's featherweight title in early 2017, the idea was clearly that Cris Cyborg would claim the crown.

A big free agent signing in 2016, Cyborg had fought in a handful of catchweight bouts in her first year with the promotion. With her real weight division finally being introduced, though, it seemed obvious that she'd become champion.

Unfortunately, the Brazilian informed Dana White and company that she wouldn't be available to fight in the inaugural title bout, forcing them to match Holly Holm with Germaine de Randamie instead.

'The Iron Lady' upset Holm to become the first female 145-pound champ, and that should've set up a big-time fight with Cyborg later in 2017.

However, the Dutch fighter had other ideas. According to her manager, de Randamie was not willing to face the Brazilian because she'd previously tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Naturally, the UFC didn't take kindly to this, and, believing 'The Iron Lady' was ducking Cyborg, promptly stripped her of her title.

Weeks later, Cyborg claimed the vacant title by beating Tonya Evinger and went on to defend it successfully twice. De Randamie's title reign is now a footnote in history and will always be marred by the accusations of ducking.

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#3. Michael Bisping - former UFC middleweight champion

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is widely regarded as one of the toughest fighters in octagon history.

During a decade-long span with the promotion, he faced a who's who of fighters at 185 pounds, including Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Luke Rockhold.

However, when he upset the latter to claim the middleweight title in the summer of 2016, even 'The Count' wasn't immune to accusations that he was ducking a potential contender.

Bisping's first title defense was a semi-controversial one, as he defeated a past-his-prime Henderson in Manchester to avenge his most famous loss. A month later, it looked like his next challenger was set.

Yoel Romero had already reeled off seven straight wins - most by violent knockout - before he dispatched former champion Chris Weidman with a flying knee. A monstrous wrestler with brutal striking power, the Cuban had more than earned a shot at Bisping.

However, citing an injury, 'The Count' instead sat out, eventually leaving Romero to face Robert Whittaker for an interim title in a fight he surprisingly lost.

Even with Romero out of the way, though, Bisping didn't face Whittaker to unify the titles, instead facing former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre in a "money fight" of sorts that saw him lose his belt.

So was 'The Count' really ducking Romero? The evidence would suggest so, but Bisping's reputation as a fighter who would face anyone suggests that he was simply more focused on the money a fight with St-Pierre could bring than anything else.

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#2. Nicco Montano - former UFC flyweight champion

Arguably, the most forgettable title reign in UFC history belongs to inaugural women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano.

Not only did she defeat a late-notice replacement - Roxanne Modafferi, who stepped in for Sijara Eubanks - for her title, she didn't even attempt to defend it once.

So what happened to Montano, and why was her title reign such a letdown?

Essentially, she was stripped of her crown after being forced out of a planned title defense against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228. Reportedly, Montano's weight cut went so badly that her kidneys shut down, resulting in her hospitalisation.

However, 'The Bullet' clearly wasn't buying that, and took to Twitter (now X) to accuse Montano of ducking her.

Montano unsurprisingly hit back, claiming that her medical issues were keeping her out of the fight and labelling Shevchenko a bully.

Unfortunately, it felt like the UFC took Shevchenko's side in the matter, as they stripped Montano of her title, with 'The Bullet' fighting Joanna Jedrzejczyk for it a few months later.

In this case, it seems harsh to suggest Montano was ducking Shevchenko, given that doctors confirmed her medical issues, but that clearly wasn't enough to save her title reign - or her reputation with some fans.

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#1. Jon Jones - UFC heavyweight champion

Right now, it feels like most UFC fans believe that reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones is ducking interim titleholder Tom Aspinall.

The accusations stem from the fact that Aspinall has now held his interim title since November 2023, and yet there has still been no word of a unification bout on the horizon.

'Bones' has, of course, held the title since early 2023, when he submitted Ciryl Gane to claim the crown vacated by Francis Ngannou. Thus far, he's defended it once, retiring Stipe Miocic last November.

Despite Aspinall clearly being next in line, though, Jones has constantly been non-commital when it comes to potentially facing him.

Unfortunately, the former light-heavyweight champ hasn't helped his own cause in this argument.

He's consistently stated that fighting Aspinall does nothing for his legacy, despite the UK-based fighter's stellar record, and even attempted to set up a bout with then-205-pound champ Alex Pereira at one point.

Most recently, he refuted claims that he was ducking Aspinall by stating that he was "living his best life", a claim that has drawn the disdain of fans.

Will Jones ever fight Aspinall, then? It's worth remembering that he was accused of ducking both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen during his reign as light-heavyweight champion, but eventually fought - and beat - both men.

Given his record and the fighters he's beaten, the idea of 'Bones' avoiding anyone seems far-fetched in some ways. However, Aspinall is almost uniquely dangerous to him given his size and Jones' lack of experience as a heavyweight, and 'Bones' may feel a loss could damage his reputation as the 'GOAT'.

Either way, it seems that until he agrees to fight the interim champion, the ducking accusations will continue.