'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In a highly competitive promotion like the UFC, a single moment can change the course of a fighter's career.
Former UFC fighter Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza recently admitted that he regrets having not held out for a title shot back in his heyday. Others like Joanne Calderwood and Leon Edwards have also expressed remorse at the way they missed out on big fights.
These fighters aren't alone among a group who have seen misfortune befall them ahead of what would've been a career-defining moment. Either due to injury or other out-of-ring controversies, the following five fighters were unable to make the walk to the octagon for a potentially historic clash.
Here are five UFC fighters who didn't show up to the biggest fight of their life.
Find about: All the Upcoming UFC Events
#5 Cole Miller vs Conor McGregor - UFC Fight Night 46
The early part of Conor McGregor's UFC career saw a rapid rise that few expected. After dispatching Marcus Brimage via first-round TKO on his UFC debut in April 2013, 'The Notorious' vanquished eventual featherweight champion Max Holloway in August 2013.
McGregor tore his ACL during the Holloway fight and returned to the UFC almost a year later. He was scheduled to face Cole Miller, who had been in the promotion since 2007 and had recently signed a new four-fight contract. But Miller suffered a thumb injury while training for the fight and had to pull out.
McGregor fought Diego Brandao instead and knocked him out in the first round on a historic run to the UFC featherweight title. In hindsight, Miller's last chance at UFC stardom disappeared the moment he withdrew from his clash against the Irishman. He fought four more times in the UFC without a win before being cut.
#4 Karo Parisyan vs Matt Hughes - UFC 56
In one of the most unfortunate incidents in UFC history, Karo Parisyan was facing a shot at the welterweight title held by Matt Hughes before a hamstring injury forced him out of the bout.
From March 2001 to April 2006, Parisyan lost only one of his 10 fights, that too to a certain Georges St-Pierre. He clinched the WEC welterweight title and seemed set to repeat the feat in the UFC before the injury. 'The Heat' was replaced by Joe Riggs and would never come genuinely close to a title shot again.
Parisyan was beaten by Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves and Dennis Hallman in his last seven UFC fights, apart from a win that was overturned to a no-contest because he tested positive for banned painkillers. He fought under a variety of banners without much success after leaving the UFC, having missed out on the biggest opportunity of his fighting career.
#3 Rafael dos Anjos vs Conor McGregor - UFC 196
There's no love lost between Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos even today. The two former UFC lightweight champions, who were scheduled to meet at UFC 196 before Dos Anjos had to pull out with a foot injury, continue to take potshots at each other on social media.
McGregor, the featherweight champion at the time, was booked to face another Brazilian belt holder in Dos Anjos. After RDA pulled out, 'The Notorious' took on Nate Diaz on short notice.
While the Diaz vs McGregor saga was going on, Dos Anjos lost the title to Eddie Alvarez, whom the Irishman would beat at UFC 205 to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history.
How would Dos Anjos have fared against McGregor? It's tough to say, but it's perhaps possible that he would've given a better account of himself than Alvarez did.
And despite facing off against several high-quality fighters after that and fighting for the interim UFC welterweight title, RDA certainly lost what would've been the pinnacle of his MMA career - both financially and otherwise.
#2 Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov - UFC 223
Which instance of Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov being canceled do we choose for the purposes of this article? For both men, a potential meeting would've been the biggest fight of their respective careers.
For Ferguson, a man who was on a massive win streak and desperately needed a shot at the undisputed title, Khabib was the only man standing in his way. And for 'The Eagle', who had ran through his competition with relative ease before staring in the face of a championship fight, Ferguson was his toughest match-up both psychologically and athletically at the time.
But ahead of UFC 223, 'El Cucuy' tripped over some wiring and blew out his knee, leading to Khabib facing Al Iaquinta for the title. And once the Dagestani laid hands on the gold, even an army wouldn't have been able to pry the strap away from him.
Ferguson returned after a brief layoff and took part in another interim lightweight title fight, but he was never the same after the injury. The crowning moment of his brilliant UFC run never came, a moment that would've etched his name in history had he beaten Khabib.
#1 Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier - UFC 200
Another match-up that was cursed in a way, Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier had pull-outs and controversies from both sides.
Jones became the first to withdraw due to a leg injury suffered in a press-conference brawl, but the two fighters eventually met at UFC 182. Jones won the fight handily, but became involved in a series of controversies outside the octagon. Once a rematch was scheduled, it was DC's turn to pull out with injury.
Jones vs Cormier 2 was scheduled for UFC 200, but 'Bones' tested positive for banned substances, leading to another suspension. This might've been the most telling episode of the whole saga, the incident that makes us claim Jones didn't turn up to the most important fight in his life at the time.
Jones had beaten Cormier once already, but DC had brushed aside every other opponent he had faced. A rematch was inevitable, and Jones had already worsened his case by somehow involving himself in almost every controversy imaginable.
Finally, after spending significant time on the sidelines, he had the chance to redeem himself with another win over Cormier in a historic fight for the UFC. But Jones didn't show up. And even when he eventually did, the UFC 214 fight was overturned to a no-contest because of another controversy.
Jones is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, but the events that transpired in the lead-up to UFC 200 weren't flattering, especially given the magnitude of the event.
