5 UFC fighters who have refused to fight their friends

#2. Dustin Poirier

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is another example of a fighter who refused to fight a friend in the octagon.

Poirier, who fights out of the prestigious American Top Team gym in Florida, has refused to share the octagon with his friend and teammate Jorge Masvidal. The two seem to be good friends and are often seen training together.

Following his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, 'The Diamond' was asked to comment on the prospects of fighting 'Gamebred' for the BMF title. Addressing the question at the press conference, he said:

"Jorge is a buddy of mine. I don’t sell out like f**king Colby Covington. I don’t talk bad about people who I roll with. No, Jorge is a buddy of mine, I won’t fight him. He’s a training partner. He’s a good guy."

Watch the full press conference here:

Masvidal too has never shied away from acknowledging his respect for Poirier. For instance, he was one of the first fighters to congratulate Poirier after his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257.

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#1. Kamaru Usman - UFC welterweight champion

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has punished many big names in the octagon. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has locked horns with the likes of Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, and still manages to stay unbeaten.

Needless to say, the number one men's pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC has always relished challenges. While champions change weight class in search of new challenges, Usman isn't someone who is willing to do that. At least not as long as Israel Adesanya is the middleweight champion.

Both Usman and Adesanya are known for wearing their African identities with pride. In fact, that's the reason why Usman has shot down the possibility of a fight with Adesanya.

Speaking to Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience, he said:

"I don't see myself ever fighting Israel... Having two belts in Nigeria is better than one guy holding two belts."

Watch the full segment here: