MMA has seen a rapid growth in the past few years with more and more fans engaging in its action and drama. Apart from being a fighting sport, it has also seen many controversies and huge rivalries between the fighters which didn’t stay only inside the ring. There have been many inevitable ego clashes in the history of MMA, so in this article we will tell you about some of the biggest controversial fights and rivalries in MMA history.
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
The drama between these two turned out to be the biggest rivalry and most controversial fight in the history of Mixed martial arts. The two of them were the best fighters in the UFC’s Lightweight division at the time, which put them on a collision course. The rivalry started when Khabib’s team surrounded Conor’s teammate and slapped him. After which, Conor loaded the private jet with his best friends and flew to New York to face Khabib. This all drama gave the MMA fans the bus brawl when McGrgor threw metal dolls at the UFC bus, which injured several fighters as well.
Just when it seemed that the spat between the two could get no worse, Conor took things
to the next level by making controversial remarks about Khabib being a devout Muslim
in a press conference. After this, the UFC 229 title fight was all the fans were waiting for,
and it exceeded everyone’s expectations. Conor put on a great show with his grappling
techniques, but the fourth round was all that Khabib needed to end the match. Khabib
defeated Conor with a rear-naked choke, but the action didn’t end here.
After the fight, Khabib leapt out of the cage, double-kicking McGregor’s teammate, Dillian Dennis. One of the strangest brawls in the history of MMA occurred when Khabib was fighting Dillian outside the cage and two of his training partners jumped inside the cage and attacked Conor. The end of the fight was so bizarre that UFC president Dana White refused to let the belt wrap around Khabib as she feared the inciting of a crowd riot.
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I And II
For their encounter at UFC 117, very few people thought that Sonnen would put up a fight against Silva. Chael Sonnen trash talked about Anderson’s previous opponents and seemed deceptive about his skills and abilities. when the fight began Sonnen did put up a great fight against Silva and dominated him like no one else. This performance of Sonnen is still considered as his best performance of his whole career. Silva was down most of the time as Sonnen chipped him.
Although Chael dominated the whole fight, during the fifth round, Silva executed one of
the greatest comebacks in MMA history. When there were about two minutes left in the
fight, he grabbed Sonnen with a triangle choke and successfully defended his title. Chael Sonnen was established as one of the best middleweights in the world, but when the drug tests came out, it showed that he had abnormally high testosterone levels during the fight. After failing the drug test, he made such good excuses that the UFC made exceptions for fighters receiving testosterone replacement therapy and got the support of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Before his rematch against Silva, Sonnen was legally allowed to take testosterone supplements and this decision triggered many MMA enthusiasts. When he faced Silva at UFC 148 for the second time, the extra boost didn’t gave him much as Silva was more dominant this time and he knocked out Sonnen in second round.
Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson
The fight between Jake Shields and Dan Henderson was not only a big fight but a huge
moment for MMA as it was the first time a fight was being broadcast on a major television
network in the USA, which was CBS. The fight went off without a hitch, with Shields adding another win to his tally. However, his opponent, Jason Miller, came inside the cage during the post-fight interview, looking for a fight. But instead of this, Jake’s teammate Gilbert Melendez pushed Miller, and Nike Diaz also threw a punch at him. This was followed by a huge brawl, after which many fighters were fined. This was also the last time that a Strikeforce fight was broadcast on network television.
Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler
Ben Askren, who is a former ONE Championship Welterweight Champion, made his UFC debut in this fight against Robbie Lawler three years ago in 2019. Robbie began the fight by swinging and nearly knocking Askren down in the opening moments, then brutally pinned him to the ground. Despite getting all beat up, Askren showed great toughness and survived the vicious act by his opponent. After this, he turned the fight into a melee contest and locked in a bulldog choke tightly, forcing the referee to check if Robbie was conscious. He indicated that he was, but missed it when referee Herb Dean called the fight and gave a controversial end to this amazing fight.
