5 worst shows in UFC history

#3 UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao – 07/21/2012

UFC 149 felt cursed from the off due to so many injury changes

The debacle that was UFC 149 wasn’t completely the UFC’s fault. It was one of those unfortunate shows that just felt cursed from the off, with a total of 5 fights being either cancelled or changed due to injury.

The UFC’s first visit to Calgary lost its main event of Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch, and fights like Thiago Silva vs. Shogun Rua and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cheick Kongo became Matt Riddle vs. Chris Clements and James Head vs. Brian Ebersole.

Sometimes shows with less name value turn out to be exciting, but that wasn’t the case here. Riddle vs. Clements was actually pretty good, but from there it felt like the entire show was on a downward spiral. Ebersole gassed early – probably due to taking the fight on such late notice – and his fight with Head descended into a yawner.

The big Heavyweight match between Cheick Kongo and prospect Shawn Jordan was even worse, a boring affair that saw the pair stuck in the clinch for what seemed like years. And then the big debut of former Bellator champ Hector Lombard also turned into a damp squib – he was outpointed by Tim Boetsch in another awful fight with little action.

By the time Renan Barao and Urijah Faber stepped into the Octagon to fight for the interim Bantamweight title, the fans in attendance had simply had enough, and booed the fight from the off as Barao used his leg kicks to pick Faber apart. The sight of him celebrating wildly while the fans showered the cage with boos was a sad sight indeed.

In the end, not only was the show considered the worst of 2012 by some distance – it’s also widely remembered as one of the worst shows in UFC history.