5 UFC fights we can't believe never happened

There have been many monumental UFC bouts during the promotion’s existence. For the most part, Dana White has done a great job in booking the fights fans want to see. Whether it's Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov or Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz, White has done the best he can.

On the flip side, the promotion has had its fair share of big fights that haven’t come to fruition. There are many bouts, that to this day, fans can’t believe never happened inside the octagon. Even with both fighters competing in the promotion at the same time, they were unable to fight.

Like other sports, unforeseen circumstances have nixed plans for the promotion and forced them to go in another direction. This list will look at 5 UFC fights that we can’t believe never happened.

---

#5. UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg

(Left) Cris Cyborg and (Right) Ronda Rousey

It’s hard to believe that one of the biggest fights that never happened was Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg. The bout between two of the biggest women’s MMA stars could have been booked on multiple occasions.

The two former champions had gone back-and-forth on social media multiple times but the fight never materialized. Although the two fought in different weight-classes, they could have met at a 140lb catchweight.

A catchweight would have made the most sense and ensured that neither had a clear advantage. It would have been an intriguing striker vs. grappler fight and would definitely be the biggest women's bout in the sport.

Timing is key and the perfect time for Rousey vs. Cyborg would be 2015. Rousey would still have been bantamweight champion win or lose, so she could have defended her title at a later date. The fight would have also provided the promotion more time to build up Rousey’s next challenger as a marquee name.

#4. Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. Alistair Overeem

(Left) Alistair Overeem (Right) Cain Velasquez

One of the most interesting heavyweight bouts that never took place was Cain Velasquez vs. Alistair Overeem. There was plenty of excitement when Overeem finally joined the UFC. ‘The Demolition Man’ had been unbeaten in his last 11-fights and was the Strikeforce heavyweight champion.

Although they both competed in the UFC for years, timing wasn’t on their side for a potential bout. Velasquez lost the heavyweight championship and Overeem was handed a suspension for a failed drug test in 2012.

When ‘The Demolition Man’ returned, he lost back-to-back fights, while Velasquez regained the heavyweight championship. The performances and where they were at in their respective careers put any chance of the fight happening in doubt.

This was unfortunate because their fighting styles would have made for an interesting matchup. Overeem had elite-level striking, while Velasquez had great wrestling and unmatched cardio.

---

#3. Jon Jones vs. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson

The light heavyweight championship bout between then-champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson unfortunately never happened. The bout was originally scheduled to headline UFC 187, however Jones was stripped of the title following his hit-and-run incident. Daniel Cormier then replaced Jones and defeated Johnson by submission to win the vacant light heavyweight championship.

The promotion missed the perfect opportunity to book Jones vs. Johnson in 2016. ‘Rumble’ had bounced back from his loss to Cormier and won two straight fights by knockout. ‘Bones’ defeated Ovince Saint Preux in his return fight to become interim light heavyweight champion.

Looking back, the promotion should’ve booked Johnson as Jones’ opponent instead of Saint Preux. ‘Rumble’ was on his way to getting another title-shot, while Jones was the former champion and never lost the title. It would have been a win-win scenario but like other fights, it wasn’t meant to be.

---

#2. UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva

A UFC fight that was constantly talked about but never took place was Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva vs. Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre. For years, fans were excited about a potential superfight between two of the most dominant fighters in the sport.

Silva had defeated all the contenders at middleweight and even moved to 205lbs to challenge himself on a few occasions. St-Pierre did the same at welterweight and cemented his legacy as the greatest champion at 170lbs. With their legacies established, the logical choice was to match them up to see who was truly the best in the world.

Dana White had said the fight was a possibility numerous times, but there was always a wrench in those plans. Timing-wise, 2010 was the perfect opportunity to book it, but, Silva’s performance against Demian Maia led to White changing his mind. ‘The Spider’ ended up fighting Chael Sonnen, while ‘Rush’ would coach TUF and fight Josh Koscheck later that year.

---

#1. Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson

Khabib vs. Tony faceoff - Credit @turkishufcnews (Instagram)

The fight fans still can’t believe never took place is Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov vs. Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson. The bout was booked on five different occasions and was canceled each time.

‘The Eagle’ and ‘El Cucuy’ were two of the most dominant fighters in the promotion and competed in the same division. After years of canceled fights, it looked like the two were finally going to meet inside the octagon in 2018. However, misfortune struck again as Ferguson was forced off the card six-days before the event after sustaining a knee injury.

Khabib vs. Ferguson was made official in 2020, but was canceled again. Injuries weren’t the reason as this time, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that would crush fans’ dream of seeing them fight. Justin Gaethje replaced ‘The Eagle’ and defeated ‘El Cucuy’ to become interim lightweight champion. Ultimately, Khabib vs. Ferguson would remain a fantasy fight as 'The Eagle' retired after UFC 254.