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In a sport as physically and emotionally charged as MMA, brawls and altercations outside the UFC's Octagon are inevitable.
The biggest rivalries in UFC history, such as the one between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, have always featured as much action outside the cage as in it. With tempers flaring and tensions running high, fighters have set the stage for their clash in the UFC with their drama elsewhere.
Here are five fights in UFC history that went down outside the Octagon.
#5 Kevin Lee vs Michael Chiesa - ahead of UFC Fight Night 112
Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee were part of one of the most heated exchanges ever seen at a press conference, ahead of their bout at UFC Fight Night 112.
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Lee instigated the beef by claiming that Chiesa's mother 'had tickets to the show'. 'Maverick' took offence to the statement, screaming at his opponent saying "I'm gonna smack the f**k out of you, don't ever talk about my mom."
Chiesa charged at Lee, and a brawl ensued as the other fighters and organizers attempted to separate them. 'The Motown Phenom' appeared to land a punch on Chiesa, whose woes were only worsened when he was choked out in the first round.
#4 Jorge Masvidal vs Leon Edwards - at UFC Fight Night 147
UFC Fight Night 147 witnessed some weltwerweight action on the main card. In the main event, Jorge Masvidal secured a massive KO win over Darren Till. And in the co-main event, Leon Edwards recorded a decision victory over Gunnar Nelson.
During a post-fight interview Masvidal was giving, Edwards took some subtle digs at his fellow welterweight. 'Gamebred' didn't take too kindly to the remarks, as he approached the Brit with his hands behind his back in signature style.
But Masvidal then dished out his famous "three piece and a soda", leaving Edwards cut and bleeding under one eye. Both fighters haven't made peace with each other since, and we might see them clash in the UFC's Octagon sometime in the near future.
#3 Khabib Nurmagomedov vs the Diaz brothers - in 2015
Perhaps one of the unlikeliest rivalries in UFC history, Khabib Nurmagomedov and the Diaz brothers have beef stretching back to 2015.
While the trio were at a Professional Fighters League (then called World Series of Fighting) event, Khabib reportedly 'bullied' Nate Diaz, who retaliated by slapping the Russian across his face. A brawl ensued, before the Stockton native was kicked out of the event.
Speaking about the encounter, the younger Diaz brother said:
“I’m not into this bully s***, he’s [Khabib] into bullying and stuff, that’s his thing. When I ran into him and his team at the World Series, I was standing there watching Jake, my friend, fight. And they took a group picture with me behind them, just to laugh at me, make fun of me. [Khabib] is like, ‘Ah, come on, man’ and they’re all laughing, 12 Russian dudes. I slapped him in his face for making fun of me and I’m like, ‘What?’ And he didn’t do nothing.”
Interestingly, Khabib and Nate Diaz were involved in another altercation at UFC 239.
#2 Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov - on UFC 223 media day
The clash between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 was preceded and succeeded by several shameful incidents. While 'The Eagle' left a lot to be desired with his post-fight actions, the build-up to the fight witnessed McGregor take things one step further.
In what is now etched in MMA infamy, 'The Notorious' launched an attack on a bus that contained Nurmagomedov and almost 20 other UFC fighters. He chucked a dolly at a window of the bus, injuring Michael Chiesa and scaring several others.
McGregor avoided a jail term for the incident, but he paid a hefty fine and apologized profusely to everyone involved - except Khabib, of course. UFC president Dana White condemned the Irishman's actions, saying it was the 'most disgusting thing to happen in the history of the company'.
#1 Chael Sonnen vs Wanderlei Silva - during TUF Brazil 3
TUF Brazil 3 produced one of the greatest moments ever witnessed in UFC history, as Chael Sonnen delivered his famous "I can't let you get too close" line to Wanderlei Silva.
'The American Gangster', who had not endeared himself with the Brazilian faithful with his comments about the country, continued with his tongue-in-cheek trash talk during the TUF season. Silva was itching to have a go at Sonnen, and things soon came to a head.
'The Axe Murderer' aggressively moved towards Sonnen, who pushed him away and took him down as the duo threw wild punches at each other. They were eventually separated, but not before almost all the fighters on set got involved in the interaction.
Sonnen would later defeat Silva, but under the Bellator banner after many scheduled UFC fights fell through.
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