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#2 Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Tito Ortiz – UFC 33
An epic clash between Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort headlined UFC 51 in February 2005. Despite the duo coming off losses to Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, they put on an instant, back-and-forth classic that was well worth the wait.
However, many UFC fans wouldn't remember that Ortiz and Belfort were actually supposed to meet nearly four years before UFC 51, with the UFC light-heavyweight title, then held by Ortiz, on the line.
The fight was pegged to headline UFC 33 – the promotion's first-ever show in Las Vegas. But when Belfort suffered a cut in training that forced him out, the UFC had to scramble for a late replacement.
The fighter they came up with? Wrestler Vladimir Matyushenko.
It was hard to complain about the MMA record of 'The Janitor.' He stood at 10-1, hadn't lost in two years, and had made an impressive UFC debut by beating Yuki Kondo.
But unfortunately, the Russian was also largely an unknown to UFC fans and hadn't earned a shot at the promotion's poster boy as the headliner of the UFC's biggest show to date. So saying the booking was disappointing would be an understatement.
In the end, the fight also turned out to be a dull slog that saw Ortiz grind out a unanimous decision. It was probably one of his more impressive performances, but it definitely wasn't fun to watch.
There are many reasons why UFC President Dana White still points to UFC 33 as the promotion’s greatest ever disaster, and the sourcing of Matyushenko as a late replacement is one of them.
#1 Patrick Cote vs. Tito Ortiz – UFC 50
Tito Ortiz was no stranger to taking on a late replacement by the time UFC 50 rolled around, as he'd obviously fought Vladimir Matyushenko on short notice at UFC 33. But while 'The Janitor' was a disappointing choice, at least he had some UFC experience under his belt.
That wasn't the case with the fighter the UFC produced as a late-notice opponent for Ortiz at UFC 50. The 'Huntington Beach Bad Boy' was initially pegged to face old foe Guy Mezger, but when Mezger reportedly suffered a stroke, the UFC naturally needed a replacement.
Rather than turning to one of their bigger, or even mid-level, light-heavyweight stars, they simply bumped debutant Patrick Cote – who was set to open the card in a fight with Marvin Eastman – right into the headliner.
It was a baffling and disappointing move by the UFC, although to be fair, Cote did at least come off as a self-confident and semi-marketable fighter. The only problem was that nobody had heard of him!
Unsurprisingly, Cote lost a lopsided decision to Ortiz, and while he went onto a fruitful UFC career overall, it would be four years before he found himself in another headline fight.
