Who doesn’t love a great showdown in mixed martial arts? The action inside the ring is exhilarating and nerve-racking at times. However, there’s also much drama behind each fight, making it strikingly more exciting. 

So here we are, bringing you some of the fiercest rivalries in the history of the UFC that the fans and the players themselves witnessed over the years. 

  1. Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov is known as one of the best Mixed Martial Artist ever to step into the UFC octagon. The legend retired with a 29-0 world record. The athletic ability of the man can only be compared to his humble attitude toward others. However, even Nurmagomedov lost his temper when he was facing the former UFC champion Conor Mcgregor. 

Conor made his career through trash-talking to his opponents and hyping up his matches in the process. But when facing Khabib, his trash-talking left the champion unfazed. So Mcgregor started pushing the boundaries as far as attacking Nurmagomedov and his crew in the bus. Acts of terror such as this were unforgivable to Khabib. In UFC 229, both the athletes faced each other, with Khabib reigning as the dominant champion. Even though the fight was over, the bad blood between them still brews.  

This exhilarating matchup recorded a huge number of viewership, as it was enjoyed on TV by millions of fans all over the world. Nowadays, you can also watch UFC for free via the internet using different devices such as Chromecast and Fire Stick, etc.

  1. Daniel Cormier VS Jon Jones 

When you think about Daniel Cormier, you immediately think about Jon Jones as his arch-nemesis. There is no doubt that the rivalry between Jones and Cormier was one of the most violent ones with violent callouts, deadly brawls, and everything you need in a feud. These two are undoubtedly some of the best UFC fighters on the planet, yet they can’t stand each other’s sight. 

It all started with a joke where Jones said he could take down Cormier in a Mixed Martial Arts fight, and it rubbed Cormier the wrong way and eventually spawned into countless verbal clashes and even a physical brawl in the lead up to their battle. All that drama fueled their first clash in UFC 182, which Jon Jones won. However, he was stripped of his title for a hit-and-run case. It resulted in Cormier getting the title in his absence. Their second match was won by Jon as well. But it was taken away from him again for testing positive on a dope test.  

  1. Ronda Rousey VS Miesha Tate

The names of these two will forever be written in the history of UFC for their contribution to women’s MMA. However, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate had a genuine dislike towards each other from the very beginning. It was because Miesha felt disrespected for giving Ronda a title shot so early in her career. There were some back and forth trash talks before the first match. Ronda won that by putting Miesha in an armbar. 

In 2013, Ronda Rousey was the UFC Bantamweight Women’s Champion and defended her championship against Miesha. Anticipation of their match started to grow as the verbal clashes continued with more heat than ever. They faced off against each other in UFC 168. Although Meisha put up a great fight, Rousey eventually won the match. Even after winning, Rousey continued the feud by refusing to shake Miesha’s hand after the match. 

  1. Brock Lesner VS Frank Mir 

The rivalry between Brock Lesner and Frank Mir kicked off immediately after their first match in UFC 81. Back then, Lesner decided to participate in MMA directly from his professional wrestling career. Everyone was looking forward to how well Brock could fight based on his former wrestling career. Frank won the match using a submission hold, but Lesner surprised everyone with a great fight that no one expected. 

After winning the match, Frank Mir didn’t hold anything back and insulted Brock for tapping out during the fight. It fueled Lesner, and he eventually won the title within a year from Randy Couture. On the other side, Frank Mir won the Interim World heavyweight title in UFC 92 and faced Brock Lesner. Lesner defeated Mir by Knockout and addressed that the bad blood between them was far from over. 

  1. Urijah Faber VS Dominick Cruz

Back in 2007, Cruz suffered his first career loss against Urijah Faber. This match planted the seed of a rivalry that continued for years. After the loss, Dominick dropped down to the Bantamweight division and won 8 matches in a row while claiming the bantamweight title. In UFC 132, both of them had a rematch, with Cruz acting as the defending champion. In the match, Dominick won against Urijah with a unanimous decision. 

But the fight wasn’t over yet. As each player had one victory, a rematch was needed to break the tie. The build-up went on for five years until they faced UFC 199. Dominick won that match again, proving to everyone that he was the superior fighter.