5 loaded UFC pay-per-views that turned out to be busts

This weekend sees UFC 273 take place. With two title fights, as well as a huge welterweight bout, on tap, it’s one of the most loaded cards in recent memory. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a great show.

Over the years, we’ve seen a number of loaded UFC pay-per-view events that, despite a ton of hype going in, simply didn’t deliver the goods when it came to show time.

Sometimes this was down to a bunch of underperforming fighters and bad fights. In other instances, it was down to late card changes. Often, a mix of both were able to ruin a great show on paper.

With this in mind, here are five loaded UFC pay-per-views that turned out to be busts.

---

#5. UFC 61: Bitter Rivals

The controversial ending to Tito Ortiz's fight with Ken Shamrock helped to ruin 2006's biggest event

In 2006, the UFC was riding the crest of the wave produced by the initial Ultimate Fighter boom, which pushed the promotion and the sport of MMA as a whole from an underground attraction right into the mainstream.

After a handful of blockbuster pay-per-views throughout 2005 and early 2006, the promotion decided to go all-out for the summer’s big show, stacking UFC 61 with most of the biggest names on their roster.

Not only did the show feature the long-awaited rematch between superstars Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock, fresh off their wild coaching stint on TUF 3, but it was also headlined by the trilogy bout between heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and former titleholder Andrei Arlovski.

With superstars such as Frank Mir, Yves Edwards and Joe Stevenson also in action, this looked like an unmissable event.

Unfortunately, things didn’t play out that way at all. Edwards’ clash with Stevenson was a fantastic opener, but things quickly slowed down dramatically as a bloated Mir edged out the unheralded Dan Christison in one of the worst heavyweight fights ever seen in the octagon.

Worse was still to come. The highly anticipated Ortiz vs. Shamrock clash ended up being a damp squib, as an apparently early referee stoppage from Herb Dean handed ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ a hugely controversial win.

The headline fight, meanwhile, saw Sylvia and Arlovski, who’d previously put on two insane battles, fight in a completely gun-shy fashion, with ‘The Maine-iac’ edging an uneventful decision.

Overall, the show was such a disappointment that the promotion was forced to book a third bout between Shamrock and Ortiz, and give it away on Spike TV to make amends with their fans.

#4. UFC 182: Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier

UFC 182 was full of largely disappointing fights

Had the heated grudge match between light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier headlined UFC 178 as was initially planned, the event would probably be considered the greatest in the promotion’s history.

Unfortunately, where that event’s undercard was filled with epic bouts, UFC 182’s simply wasn’t, meaning that by the time Jones and Cormier entered the octagon, the fans in attendance had already been practically lulled to sleep.

Of the 11 fights on offer, no fewer than eight of them went the distance. While longer fights aren’t always bad, these ones certainly weren’t barnburners.

Sure, Paul Felder’s spinning backfist knockout of Danny Castillo was phenomenal, but dull fights like Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman, Brad Tavares vs. Nate Marquardt and Evan Dunham vs. Rodrigo Damm were more common at this event.

Even the usually-reliable Donald Cerrone pulled out somewhat of a stinker, beating Myles Jury in one-sided but dull fashion.

Jones vs. Cormier, meanwhile, wasn’t a bad fight by any means, but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype coming in. ‘Bones’ largely outclassed his challenger en route to winning via decision.

Overall, this was a hugely stacked event that ended up being one to skip entirely.

---

#3. UFC 200: Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes

Even the return of Brock Lesnar couldn't stop UFC 200 from being a disappointment

A few weeks before it went down, UFC 200 looked like arguably the most loaded card in the promotion’s history. Not only was it set to feature three title bouts, including a rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight crown, but it also featured the return of former heavyweight kingpin and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar.

Unfortunately, it felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong for this event, making it one of the greatest disappointments in the promotion’s history instead.

Just one day prior to the event, Jones was withdrawn from his fight with ‘DC’ due to a positive drug test. While the legendary Anderson Silva bravely stepped in to fight on short notice, Cormier took no risks in the bout and ended up blanketing the Brazilian in a dull showing.

Jose Aldo’s interim featherweight title victory over Frankie Edgar, meanwhile, was the definition of workmanlike, while Lesnar’s win over Mark Hunt was another largely dull fight that went the distance and ended up shrouded in controversy when ‘The Beast Incarnate’ failed a post-fight drug test.

In the end, Miesha Tate’s bantamweight title defense against Amanda Nunes ended up acting as the show’s headliner. While it was an exciting bout that saw Nunes win via submission, it just didn’t fit the top slot on what should’ve been an epic event.

Basically, this one was promised to be an all-time classic. While it didn’t turn out to be horrendous, it missed its mark by a country mile considering the hype it had behind it.

#2. UFC 112: Invincible

Anderson Silva helped to make the UFC's first visit to Abu Dhabi a forgettable one

Ever since the advent of Fight Island in 2020, the UFC has done plenty of shows in Abu Dhabi, but back in 2010, the promotion had never visited the Middle East.

That all changed that April, when the promotion headed to Yas Island for UFC 112,. To say that they stacked the card heavily would be an understatement.

Not only did the event feature two title bouts, but it would also see the octagon debut of the legendary Renzo Gracie, who was matched with former welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes.

However, despite the event starting with a bang thanks to two excellent fights in the form of Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz and Terry Etim vs. Rafael dos Anjos, things quickly slowed down dramatically.

Fans expected Gracie and Hughes to put on a grappling clinic. Instead, the two men fought a slow-paced kickboxing bout with little action until Hughes was able to tag the legend in the third round and finish him via TKO.

Incredibly, the two title bouts at the top of the card were even more disappointing. B.J. Penn’s lightweight title defense against Frankie Edgar lacked action overall and featured a controversial decision, as ‘The Answer’ was handed a victory despite seemingly eating the heavier strikes.

Anderson Silva’s middleweight title defense against Demian Maia, meanwhile, was even worse, as Silva seemingly decided he couldn’t be bothered to put his overmatched opponent away and played with his food as the crowd showered the octagon with boos.

Overall, then, the promotion’s first visit to Abu Dhabi turned out to be a huge disappointment and was probably the reason why it took so long for them to return to the Middle East.

---

#1. UFC 33: Victory in Vegas

UFC 33 is still widely recognised as one of the worst pay-per-views in the promotion's history

When Zuffa – the Fertitta brothers and Dana White – bought out the UFC back in 2001, their dream was to not only establish the promotion and the sport of MMA in the mainstream, but to become a pay-per-view juggernaut in the process.

While they did eventually achieve that goal, it’s safe to say that it wasn’t down to their first-ever pay-per-view show following the infamous cable ban that defined the promotion’s so-called ‘Dark Ages’.

UFC 33 was not only the promotion’s first ever visit to the new owners’ home of Las Vegas, but it was also the first ever event to feature no fewer than three title bouts, something that turned out to backfire on the owners hugely.

After three largely entertaining preliminary bouts, all five of the fights on the main card of this event went the distance, including the three title bouts.

More frustratingly, none of the fights delivered the goods inside the octagon, with the fans booing the lack of action in the lightweight title match between Jens Pulver and Dennis Hallman and seemingly tuning out entirely during the middleweight title fight between Dave Menne and Gil Castillo.

Even light heavyweight superstar Tito Ortiz couldn’t save things, as his headliner with Vladimir Matyushenko stunk out the joint. To make matters worse, the show ran over its allotted time on pay-per-view, which meant fans missed the end of the bout.

Over two decades later, UFC 33 remains the low bar for stacked pay-per-views that turned out to be disappointing, with White referencing it as the worst show ever on numerous occasions.