3 of the strangest one-sided beefs in UFC history

Nothing sells a UFC fight better than genuine beef between two individuals who are booked to punch each other in the face. But things take a strange turn when hatred is apparent on only one side of the equation while the other appears placid.

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno's competitive rivalry seems to be heading in that direction as we get closer to their title fight rematch at UFC 263. In recent interviews, Brandon Moreno questioned the validity of Figueiredo's claims about being compromised in their first fight at UFC 256.

The champ appeared pretty agitated by the remarks and has since launched scathing attacks on his rival, who seems uninterested in adding fuel to the fire. In this article, we take a look at three of the strangest one-sided beefs in UFC history that were fueled by one of the participants.

#3. Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker - UFC 243

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has both the personality and fighting style best-suited for a mega-star. The Last Stylebender carries himself with a carefree attitude that speaks of the supreme confidence he has in his abilities. However, Adesanya refuses to tone it down even when he interacts with someone who just does not want to be the B-side of a verbal sparring session.

Every single one of Israel Adesanya's public interactions heading into the title unification bout with Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 was characterized by insulting remarks. Whittaker laughed them off and refused to engage in a war of words for the most part, but that did not deter the Stylebender from continuing his antics.

Overall, Adesanya's aggressive approach raised many eyebrows as the champ made scathing remarks on Robert Whittaker even after winning the belt.

#2. Cain Velasquez vs Fabricio Werdum - UFC 188

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was always known for his humble and respectful approach outside the UFC octagon. But all of that changed when Cain Velasquez fought Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 in June 2015.

Both fighters shared a healthy competitive rivalry up until fight week. That was until Fabricio Werdum's casual remarks about Velasquez's nationality were not well received by the champ, who had first burst onto the scene as a proud representative of the Mexican lineage.

The uncharacteristically angry Cain Velasquez remained hostile towards Werdum throughout the fight week and even refused to touch gloves when the pair met inside the UFC octagon. Needless to say, the emotional Velasquez, who was also ill-prepared to handle the altitude of Mexico City, lost the title to Werdum in one of the biggest upsets of all time.

#1. Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm - UFC 193

Apart from the fact that challenger Holly Holm was an undefeated fighter and a former boxing champion, there wasn't a big story heading into Ronda Rousey's UFC 193 title defense against Holm. 'The Preacher's Daughter' was as calm and collected as she has always been throughout her long combat sports career and both females kept their emotions under control in the lead-up to the fight.

But to the surprise of many, Ronda Rousey changed her tune in the middle of fight week and threw digs at Holly Holm at every opportunity she got.

'Rowdy' even got into Holm's face during the weigh-in faceoff and said some nasty things while speaking to Joe Rogan afterward. But just like Velasquez, it didn't do any good as she lost the title to Holly Holm, never recovering from the setback.