There are very few factors that sell a fight more than genuine hatred between two fighters. This hatred is the perfect ingredient in creating rivalries. These rivalries arise in a multitude of ways. Over the years, we have seen fighters trade insults, partake in press conference brawls, and some have been brewing over years of bad blood.
Whatever the case may be, these rivalries become part of sports history and remain imprinted in the fanbase’s minds. They’ve also been instrumental in building the sport to its popularity today. Here are the five most heated rivalries in MMA history.
When reflecting on the sports’ most heated rivalries, few were as hostile or volatile as Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. This rivalry went past the point of trash talk. It became extremely emotional and personal, with McGregor discussing family and religion.
The tension between the Irishman and Dagastanian reached the next level when McGregor attacked a shuttle full of fighters by throwing a dolly through the window, which sent glass shards flying and injuring many fighters in the process. The incident was widely publicized and made headlines in mainstream media. By the time the two met across the octagon at UFC 229, the rivalry felt more like a war about to commence and less like a sporting event.
As we saw this past weekend, some rivalries have proven to be fabricated or manufactured for fight promotion. That was not the case when it came to Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. The two men genuinely could not stand to be near one another.
What you had with this pair were two fundamentally different people. Jones is wild, unpredictable, and a free spirit to put it nicely. Cormier, on the other hand, is Mr. Olympian. He coaches kids and cares about being a positive role model.
The feud became real when the two got into a media day scuffle during a faceoff. Things continued to be publicly toxic from there. Jones would mock Cormier over and over, hoping to get a rise out of him. Cormier would accuse Jones of being fake, stating that Jones would act like a “Boy Scout” in front of the cameras and be disrespectful behind them.
The two would fight twice, with Jones winning both matchups. The second victory was at UFC 214, where Jones would win via brutal head-kick knockout. The rivalry continued to intensify as it was later discovered that Jones would fail a drug test. This rivalry is still discussed among fans as one that felt truly intense and authentic.
As an old school fan, this is the rivalry that first comes to mind when discussing MMA rivalries. These two are widely regarded as the two fighters who helped deliver the sport into the mainstream. The two men started as friends and training partners and grew into the first true blockbuster feud in MMA history.
The turning point was when Ortiz felt betrayed by Liddell. He claimed that the two made a pact to never fight. Fans were clamoring for the fight, and Liddell was unanimously regarded as the number-one contender for the light heavyweight strap, while Ortiz was the champion. This was a slow and continuous build of resentment for one another.
There was an enormous amount of anticipation for their UFC 47 main event. Liddell would knock out Ortiz in the second round with just thirty-eight seconds remaining. The two would rematch at UFC 66, and the fight was promoted as one of the biggest fights in sports history at the time. It would indeed turn out that way with over one million paperview buys. The two fighters had become superstars and introduced us to the possibility of MMA rivalries.
Few rivalries became as heated and personal as TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt. It was centered around loyalty, betrayal, and misunderstanding. Dillashaw had been training at the same gym as Garbrandt, Team Alpha Male. The team had a falling out with their striking coach, Duane Ludwig, and went their separate ways. Dillashaw decided that it was best for his career to follow Ludwig.
The other part of the Dillashaw move was that he would be joining the Elevation Fight Team. There, he would receive sponsorship money to cover his training camps. His former Team Alpha Male teammates saw this move as Dillashaw selling out and being disloyal. Garbrandt was as upset as anyone and continuously badmouthed Dillashaw in interviews, and promised to expose Dillashaw in the octagon.
A large part of their storied rivalry took place on the set of The Ultimate Fighter during two separate seasons. The drama that would ensue would be Kardashian-level in terms of reality TV. During the filming of McGregor vs. Faber, Dillashaw was getting coffee, McGregor took the time to get in coach Faber’s ear and tell him not to trust Dillashaw and that he was a “snake in the grass” and to “recognize the enemy”. This represented a real turning point from bad to ugly.
The bad blood intensified during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption season. As an opportunity to cash in, the UFC pitted the two against each other as coaches and slated them to fight for the bantamweight belt at season’s end. The season was filled with insults, threats, and even Garbrandt grabbing Dillashaw by the neck. It was clear that the rivalry and hatred were layered and authentic.
When the two met at UFC 217, the fight delivered with drama as well. Garbrandt nearly finished Dillashaw early, dropping him with punches in the first round, before Dillashaw came back in the second round and TKO’d Garbrandt. With how much attention the rivalry garnered, the UFC would have the two fight again with similar results in a TKO victory for Dillashaw.
What made this rivalry so memorable for me was not the trash talk or the fights themselves, but the true hurt and disdain for each other and the situation. A story of a team and a breakup gone badly. Years later, fans still remember this rivalry for its raw emotion, trash talk, fights, and it’s devisive nature.
Before Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate were making waves in the UFC, they were building the foundation for what would be one of the sport’s biggest rivalries. The tension between the two was brought to light while they coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate.
The season started on a sour note as Rousey was surprised to see that Tate was there as a replacement for Cat Zingano. From there, the drama continued in and out of the gym. It was transparent that Rousey and Tate were fundamentally different people and had different points of view on how to represent the sport.
As eluted at the top, the two had actually fought before in the promotion, Strikeforce. The fight took place in 2012, and Rousey would break Tate’s arm in an armbar submission. Following the fight, Tate would aggressively pursue a rematch with the budding superstar. After a successful UFC run, she would meet Rosey again for the title, where she would once again come up short.
Few elements sell a fight better than genuine hatred or dislike. It’s not as much about the wins and losses, but more about the emotional investment that’s built up with the war of words and unforgettable moments. It’s what intrigues us to tune into the fights themselves.
Whether it’s chaos, hatred, or mainstream exposure, these formative examples are what helped grow the sport and serve as how to invest an audience in that product. In a sport that’s built on violence, it’s often the story outside the cage that grips us to tune in. This is why heated rivalries are what will propel the sport forward and contribute to viewership.
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