5 most heated rivalries in UFC history

#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor - UFC lightweight division

Khabib Nurmagomedov's intense feud with Conor McGregor remains one of the biggest milestones in UFC history. Before 'The Eagle' fought Al Iaquinta for the vacant title in 2018, McGregor famously attacked Nurmagomedov and several other fighters while they were on a bus at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In the lead-up to their highly-anticipated bout, McGregor relentlessly ridiculed, mocked and belittled Nurmagomedov's family, religion and country. Most notably, 'The Notorious' insulted the Dagestani champion's father, which undoubtedly added to the animosity between the lightweight duo.

Watch a compilation of all the trash talk Conor McGregor directed at Khabib Nurmagomedov below:

As their grudge match edged closer, it became evident that this was going to be the biggest event in UFC history. There were multiple factors surrounding the matchup that led to the amount of attention it received.

Following a bitter and somewhat dark fight week, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor finally squared off in the main event of UFC 229.

Nurmagomedov remained stoic throughout fight week and brushed off most of McGregor's trash talk. He didn't engage with the the Irishman's mental warfare, but there was an underlying feeling that he was seething on the inside throughout.

During the fight, 'The Eagle' provided a dose of his own signature style of trash talk. The Russian could be heard repeatedly telling McGregor, "Let's talk now!" as he rained down with vicious ground-and-pound strikes.

Nurmagomedov dominated McGregor in the opening ten minutes, using his pressure from the top position to tire out 'The Notorious'. The former two-division champ seemingly found his mojo in the third round, stuffing all of the Dagestani champ's takedown attempts. In the fourth, 'The Eagle' secured a takedown and choked out his bitter rival with a neck-crank to successfully defend his title.

---

#1. Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal - UFC welterweight division

Jorge Masvidal began his professional MMA career way back in 2003. The Miami native initially gained notoriety for his appearances in various unsactioned backyard brawls hosted by former UFC heavyweight and viral sensation Kimbo Slice.

He went on to fight for a number of MMA promotions including the AFC, BoDogFIGHT, Strikeforce, Bellator and of course, the UFC. Masvidal joined the UFC in 2013 and plied his trade in the lightweight division before moving up to welterweight. He was just another fighter on the roster until his historic run in 2019, which saw him defeat Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz.

Long before his rise to superstardom, Masvidal befriended one of the newest recruits to his gym, Colby Covington. Covington was a high-level collegiate wrestling standout who joined the American Top Team gym in Florida with intentions of improving his overall MMA game.

The duo were inseparable for many years and even lived together for a period of time. Covington helped 'Gamebred' improve his wrestling while Masvidal assisted 'Chaos' with his striking. They were regularly seen in each other's corner during fights and publicly batted for one another in the media.

Their relationship seemingly started to fall apart after Covington won the interim title, just three years into his UFC run. Masvidal, who has been in the UFC for much longer, always fell short in his attempts to break into the upper echelons of the divisions he competed in.

Following a dispute involving Covington's alleged refusal to pay one of his coaches, who happens to be close to Masvidal, the pair cut ties permanently.

Watch a video compilation that chronicles the relationship between Masvidal and Covington below:

Since their fallout, both Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington have fought in numerous high-profile bouts in the welterweight division. Both fighters contested for the title twice each, losing to Kamaru Usman every time.

With both fighters coming off losses to Usman, they were booked to square off in a highly-anticipated grudge match at UFC 272.

Throughout fight week, Masvidal and Covington lashed out at one another, saying despicable things about each other's characters, careers and personal lives. Their pre-fight press conference remains one of the weirdest visuals in UFC history as both fighters incessantly bickered with one another, rather than answering the media's questions.

Covington was a massive betting favorite going into the bout and showed why that was as he wiped the floor with Masvidal for five full rounds. 'Chaos' came away with a unanimous decision victory, putting his beef with 'Gamebred' to bed for good. Nevertheless, the duo continued to exchange words moments after the final bell.