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

#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.

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#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.