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The 5 Biggest UFC Fights That Never Happened

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2 years ago

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5 Biggest UFC Fights That Never Happened

The UFC is home to some of the best mixed martial arts fighters from around the world. Over the years, the organization has given its fans highlight-reel knockouts, never-before-seen submission moves, and lots of memorable matchups, but that doesn’t mean it’s all roses.

The UFC has made a number of super fights throughout the years that have raised the company’s stock, but the promotion has also missed out on a chance to book fights that could have been showstoppers.

Here are the 5 biggest UFC fights that never happened.

Fedor Emelianenko vs Brock Lesnar

Fedor Emelianenko vs Brock Lesnar would have been a massive fight over a decade ago when Lesnar was trying his luck in MMA. A fight between the best of pro-wrestling and the best of mixed martial arts would have been a treat for the fans. Even UFC president Dana White tried his best to make it happen in 2012, but some things are just too good to be true.

Imagine ‘The Beast’ and ‘The Last Emperor’ sharing the Octagon in their prime, it would have been one of the biggest fights in combat sports history.

Dan Henderson vs Jon Jones

Jon Jones and Dan Henderson were scheduled to fight at UFC 151, but the UFC decided to scrap the entire card after Henderson pulled out due to injury, and Jones wouldn’t fight anybody else. UFC 151 never happened, and was deemed a “lost show”.

For almost a decade, Jones defended his light heavyweight title against legends of the sport, including Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier, but he would have loved to add the heavy-handed legend, Henderson, to his resume. The two did fight in submission grappling contest in 2017, but that doesn’t fill in for the historic fight MMA fans missed out on.

Anderson Silva vs Georges St-Pierre

When it comes to the GOAT conversation, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre are two names that sit at the top, and the fact that both of them fought in the same era makes us wonder why didn’t they ever lock horns. While Silva was stopping the toughest fighters in the middleweight division in his prime, St-Pierre was smothering his rivals at welterweight.

Silva was only a division above St-Pierre and was willing to move down in weight for the super fight. However, the Canadian didn’t want the fight, because he wanted to focus on the contenders in the 170lbs division. Had the two fought back in the day, it would have been the biggest fight in UFC history, and it would have been a ridiculously close one.

Who do you think would have won that?

Conor McGregor vs Rafael dos Anjos

In his MMA career, Conor McGregor has only ever struggled against grapplers and guys who can kick his legs, and Rafael dos Anjos can do both. He’s a third-degree BJJ black belt, and very efficient on his feet.

Dos Anjos was booked to defend his lightweight title at UFC 196 against McGregor, but RDA pulled out due to a broken foot. He was replaced by Nate Diaz, who went on to choke McGregor out in the second round, kick-starting one of the most entertaining rivalries in UFC history. RDA eventually lost his title to Eddie Alvarez, and his chance to fight the Irishman.

The fight could still happen as dos Anjos is ranked only a place below McGregor in the current UFC lightweight rankings at seven.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson

Of all the fights that never happened, this one hurts the MMA fans the most. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson were scheduled to fight on FIVE occasions, but not once did they get a chance to fight. 

Khabib has always been a dominant force in the lightweight division, and if there was one man who could possibly have beat him, it was Tony Ferguson. The Russian is now retired, and Ferguson has to work his way back up after his most recent setbacks, which means the fight is as good as done.

Which one among the 5 biggest UFC fights would you like to see today? 

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Yeshel Asif is an MMA journalist based in Pakistan. In his relatively young career, he has worked remotely for Asian Persuasion MMA, MMA Betz, and Fight Booth.

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