Sport is built on rivalries. Bruins vs. Canadiens! Red Sox vs. Yankees! Cowboys vs. Giants! Bulls vs. Knicks! The list goes on.
MMA is no different and a lot of the sport is built around two dudes (or gals) that just plain want to beat the other guy up. Here are the greatest rivalries in the sport’s history.
Note: We also included rivalries from the UFC’s sister promotions Strikeforce and Pride.
Photos by Sherdog unless otherwise noted.
Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz
Dana White likes to say the fight that saved the UFC was Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin. Shamrock returned to MMA in 2000 after a decent run in WWE and instantly gifted the UFC mainstream media exposure while Ortiz was the UFC’s most dominant champion, defending the 205-pound belt five times. They faced off three times with each fight getting more and more attention, and Shamrock getting beaten more and more thoroughly.
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
After years of “being fake” we got to see the real Jon Jones when he fought (and beat) Daniel Cormier at UFC 185. He loves drugs, drives fast cars, calls people names, and is generally a dick. It’s unclear if Jones’ hatred of Cormier is what pushed him over the edge, but they clearly hate each other. They rematch at UFC 200.
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
This one is probably recent enough that you remember the details. Conor McGregor entered the UFC, spearheaded a push into Ireland and jeered his way into a title shot. He then cold-cocked Jose Aldo at UFC 194 to take the title. They’ll probably fight again at some point in the near future.
Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate
Unlike most of the “THESE TWO DO NOT LIKE ONE ANOTHER” feuds, Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey have a genuine hatred for one another. It all started back when Rousey and Tate headbutted one another at the weigh-ins to their Strikeforce bout, and got even worse when they coached opposite one another on TUF18. Both women have said their feud will never be squashed, and there’s no reason to not believe them.
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
Anderson Silva was actually one of the most hated fighters in the UFC back in 2010 after three ugly bouts against Patrick Cote, Demian Maia and Thales Leites. That all changed when he was pitted against smack talk extraordinaire Chael Sonnen. After getting multiple promos cut on him, Silva eked out Sonnen with a fifth round submission at UFC 117 and then cheated his way into an early win in the rematch at UFC 148.
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Matt Hughes would probably have been a bully if he was bigger. Being just a puny welterweight, however, he had to settle for just being a jackass. Hughes rubbed a lot of people the wrong way when he showed up to meet the competitors at TUF4, making thinly veiled racist comments and insulting everybody he could find. Matt Serra wound up making a rivalry of it, and they coached against each other on TUF8 before facing off at UFC 98 with Hughes winning by decision.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson
Pride’s matchmakers wanted Rampage Jackson to plant the seeds of a grudge match by having him call out Wanderlei Silva at Pride 25. Silva, however, wasn’t in on the act and had a legitimate freakout, shoving Jackson in the ring, initiating a brawl that drew a number of Pride officials. They faced off twice in Pride, at Final Conflict 3 and Pride 28 with Silva getting KO wins via knees both times. Jackson got the last laugh, though, when he scored one of the UFC’s most brutal knockouts ever at UFC 92.
Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons
Nick Diaz and KJ Noons was a lot bigger than it ever should have been but when you have one of the best in-cage brawls in MMA history and spawn the catchphrase “don’t be scared, homie” it’s hard not to look back on it fondly. Noons defeated Diaz via doctor stoppage in their first fight at EliteXC: Renegade, which led to the brawl at the next event, EliteXC: Return of the King. Noons never returned to EliteXC, though, and the two would eventually rematch in Strikeforce, which Diaz would win via decision.
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