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There is nothing in this world that excites UFC fans more than genuine bad blood between fighters. The fight game is usually associated with the virtues of honor and respect but when two fighters who hate each other step into the cage, it captures the attention of fans like nothing else can.
Some rivalries go beyond the sport. The fighters are usually able to bury the hatchet after settling their beef inside the octagon but sometimes, the animosity between them never dies. Not even after they quit fighting or have locked horns inside the octagon more than once.
These rivalries run so deep that it is impossible to mention one rival's name without mentioning the other's in the same breath.
Five UFC rivalries that will never die:
#5 Cody Garbrandt vs TJ Dillashaw
The rivalry between Dillashaw and Garbrant was years in the making and happens to be one of the most cinematic rivalries in UFC history. This friend-turned-rival story is one like no other.
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The pair started as teammates at the Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento, California. When Dillashaw left the team in 2014 after becoming the UFC bantamweight champion, the tension between the fighters started to grow.
When Dominick Cruz beat Dillashaw to become champion, Garbrandt was on the rise and earned himself a title shot against Cruz. Garbrandt became champion in 2016 and soon enough, he was pitted against his former friend and teammate, Dillashaw.
In the build-up to the fight, Garbrandt released a clip of himself knocking out Dillashaw in sparring. This made things personal between the pair.
However, the fight, which went down at UFC 217, saw Dillashaw finish Garbrandt with a head kick. In the rematch, Dillashaw emerged victorious once again with a dominant first-round KO win.
While Dillashaw earned bragging rights, the rivalry didn't end there. To this day, Garbrandt jibes at his former friend about his usage of PEDs and accuses him of cheating.
#4 Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington
Once friends, teammates, and even roommates, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington don't see eye to eye anymore. It is surprising that, despite competing in the same weight class, the pair haven't yet clashed inside the octagon. The bad blood between Masvidal and Covington could generate handsome revenue for the promotion.
When Covington started fighting in the UFC, he stayed with Masvidal in the latter's apartment. However, their relationship soured when Masvidal accused Covington of not paying his coach. 'Gamebred' even confronted Covington regarding the matter and things got so heated that the pair had to be pulled apart before the altercation got physical.
Masvidal later challenged Covington to fight him at the ATT gym.
Covington is not one to keep quiet and retorted with jibes of his own. He called Masvidal a journeyman fighter and claimed he would never become a champion. If these two fighters end up locking horns inside the cage, it will be a mouth-watering prospect for fans.
#3 Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz don't like each other and they make it known with every opportunity they get. From back-and-forth trash-talking to chaotic press conferences and a couple of insanely entertaining clashes inside the octagon, this rivalry has seen it all.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have failed to bury the hatchet despite having fought twice inside the octagon, with both fighters claiming one scalp over the other. It all started when Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of his fight against McGregor at UFC 196, just 11 days ahead of the bout.
Diaz stepped in as a late replacement and shocked the world by beating the Irishman with a rear-naked choke in the second round. The rematch was booked immediately and the pair squared off again at UFC 202. This time the fight went the full distance and Conor McGregor got his hand raised via a majority decision.
The bad blood between the fighters sold an astonishing amount of pay-per-views and the event still stands as one of the biggest pay-per-views in UFC history. The fighters recently went back and forth on Twitter, with McGregor accusing Diaz of using steroids.
Both McGregor and Diaz have spoken about a potential trilogy fight in the past, so we may see these two legends square off one last time before ending their careers.
#2 Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones
The rivalry between Jones and Cormier will be remembered for years to come. The rivalry is accentuated by the fact that they happen to be two of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
Jones and Cormier hated each other so much that there was an on-stage brawl ahead of their first fight at UFC 182. The fight ended with a unanimous decision win for Jones. The pair rematched at UFC 214 and Jones won once again only for it to be overturned to a no contest as 'Bones' tested positive for using banned substances.
Ahead of the rematch, Cormier took several personal jibes at Jones, bringing up his issues with addiction, suspensions and arrests. Even now, after Cormier's retirement, the pair often get involved in heated exchanges on social media, with DC claiming that the rivalry between him and Jones will never die.
#1 Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov
This is the mother of all rivalries. McGregor and Nurmagomedov's fight was the highest-grossing UFC pay-per-view of all time by a wide margin. Why? Because of the genuine bad blood between two of the most popular fighters in UFC history.
The rivalry began when Khabib called out McGregor for a title fight, branding the Irishman a chicken. Nurmagomedov then slapped McGregor's friend and teammate Artem Lobov. This led to an enraged McGregor flying into New York and infamously attacking the bus Nurmagomedov was traveling on ahead of UFC 223.
Nurmagomedov went on to become the lightweight champion at UFC 223 while McGregor was arrested for his antics at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Soon after, the pair were booked to fight at UFC 229. The press conference for the fight was termed 'the darkest ever' by UFC president Dana White himself.
McGregor insulted Nurmagomedov's religion, family and teammates, making the rivalry even more personal. Both fighters said they wouldn't shake each other's hands after the fight and they truly never did.
Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated McGregor in the fight and won via submission in the fourth round. But Nurmagomedov wasn't done yet, he climbed the cage and leaped onto McGregor's coaching team. The Russian's teammates jumped McGregor inside the octagon and a chaotic brawl ensued in the aftermath of the fight.
With Nurmagomedov retired, it is safe to say that we won't see a rematch but the fighters still hate each other and that will likely never change.
Special mention
Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov's rivalry was one that all MMA fans wanted to see culminate in a fight, but it wasn't meant to be. Despite being booked to fight each other on five separate occasions, Ferguson and Nurmagomedov never locked horns inside the octagon.
After the undefeated Russian beat McGregor and Poirier, Ferguson was being considered the one man who could possibly beat Nurmagomedov. Ferguson's trash talk seemed to annoy Khabib and they've had several heated exchanges in press-conferences in the past.
Ferguson still accuses the now-retired Nurmagomedov of running away from the fight and claims he would have beaten The Eagle for sure.
