5 UFC rematch bookings that received a mixed reaction from fans

#2 Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier – UFC 252

Fans and fighters alike weren't impressed when Stipe Miocic's rivalry with Daniel Cormier held up the UFC heavyweight division.

When it came to the third fight between then-UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former champion Daniel Cormier – which took place in the summer of 2020 at UFC 252 – it wasn’t just UFC fans who didn’t seem too enamoured with the booking.

While the rivalry had produced two tremendous fights, it was difficult to deny that it had also held up the entire UFC heavyweight division since 2018, frustrating the division’s other top contenders.

Things seemed to be running smoothly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Miocic had lost the title to Cormier in the summer of 2018, only to regain it in the summer of 2019. And from there, it seemed likely that if the UFC were to book a third meeting, it’d be imminent.

Instead, when the pandemic began, Miocic seemed to prioritise his other career as a first responder and fireman above his reign as UFC heavyweight champion. And suddenly, the title was largely held up. That angered contenders like Francis Ngannou – who demanded the creation of an interim title – and Curtis Blaydes, who took to Twitter to air his frustrations.

So pick a job to commit to, we deserve a champion who’s committed to continually proving he’s the champ. If he can’t do that for the foreseeable future that’s ok no shade, but holding up the division isn’t fair to all the other guys who are continually working for a title shot

— Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) May 15, 2020

For his part, Miocic simply told his critics to 'stop crying', essentially stating that he’d fight when he was good and ready.

This meant that when the UFC did announce the third bout between Miocic and Cormier, many UFC fans were less than enamoured, giving the booking an extremely mixed reaction.

In the end, things turned out fine, as Miocic defeated Cormier for a second time, and then rematched Ngannou at UFC 260, losing his title via knockout.

---

#1 Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal – UFC 261

After his loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, many fans felt that Jorge Masvidal hadn't earned a rematch.

The UFC isn’t just in the business of booking the best fights possible; naturally, the promotion also prefers to book the ones that will draw the most money. MMA is otherwise known as prizefighting, after all.

However, this penchant doesn’t always sit well with hardcore fans. And an example of that was seen when the UFC booked a rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal for the UFC welterweight title earlier this year at UFC 261.

The reason for the mixed reaction to this booking was obvious. The two rivals had fought less than a year prior – at UFC 251 – and the fight was largely lopsided in Usman’s favour.

Masvidal could claim he had taken the fight on late notice, but ‘Gamebred’ had also not fought since then, meaning the former simply did not earn another shot at the champion.

Masvidal didn't deserve his first title shot and he certainly doesn't deserve another after being 50-45d and ducking fights ever since. As much as I'd like to see them coach TUF, it should be colby or Edwards fighting him next, and colby would probably be more entertaining on TUF

— dogdog109 (@DogDogMMA) February 14, 2021

However, while fans took to social media sites such as Twitter to air their frustrations with the booking, according to Kamaru Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, the rematch was a fight that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had requested. And that feeling was also echoed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who described it as the right fight to make.

In the end, it was clear exactly why Kamaru Usman wanted the fight again. The champion had clearly worked hard to improve his stand-up game – and knocked Masvidal out in violent fashion - ending their rivalry for good.