5 times UFC stars fought outside the octagon

Ever since its inception in 1993, the UFC octagon has been the place where the world’s best fighters meet to settle their scores.

At times, though, tempers boil over and the octagon simply isn’t big enough to end some feuds. That means there have been a number of incidents that have seen UFC fighters clash elsewhere.

With the latest example of fighters brawling outside the octagon happening this week, less than a month after they fought officially, it’s safe to say that for some, a rivalry can never truly end.

Here are five times that UFC fighters have clashed outside the octagon.

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#5. Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal – fought in a restaurant weeks after UFC 272

Just weeks after their bout at UFC 272, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal reportedly brawled outside a restaurant

UFC 272 took place just over three weeks ago. In the main event, it was believed that one of the promotion’s biggest rivalries had come to a conclusion. Former teammates and friends Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal did battle for five rounds, with ‘Chaos’ eventually coming out on top via decision.

Based on what has happened this week, though, it’s safe to say that their rivalry is almost certainly not over yet.

Late on Monday night, reports began to emerge that the two rivals had engaged in a brawl at Miami Beach restaurant Papi Steak, with South Florida radio host Andy Slater posting on Twitter that the police had been called when things became physical.

It wasn’t long before ‘Gamebred’ appeared to confirm the reports with his own Twitter video, tagging Covington and stating that if “you talk that sh*t, you’ve gotta back it up.”

Later on, Masvidal’s managers also became involved, suggesting that ‘Chaos’ had lost a tooth in the altercation.

While details remain scarce, barring a video released by TMZ.com showing ‘Chaos’ surrounded by police, it has been suggested that Masvidal was the instigator, as he apparently attacked his rival outside the restaurant.

Quite what happens from here is anyone’s guess, although it seems unlikely that Dana White and company would want to book a rematch between the two in the octagon given the one-sided nature of their first bout.

Either way, it’s painfully clear that this is a rivalry that certainly isn’t about to come to an end yet.

#4. Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs – fought in the hospital after UFC 57

Hours after facing him in the octagon, Nick Diaz brawled with Joe Riggs in the hospital

When young UFC welterweight contenders Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs faced off in a close fight at UFC 57, it felt like the kind of clash that could produce more than one bout over the coming years.

Few people, however, could’ve expected that the two men would clash again outside the octagon on the very same night, brawling in the hospital after both were sent there following their heated fight that saw Riggs win a tight decision.

Like with many of the fights outside the octagon over the years, details of this incident have been scarce, although both ‘Diesel’ and Diaz have spoken about it on numerous occasions, including to the UFC as part of their ‘Fightlore’ programme.

Interestingly enough, the stories of both men seem to agree on one thing – that Diaz was largely the instigator. According to Riggs, he was attempting to rehydrate himself using an IV when the Stockton brawler confronted him with a barrage of expletives.

The two men then exchanged words before Diaz caught ‘Diesel’ with a punch, knocking out a tooth and, according to Riggs himself, causing the welterweight to defecate himself.

From there, the two men apparently exchanged punches before being separated. While they never did rematch inside the octagon, their brawl inside the emergency room has now entered into MMA legend.

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#3. Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones – fought at UFC 178 press conference

Months before their first bout, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier battled at a press conference

When former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier announced that he was dropping to 205 pounds in early 2014 in order to pursue a title bout with reigning UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, many fans figured a major rivalry was about to begin.

Few could’ve imagined, however, that the two stars would exchange blows outside the octagon almost four months before they officially faced off, in what was essentially the MMA world’s version of Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis’ legendary press conference brawl.

‘Bones’ and ‘DC’ were expected to face off in the headline bout of UFC 178 in September 2014. When they faced off at a pre-event press conference, former UFC Vice President of Public Relations Dave Sholler simply wasn’t prepared for what would happen next.

Subbing in for Dana White, Sholler stood between the two fighters, only for Cormier to stun everyone by shoving Jones as he stepped towards him for a staredown.

Before the VP could react, Jones shoved him off the stage and then threw a left hook at Cormier and the two men tumbled off the stage while exchanging blows.

The two fighters were eventually separated and, to be honest, it was impossible to tell who got the better of things. Only one thing was certain, one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history had begun and only ended when Jones defeated his rival in two official bouts.

Hilariously, White later blamed himself, stating that Sholler, who was inexperienced in dealing with staredowns, should not have been put into such a position in the first place, although given the money the two Jones vs. Cormier fights generated probably ensured the whole thing was worth it.

#2. Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva – fought during TUF Brazil 3 tapings

Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva famously came to blows during the tapings of TUF Brazil 3

The Ultimate Fighter reality show has seen plenty of heated coaching rivalries over the years, including feuds like Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz and Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate. However, arguably the most heated was the rivalry between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen.

The two middleweight standouts coached opposing teams on TUF: Brazil 3. To date, they remain the only coaches on the reality show to actually come to blows during the tapings before their teams could separate them.

In what has now become a legendary scene, the two coaches were waiting in the TUF gym for their teams to arrive, when Silva began to taunt his hated rival about their scheduled fight, wagging his finger at him and repeating “soon, motherf*cker, soon.”

Sonnen did not react initially, but when the Brazilian attempted to get even more intimidating, ‘The American Gangster’ responded with a shove and the immortal line “I can’t let you get close!”

Suddenly, ‘The Axe Murderer’ lunged towards Sonnen with a flurry, only for Sonnen to respond with a double leg takedown. The two men exchanged wild blows on the ground, with Silva’s assistant coach Andre Dida also punching Sonnen in the side of the head.

Eventually, the two men were separated and, incredibly, a hand injury suffered by Silva in the brawl caused their fight to be delayed. In turn, the delay resulted in ‘The Axe Murderer’ failing a drug test and the feud had to be resolved some three years later in Bellator MMA instead.

Despite this, nearly a decade on, the brawl remains one of the most iconic moments in TUF history, and it seems unlikely that it’ll ever be topped.

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#1. Lee Murray vs. Tito Ortiz – fought after UFC 38

Lee Murray made a name for himself after allegedly knocking out Tito Ortiz in a drunken brawl

Arguably the most legendary tale of UFC fighters brawling outside the octagon took place way back in 2002, in the aftermath of the promotion’s first visit to the UK.

Exactly what happened remains somewhat questionable, but the best-known version of the story came from former welterweight champion turned legendary coach Pat Miletich.

According to ‘The Croatian Sensation’, who explained the details to then-welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes, who was not involved in the incident, a number of UFC fighters, as well as a number of MMA fighters from the UK, were drinking in a club until the early hours.

While waiting for transport to take them back to the hotel, a fracas broke out due to a misunderstanding that saw one of then-light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz’s friends jump onto Miletich’s back.

One of Miletich’s fighters believed that his coach was being choked and attempted to defend him. From there, all hell allegedly broke loose, ending in Lee Murray, a UK-based middleweight training with Miletich, dropping Ortiz with a combination before kicking him in the head.

With the police heading to deal with the incident, the fighters quickly scarpered, but due to Ortiz’s status as the UFC’s poster-boy and light heavyweight champ, Murray’s name quickly entered into legend.

Less than two years after the incident, ‘Lightning’ was signed by the UFC. While an official bout with Ortiz never took place, largely due to Murray’s legal issues keeping him away from the promotion in the long term, the fight remains one of the most notorious incidents in MMA history.