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The UFC stands front and center as MMA's premier organization. Thus, it is often regarded as a leader in every sense of the word. It leads the MMA world in terms of PPV sales and the quality of fights it organizes. The mixed martial artists who compete under Dana White's banner are elite professionals.
Unfortunately, this doesn't mean they're infallible. Human error is impossible to avoid. Sometimes, rules are broken either by mistake or they're done so deliberately. Reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards was found guilty of excessive cheating during his recent trilogy bout with Kamaru Usman.
This list, however, isn't merely about cheating or mistakes being made. Instead, it is about a specific kind of offense that fighters claim is difficult to avoid due to the UFC gloves: eyepokes.
#5. Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens, UFC Fight Night 159
Reigning interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez was scheduled to face Jeremy Stephens twice during 'Little Heathen's' UFC tenure. However, the only reason they twice faced off inside the octagon was due to how their first encounter ended. At UFC Fight Night 159, anticipation was high.
While 'El Pantera' started the bout with bad intentions, they quickly grew worse as he poked Stephens in the eye within 15 seconds. The bout was paused and referee Herb Dean granted 'Little Heathen' five full minutes to recover. Unfortunately, five minutes wasn't enough.
With Stephens unable to open his left eye, the cage-side doctor declared him unfit to continue fighting. The fight was ruled a no-contest and infuriated fans in attendance who threw beer bottles and popcorn into the octagon in one of the most infamous Fight Night scenes.
#4. Sean O'Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz, UFC 276
Prior to his recent win over former bantamweight king Petr Yan, Sean O'Malley always seemed to struggle to impose himself against top ten-ranked opponents. At UFC 276, he was tasked with facing Pedro Munhoz in yet another test of his mettle as a potential top-tier 135'er.
Their matchup never fully took off as the two men were tentative throughout the opening round. At the midway point of the second round, 'Sugar' inadvertently poked Munhoz in the eye, rendering his foe unable to continue the bout. Despite O'Malley's post-fight celebrations, the fight was declared a no-contest.
Not only was the Brazilian unable to continue the fight, but the eye poke led to a corneal abrasion in his right eye. Prior to being transported from the octagon to the hospital, Munhoz was unable to see out of his right eye for 20 minutes, and doctors struggled to open it until they administered a numbing agent.
#3. Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3, UFC 252
The irony behind this incident is that Daniel Cormier was regarded as a notorious eye poker towards the end of his MMA career. The former UFC double champion poked Stipe Miocic in the eyes in the pair's first two bouts. However, their trilogy bout transpired differently. Instead of being the victim, Miocic was the perpetrator.
In the third round of their third encounter, the part-time firefighter extended his left hand and dug his finger inside Cormier's left-eye knuckle-deep. Despite the graphic nature of the eye poke, the offense went unnoticed by the referee regardless of Cormier's complaints.
As the bout progressed, the effects of Miocic's eye poke became clear. His foe's left eye was nearly swollen shut with a saggy eyelid and torn cornea. Furthermore, he was rendered blind in his left eye for the remainder of the bout as he fought to a unanimous decision loss.
#2. Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad, UFC Fight Night 187
Future welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards has never had the best of luck. To be fair, neither has Belal Muhammad. Back in March 2013, the two men were both the recipients of misfortune. The Englishman made his return after a two-year absence to face 'Remember the Name', with both of them vying for a title shot.
The first round was a showcase for Edwards, who looked better than he ever had prior. He seemed to be well on his way to securing a win until an incident in the second round robbed him of what could have been an impressive performance. An accidental eye poke saw him dig his thumb into Muhammad's right eye.
His opponent cried out in pain and collapsed on the mat. After the cage-side physician was called into the octagon to assess his vision, 'Remember the Name' couldn't open his right eye, prompting referee Herb Dean to wave the fight off as a no-contest.
#1. Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson, UFC Fight Night 14
Kevin Burns is remembered for two things in his MMA career: his nickname and his bouts with the late great Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson. Long before he reinvented himself as a ferocious power-puncher at 205 lbs, 'Rumble' was a welterweight hopeful. In his fourth UFC fight, he faced 'The Fire'.
While Johnson was dominant for most of the bout, he was the victim of several eye pokes from Burns. Despite the referee warning him to refrain from eyepoking his foe, Burns couldn't avoid it. In the third round of their bout, he landed yet another eye poke. Unfortunately, its impact was far different from the others.
Johnson cried out in agony and immediately crumbled to the mat. Unable to see or continue fighting, the referee called an end to the bout. While it should have been ruled a no-contest, it was instead declared a TKO win in Burns' favor, making it one of the worst and most shocking eye pokes in the promotion's history.
