When two fighters are pit against one another and are forced to use the wit of their words before a bout to prove their worth, the tension often grows to a point of no return.
But once those same two fighters enter the octagon and trade for the ultimate moment of glory, some drown in their own sorrow if they lose to a hated rival while some learn to respect them.
Considering the fact that Martial Arts create a picture of values like discipline, respect and of course humility, it makes perfect sense that after a slug fest, two fighters would be willing to separate their disagreements.
Here are Sportskeeda’s top 5 instances where bad blood changed to respect after a fight.
#1 Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
This particular rivalry is one fuelled by the brilliant antics of the Irishman himself. McGregor is known for his ability to get under the skin of his opponents even before they even face him inside the octagon.
In this case though, his high-level trash talk hardly cut through the skin of Nate Diaz in their first and second fight. Of course, as the world remembers, in their first bout at UFC 196, Diaz shocked the world and submitted the enigmatic Irishman forcing the MMA community to question his skill set.
In return, the superstar went back to the drawing board and crafted a technically sound plan, one that lead him to a unanimous decision win over Diaz at UFC 202 to make the score 1-1.
Also read: 5 MMA rivalries that felt like pro-wrestling feuds
After the fight - although the heightened antics never really subsided with McGregor - both men traded respectful handshakes, hugs and words. However, despite the positive close to the second fight, Diaz would welcome a rubber match since he felt the scorecards were in his favour despite the result.
And all that means is that the trash talk certainly will not subdue, but may even elevate in the near future.
#2 Joanna Jdrzejczyk vs. Cláudia Gadelha
The reigning strawweight champion has elevated her pre-fight arsenal with trash talk in her last couple of title defenses. She turned it all up several notches once she was set to face the Brazilian Gadelha again.
Jdrzejczyk and Gadelha had first squared off before the Polish champion ever held the 115-belt and the fight had ended in a controversial result in favour of Jdrzejczyk, despite Gadelha putting her in some very dangerous positions in that fight.
From there, Gadelha made it her mission to prove that not only did she deserve a shot at the title, but she also deserved a chance at redeeming herself against her former foe. The two prefaced the bout with a season coaching against one another on the Ultimate Fighter 23 where they exchanged heated words and even got in some minor scuffles.
Once it came time for Jdrzejczyk to defend her belt against her rival – despite a few scares in the early rounds – the Pole dug deep and swayed the judge’s scorecards in her favour, successfully defending her belt via unanimous decision.
In the post-fight interview, the champion made a point to tell her opponent how much respect she had for her while the two shared an embrace.
#3 Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
Here is another rivalry that began in the confines of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. These two were scheduled to square off at UFC 100 after major tension mounted during the show.
When they finally did square off during the UFC’s marquee event, Henderson humbled Bisping with a second-round KO. It was one of those finishes that must have made Henderson even more satisfied than usual, considering who it was he KOed – the original trash talker.
The crescendo to this long awaited rematch ended with Bisping gaining his revenge after what he called an “embarrassing” loss in a five-round war, retaining his middleweight title at UFC 204.
But yet again, controversy followed the Englishman, with Henderson questioning the judge’s final decision. Although disappointed with the outcome, Henderson thanked the champion for standing across from him for his final dance while Bisping praised the veteran for his durability and legendary status.
#4 Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
The Cruz - Faber saga may perhaps be the bitterest case of bad blood in MMA history. For years and years, these two men (inside the UFC and even in the WEC where the rivalry began) have sustained major hate for one another.
It all began in 2007 when Faber was slotted to fight Cruz for the WEC featherweight title, which the latter eventually lost due to a submission victory via guillotine choke.
Ahead of the fight, Cruz (the champion at the time) did not take too kindly to the California Kid being on the poster ahead of himself, so Cruz took it upon himself to sign his signature above his opponents face. Thus began the 10-year long rivalry.
The two men bickered back and forth for years between all three of their fights and the rivalry was filled to the brim with bad blood. However, after Faber’s retirement bout against Brad Pickett in December 2016, the two men finally put to rest their battles and paid respect to each other’s MMA careers.
#5 Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
According to Jackson, the rivalry between these two light heavyweights spans as far back to 2004 when he was a PRIDE champion.
But the bad blood boiled over even more in 2007 when the two went nose-to-nose after UFC 96 when Jackson emerged victorious against Keith Jardine – a teammate of Evans whom he was cornering.
The heat was also layered by Jackson’s bitterness for Evans who held the UFC light heavyweight title after winning it against Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 (the opponent Jackson had lost it to, five months earlier at UFC 86).
When the two finally fought after constantly clashing on the the Ultimate Fighter 10 show at UFC 114, Evans neutralised Jackson with his superior wrestling and top control to score a unanimous decision victory.
Now, years later, Evans has admitted that he has no bad blood for Jackson, he instead actually maintains a cordial relationship with his former rival.
"Me and ‘Rampage’ are actually pretty cool, right now," he explained. “We don’t carry-on like we used to now that we’re old men,” Evans said on UFC’s Facebook.
“Whenever I see him I say ‘what’s up’ to him. He’ll call me, prank me or whatever. It’s always all good.”
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