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Over the years, the UFC has witnessed a string of heated rivalries. It would be safe to say that such rivalries have played a huge role in the popularity of the promotion as well.
In most cases, these rivalries are settled inside the octagon itself but there are also situations where the bad blood goes beyond the cage. While some rivalries that fall in this particular category are still ongoing, there are certain others that have made peace in retirement.
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With the latter set of rivalries in mind, here is a look at 5 times heated UFC rivals made peace in retirement.
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#5. Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz meet backstage at UFC 266
Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz was a rivalry that produced plenty of drama outside the cage. It all started when Nick Diaz called out St-Pierre at UFC 137 after his win against BJ Penn.
Following the call out, UFC booked Nick Diaz vs. St-Pierre for UFC 143 but the fight was canceled as St-Pierre suffered an injury during his training camp. Nick Diaz fought Carlos Condit as a result for the UFC interim welterweight title and suffered a decision loss.
GSP then made his return and defeated Condit at UFC 154 to unify the UFC welterweight title. This proved to be the perfect backdrop for the Nick Diaz vs. St-Pierre fight, which was booked for UFC 158.
GSP and Nick Diaz went on to deliver an instant classic inside the cage. Both fighters were respectful towards each other after the fight as well. In 2019, however, the reaction of Nick Diaz to GSP’s retirement news sparked debates.
In 2021, St-Pierre also revealed that he had not made peace with Nick Diaz and that he was looking forward to it. The air surrounding the two apparently cleared recently when they met backstage at UFC 266. St-Pierre and Nick Diaz shared a heartfelt moment in the locker room as they shook hands with each other.
#4. Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz bury the hatchet at UFC on FOX 22
Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz have crossed paths inside the cage on three separate occasions, with two of them happening in the UFC. The first fight between the two happened at WEC 26 back in 2007. Urijah Faber came out on top in the fight. It was also the first loss of Dominick Cruz's professional MMA career.
Four years later, in 2011, Faber and Cruz fought at UFC 132 where Cruz took home a unanimous decision victory. The trilogy fight between the two happened at UFC 199 in 2016 and it was Cruz who emerged as the winner.
The Dominick Cruz – Urijah Faber rivalry had its fair share of bad blood and saw a lot of to-and-fro verbal battles. In 2016, however, the two fighters had their fence-mending moment at UFC on FOX 22 after Faber’s retirement fight. Faber came out of retirement in 2019 and retired again the same year after suffering a loss to Petr Yan.
#3. Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping train together
The first fight in the Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping rivalry dates back to 2014. The two fighters fought in the main event of UFC Fight Night 55 and it was Rockhold that secured the win with a second-round submission.
Two years later, Rockhold found himself at the top of the UFC middleweight division. He was scheduled to fight Chris Weidman at UFC 199 for the title. Weidman, however, suffered an injury and had to withdraw from the fight.
This opened the door for Bisping, who was given the opportunity to step up as a short-notice replacement. After a heated lead-up to the fight, Bisping knocked out Rockhold at UFC 199 to become the UFC middleweight champion. ‘The Count’ retired two years later.
Bisping and Rockhold squashed their beef recently and were seen training together.
#2. Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson work together on a movie project outside the UFC
The rivalry between Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson in the UFC started during The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. Evans and Jackson went against each other as coaches and were scheduled to fight at UFC 107. Evans and Jackson had some heated moments during the show which created hype for the fight.
The fight, however, did not happen at UFC 107 as planned after Jackson wrote on his blog that he is ‘done fighting’ due to disputes with Dana White. Things turned upside down a year later and, at UFC 114, the fight between Jackson and Evans finally happened. Evans emerged victorious via unanimous decision and the rivalry seemed far from over.
In 2018, the two fighters squashed their beef and were seen working together on a movie project.
#1. Chael Sonnen interviews Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen had one of the most heated feuds in UFC history. Silva and Sonnen first fought at UFC 117 in 2010 and Silva managed to secure a late-submission in the fight to take home the win.
Two years later in 2012, Silva and Sonnen fought again and Silva emerged victorious once more. Silva stopped Sonnen in the second-round via TKO and shut the doors on a possible trilogy fight.
While the rivalry was heated when it lasted, Silva and Sonnen made peace with each other afterwards. Sonnen recently interviewed Silva ahead of Silva's boxing match against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Both fighters expressed their mutual respect for each other during the interview as well.
After Anderson Silva's win against Chavez Jr., Sonnen went on to praise Silva for his triumphant return to boxing.
