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While the UFC isn’t built around feuds that pit heroes against villains in the same way that pro-wrestling is, the MMA promotion has certainly had its fair share of bitter rivalries over the years, a number of which have entered into legend.
In every major UFC rivalry, there has to be a winner and a loser. In some instances, the winner has had the last laugh over an antagonistic opponent.
While good doesn’t always defeat bad in the octagon (and the definitions of 'good' and 'bad' are often loose in MMA), in these instances, it definitely felt that way.
Here are five legendary UFC fighters who had the last laugh in heated rivalries.
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#5. Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn – UFC 94
One of the most storied rivalries in the history of the UFC, Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn first met in early 2006 with a welterweight title shot on the line. In a remarkably close fight, it was GSP who came out on top via split decision.
It was clear that nothing had truly been settled. Three years later, the rivals were booked in a rematch, with then-lightweight champion Penn coming for the welterweight title that St-Pierre had captured a year prior.
While both men were usually positioned as fan favorites, in this instance, ‘The Prodigy’ seemed happy to embrace the role as a villain.
The Hawaiian talked a huge amount of trash towards St-Pierre prior to the bout. He hurled abuse at GSP's head coach Firas Zahabi and labeled the Canadian a quitter, all while Penn's nemesis remained stoic and focused on the task at hand.
When the two men finally did battle, it was St-Pierre who came out on top. He punished Penn with takedowns and brutal ground-and-pound for four rounds until the Hawaiian’s cornermen – his brother Regan and trainer Jason Parillo – threw the towel in.
Not only did GSP get the last laugh over his bitter rival, he also made him eat his words by forcing him to quit, producing a real moment of poetic justice in the octagon.
#4. Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson – UFC 114
While their fight came over a year after their rivalry had initially begun, the feud between former UFC light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was still red hot by the time they stepped into the octagon.
Initially centered on a shot at the light heavyweight title, the rivalry between the two quickly became personal during the tapings of TUF 10, which saw them act as coaches.
Their personalities clearly didn’t mesh well at all, and on more than one occasion, they came close to blows. More importantly, Rampage seemed determined to get under Evans’ skin, and hurled some truly brutal insults towards him – stunning fans by labeling him an 'Uncle Tom' at one point.
Many fans were still behind Rampage by the time the fight came around. However, to most observers, it was clear that Evans was the de facto 'good guy' in what had become a truly nasty feud. The only way to really end the story was with ‘Suga’ winning.
Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. While the fight wasn’t as exciting as many had hoped, Evans clearly won, stunning Jackson with a jackhammer right hand in the opening seconds before dominating him in the clinch and on the ground.
Jackson’s reputation never truly recovered following the fight. While Evans was unable to go onto reclaim his title, he definitely got the last laugh in what was arguably his greatest-ever feud.
#3. Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – UFC 245 and UFC 268
Perhaps no fighter in UFC history talked quite as much trash as Colby Covington did prior to his welterweight title fight with champion Kamaru Usman in late 2019. Not only did ‘Chaos’ hurl non-stop abuse at his rival, but he also pushed the boundaries, even verging on racism at points.
By the time the fight came around, even fans who’d never really favored ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ before were practically begging him to shut Covington up, particularly after ‘Chaos’ had professed his support for divisive then-US President Donald Trump.
The bout turned out to be a stone cold classic, as both men decided to eschew their trademark wrestling games to simply exchange bombs in the centre of the octagon, and by the time the fifth round began, it was difficult to call a winner.
However, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ wasn’t willing to leave things to chance. He dropped Covington with a huge right hand with just moments to go, and when ‘Chaos’ got to his feet, Usman put him down again and finished him off shortly after.
Remarkably, it emerged after the fight that the punches had actually broken Covington’s jaw, meaning Usman had quite literally achieved his goal of shutting his rival up.
The bout remains one of the greatest examples of poetic justice in UFC history. When the two men rematched nearly two years later at UFC 268, Usman again came out on top. This time, though, Covington didn't talk quite so much trash - and his respectful behavior after his loss either exposed his act as a gimmick, or proved that he'd been humbled by his bitter rival.
#2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen – UFC 117 and UFC 148
While the trash he talked wasn’t quite as incendiary as the abuse used by Colby Covington in his rivalry with Kamaru Usman, it’s safe to say that Chael Sonnen still shocked observers with the amount of insults he gave to rival Anderson Silva before their middleweight title clash in 2010.
‘The American Gangster’ labeled Silva a fraud and called into question everything from his coaches and skills to his heart and fighting ability.
Incredibly, when the two men finally faced off, Sonnen appeared to be on the verge of backing up every word he’d said. He beat ‘The Spider’ down for five straight rounds only to fall victim to a last-gasp triangle choke with less than two minutes to go.
Silva’s win appeared to have settled the feud. Instead, Sonnen continued to talk even more trash, demanding a rematch with his rival and essentially claiming that he hadn’t really lost the fight.
Eventually, the two men finally squared off again two years later. Once again, it was ‘The Spider’ who had the last laugh.
After Sonnen missed with a wild spinning backfist attempt, Silva hit him with a brutal knee to the chest and then finished him off with a flurry of strikes.
This time, there could be no doubt as to who the real winner was. In a surprising turn of events, Sonnen was quick to admit that the Brazilian was the better man – suggesting that he’d accepted that Silva had won their feud.
#1. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor – UFC 229
While Conor McGregor has always been happy to play the antagonist throughout his UFC career, in his rivalries with the likes of Nate Diaz and Jose Aldo, it was hard for fans not to get behind the Irishman purely due to his charisma.
By 2018, though, that all changed. McGregor’s burgeoning rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov took a different turn altogether when the Irishman began to use some highly questionable insults towards ‘The Eagle’ on social media, and things were about to get even worse.
Prior to UFC 223 – where Nurmagomedov was due to face Al Iaquinta for the vacated lightweight title previously held by McGregor – all hell broke loose when ‘The Notorious’ arrived with an entourage at a media day and attacked a bus with the Dagestani inside.
McGregor hurled a metal dolly through the windshield of the bus. While the incident didn’t affect Khabib himself, numerous other fighters were hurt, and the Irishman ended up slapped with a charge of disorderly conduct by the New York Police Department.
By the time a fight between the two was signed later that year, ‘The Eagle’ was positioned as the good guy in the feud, with McGregor seemingly happy to embrace his role as the villain.
On this occasion, it was 'The Eagle' who got the last laugh. Nurmagomedov utterly dominated the fight, destroying McGregor on the ground before submitting him in the fourth round with a neck crank.
While his performance was marred somewhat by the ugly melee that broke out after the fight – an incident that threatened to turn both men into heels – it was clear that Khabib had ended the rivalry on his terms, and had definitely got the last word over the Irishman.
