5 UFC main events that ended anticlimactically feat. Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

The headline bout at any UFC event tends to be the most highly anticipated fight on the card. That means that when a headliner ends in anticlimactic fashion, it's highly frustrating.

Over the years, though, we have seen a number of UFC main events end in anticlimactic fashion, usually angering the crowd in attendance.

Whether these bad endings come from an injury or another strange occurence honestly doesn't matter - it's still annoying.

Here are five UFC main events that ended anticlimactically.

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#5. Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong - UFC Fight Night 252

The first entry on this list happened in this weekend's UFC headliner between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.

In this instance, at least the fans in Seattle were treated to three rounds of entertaining action. In a fight that took place largely on the feet, Song appeared to be getting the better of 'Triple C', largely thanks to his smart use of low kicks and jabs.

Cejudo certainly wasn't out of the fight, though, and arguably took the second round on the scorecards.

When the 2008 Olympic gold medalist suffered a bad eye poke in the third round, however, even the alotted five-minute rest period couldn't help him. Cejudo finished the round, told the cageside doctor he could not see out of his left eye, and the bout was immediately waved off.

Rather than declaring a No Contest, the fight instead went to the scorecards, with Song receiving a technical decision.

The fact that two of the three judges went 29-28 showed that the bout was still in the balance, though. And with the added experience of 'Triple C' in five-round fights, the potential for him making a comeback was definitely there.

In that sense, then, this bout definitely ended anticlimactically - and despite Dana White's reservations, the UFC would be best to book it again.

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#4. Jeremy Stephens vs. Yair Rodriguez - UFC Fight Night 159

While UFC fans in Seattle were clearly peeved by the ending to the headline bout between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong, it's safe to say that they reacted more positively than their Mexico City counterparts did in similar circumstances.

Back in September 2019, over 10,000 fans crowded into the Mexico City Arena to watch local favorite Yair Rodriguez face off with veteran brawler Jeremy Stephens. The wild styles of both men suggested that a classic could ensue.

Unfortunately, the fight was over before it began. After throwing a couple of kicks at his foe, Rodriguez reached out with his hand and caught Stephens with an inadvertent eye poke.

Referee Herb Dean instantly stepped in, but it was clear that the poke was bad, and moments later, the fight was waved off after just 15 seconds.

The crowd was absolutely furious with the outcome, particularly when the bout was declared a No Contest. It didn't help matters that Rodriguez himself seemed indignant and appeared to be whipping the fans into a frenzy.

In the end, the final scenes of the event were the fans pelting the octagon with trash, an ugly way for any UFC show to end. Remarkably, it took the promotion nearly five years to return to Mexico City afterwards.

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#3. Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote - UFC 90

Anderson Silva's epic reign as UFC middleweight champion lasted for the best part of seven years and saw plenty of incredible moments across his ten successful title defenses.

It's safe to say, though, that his fourth defense, against Patrick Cote in October 2008, was not a high point.

Cote was never a truly enthralling challenger. 'The Predator' was on a solid win streak, but hadn't really beaten an elite-level fighter. It felt like he'd gotten his shot because, at the time, there was nobody else.

Sure enough, while he tried his best, it was painfully obvious that he was outclassed by 'The Spider' from the off.

However, the fight turned out to be the first instance of Silva essentially playing with his food, and the champion's nonchalance meant that Cote was actually hanging in there.

That was until the start of the third round, when a simple mis-step caused the Canadian to collapse to the mat in agony.

It turned out that 'The Predator' had completely blown out his right knee, causing the fight to be stopped immediately.

In this instance, not only were the fans robbed of a climactic finish from Silva, but they were also largely robbed of an entertaining fight altogether thanks to the Brazilian's eccentric side shining through.

Today, the bout is largely considered better than Silva's wins over Thales Leites and Demian Maia, but it still stands as the most anticlimactic of his UFC tenure.

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#2. Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira - UFC Fight Night 74

If the UFC were to book a headline bout between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira today, there's no doubt that fans would be absolutely salivating.

In 2025, Holloway is the promotion's reigning 'BMF' champion and a former featherweight titleholder, while Oliveira is a former lightweight champion and is still widely seen as the most dangerous finisher at 155 pounds.

Back in 2015, though, 'Blessed' and 'Do Bronx' were two young guns looking to make a name for themselves.

When they were matched in the headliner of Fight Night 74, most fans were nonplussed, although hardcores were fascinated to see which man would mark themselves out as a future title threat.

Unfortunately, rather than producing a barnburner, Holloway and Oliveira only produced one of the most anticlimactic fights in UFC history.

After just over a minute, a takedown attempt from 'Do Bronx' was blocked, and so the Brazilian looked to pull guard. When Holloway blocked that, Oliveira fell to his back clutching his neck, and moments later, the fight was waved off.

With no apparent cause for the injury, fans were baffled by what'd happened as 'Blessed' was declared the winner via TKO.

Initially, the explanation given was a tear in Oliveira's esophagus, but that turned out to be false, with the real blame landing on a minor neck injury suffered during training.

Given the bizarre and anticlimactic nature of this fight - as well as the achievements of both men since - it's a wonder that the UFC haven't tried to re-book the clash in recent years.

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#1. Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort - UFC 46

It's arguable that the most anticlimactic finish to any UFC main event came just over two decades ago in January 2004. The fight in question pitted light-heavyweight champ Randy Couture against top contender Vitor Belfort.

There was plenty of interest in the fight, primarily because it was a rematch of an earlier classic that saw Couture hand 'The Phenom' the first defeat of his MMA career.

Just over six years had passed since then, and while 'The Natural' had beaten both Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell in 2003, he was also 40 years old, bringing into question how much he had left to give.

Belfort, meanwhile, had looked back to his best in a violent win over Marvin Eastman, and was clearly itching for some redemption.

Unfortunately, while the Brazilian did win - claiming the only UFC title of his career - he did not get the victory he really wanted.

Instead, the fight was called off after just 49 seconds, moments after Couture had charged his way into a clinch.

After plenty of confusion, it became apparent what had happened. An errant left hook from Belfort had seen the stitching in his glove catch Couture's eyelid, basically tearing it off.

It was a completely freak accident, but there was no way 'The Natural' could continue, and so Belfort was declared the winner by TKO. To say nobody wanted to see this kind of ending was an understatement.

The two men rematched just seven months later, with Couture regaining his title, but that couldn't erase the memories of this bout - which remains recognised as one of the worst headliners of all time.