5 times UFC fighters cried in the octagon

The life of a UFC fighter is a grueling grind, and very few manage to make it to the top. Long arduous training camps, fights falling off and career altering injuries are all part of the journey a professional has to walk.

For those reasons, it is not surprising that there have been multiple times when fans have seen fighters become emotional inside the octagon.

In the following list, we detail five instances in which a fighter was moved to tears inside the UFC octagon, whether it be due to happiness, disappointment, injury or just relief.

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#5. Gilbert Burns - UFC 258

At UFC 258, former teammates Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns clashed in a welterweight title fight. Burns had some success with his striking early on. However, in the second round, Usman's hands were just too fast and he sent 'Durinho' stumbling to the mat. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' followed him down and some heavy ground strikes forced Herb Dean to wave the fight off.

Burns was clearly distraught at having let the UFC title slip through his fingers. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace broke down in the center of the octagon as Usman respectfully kneeled and waited for his former training partner to compose himself.

There was ultimately no bad blood between the two men, as they embraced at the end of the main event clash.

Burns is now well on his way to getting another chance at claiming the title in the near future, having defeated Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson at UFC 264. A win over a fighter such as Leon Edwards or Jorge Masvidal would undeniably be enough for 'Durinho' to once again fight for gold.

#4. Belal Muhammad - UFC Vegas 21

At UFC Vegas 21, UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad competed in the biggest fight of his career to date. He took on top-five ranked Leon Edwards in a fight that would have likely propelled him straight to a number one contender fight should he have emerged victorious.

However, in round two, disaster struck. Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye as he threw a body kick. The eye poke resulted in Muhammad instantly falling to the ground, writhing in agony. The fight was ruled a no contest.

Belal Muhammad's eye is messed up #UFCVegas21 pic.twitter.com/pNZSMdpU6J

— MMA mania (@mmamania) March 14, 2021

Even when he regained his feet, Muhammad was clearly extremely emotional. This was later revealed to not only be down to the injury and missed opportunity, but also because Muhammad's father's store had been looted earlier in the year and they had not been able to rebuild it. Muhammad was in part relying on a winning bonus to help rebuild his father's store and provide some financial stability.

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#3 Deiveson Figueiredo & Joseph Benavidez - UFC Fight Island 2

In a fight that very much served as a changing of the guard, Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Joseph Benavidez a second time to claim the vacant flyweight title. Figueiredo and Benavidez had previously fought that year, and whilst the Brazilian had been victorious, he had missed weight, making him ineligible to win the title.

As soon as he won it was instantly clear what it meant to Figueiredo, as well as the respect he had for Benavidez. An emotional 'Deus Da Guerra' immediately went and kneeled before Benavidez, who was still recovering.

An emotional @Daico_Deiveson knelt in front of Joseph Benavidez after their battle at #UFCFightIsland2 pic.twitter.com/VNEthD4IQp

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 19, 2020

The gravity of the loss seemed to hit Benavidez once he exited the UFC octagon, as the realization that he would never fight for a UFC title again hit him during the post-fight interviews.

"I'm not going out like that... I'm not gonna get another title shot and I don't want to go out on that."@JoeJitsu spoke about his future after #UFCFightIsland2 pic.twitter.com/wcl7H4Xhx5

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 19, 2020

#2. Rose Namajunas - UFC 261

At UFC 261, Rose Namajunas shocked the world when she knocked out Zhang Weili in the first round to reclaim the UFC strawweight title. Namajunas had previously won the title in 2017, but after being on the receiving end of a brutal slam from Jessica Andrade, she was forced to fight her way back into title contention.

After defeating Andrade in a non-title fight rematch, Namajunas was given the chance to once again compete for the 115-pound belt. Fans across the world were divided when Namajunas was matched up with Zhang. Both women were exceptional mixed martial artists and it was hard to pick a victor.

However, when Namajunas landed a clean head kick that sent her opponent staggering to the canvas, she left it in no doubt who the best strawweight in the UFC, if not the world is.

'Thug Rose' was clearly completely overcome by the moment, bursting into tears in the middle of the octagon. Her post-fight interview even had Joe Rogan choking up.

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#1. Daniel Cormier - UFC 214

One of the most heartbreaking scenes in UFC history has to be Daniel Cormier's post-fight interview at UFC 214. Cormier had rematched Jon Jones in an attempt to defend his title against one of the greatest to ever do it.

UFC 214 Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones

Whilst the first fight had been a hard fought decision loss for Cormier, this time around Jon Jones knocked him out cold. This was the first time 'DC' had been finished in such a manner, and the rivalry between the two men no doubt made it hurt all the more.

Cormier has always been one of the most competitive spirits within the UFC, and to hear him utter the words "if he wins both fights, there is no rivalry," was truly hard to watch.

Jones later tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and the fight was ruled a no contest. Cormier would go on to claim the UFC heavyweight title and have a considerably more amicable rivalry with Stipe Miocic.

ANYTHING can happen at heavyweight! #UFC252What was your reaction to the first Miocic vs Cormier fight?! 😳 pic.twitter.com/TrBdesYO3V

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 12, 2020