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The UFC has become well-renowned over the years for using grudges and feuds to build its biggest fights. However, when all is said and done, bad blood is usually buried inside the octagon. But that' not always the case.
There have been numerous feuds and grudges across the history of the UFC that were simply unable to be settled, even after a clash inside the octagon.
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Naturally, it tends to be the fighter who comes out on the losing end of a fight who can’t bury the hatchet. But, surprisingly, there’s often a good reason for them to hold a grudge.
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Simply put, the old adage that time heals all wounds simply didn’t apply for these fighters. Here are five UFC stars who held grudges for far too long.
#5. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs. Jon Jones – fought at UFC 135
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was renowned for his larger-than-life, loud persona. Naturally, this often rubbed his opponents up the wrong way.
‘Rampage’ had storied feuds with the likes of Rashad Evans and Wanderlei Silva during his time with the UFC. Despite the hatred that built up to those clashes, though, Jackson always seemed to forgive and forget once the fight was over. However, ‘Rampage’ clearly still holds a grudge against one UFC fighter, namely former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Jones defeated Jackson via fourth round submission in the main event of UFC 135 in September 2011. Since then, ‘Rampage’ has never really forgiven ‘Bones’ for his tactics during the fight, most notably his use of the now infamous oblique kick.
Jackson required knee surgery following the fight and has often claimed that he never fully recovered from the damage Jones did to him.
And as recently as this week, Jackson has labeled Jones the dirtiest fighter in UFC history. He hit out at 'Bones' for not only using oblique kicks, but eye pokes too.
According to ‘Rampage’, the UFC outright had to change their rules, outlawing reaching forward with an open hand to combat Jones’ tendencies. Whether there’s any truth in this is another thing entirely. However, it’s hard to deny that Jackson clearly hasn’t let go of his grudge against Jones despite a decade passing by since their fight.
#4. Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre – fought at UFC 158
Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s rivalry with Nick Diaz came to a head at UFC 158. It ended up drawing one of the biggest pay-per-view buyrates in the promotion’s history.
It was hardly a surprise. The two men seemingly despised one another, with GSP’s clean-cut, respectful reputation clearly galling on Diaz, who was convinced that the nice guy persona was an act.
When St-Pierre defeated Diaz via unanimous decision, though, it looked like the feud would be over. Unfortunately, that simply wasn’t the case, and the two men, primarily Diaz, continue to snipe at one another to this day.
Months after the fight, Diaz claimed that GSP cheated at UFC 158 by not officially making weight and using performance enhancing drugs, something that was never proven.
It’s a story Diaz has largely stuck to ever since. In 2019, when St-Pierre officially retired from MMA, Diaz again labeled him a cheat. He also claimed that the Canadian “fought like a b*tch” in their clash.
Naturally, St-Pierre has been more respectful, stating in 2020 that Diaz could still be a UFC champion if he were to return to the sport full-time.
However, he has also stated that he never made peace with the Californian, suggesting that he too may still hold a grudge of sorts against his former foe.
#3. Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort – fought at UFC on FX 7
During his fighting career with the UFC, Michael Bisping was renowned for building grudges with his opponents, even the more mild-mannered ones. The former UFC middleweight champion became one of the promotion’s biggest villains during his prime due to this tendency.
However, for the most part, whenever Bisping faced off with a rival in the octagon, he would bury the hatchet with them after the fight.
Even Luke Rockhold, who had a bitter rivalry with ‘The Count’ that spanned two fights, was recently pictured training with the UK native. It showed that the bad blood between them was gone.
However, Bisping has always held a grudge with former opponent Vitor Belfort, who knocked him out in January 2013 in a UFC headliner. The reason for this is largely understandable. The same head kick from Belfort that stopped Bisping essentially wrecked his career. He suffered an eye injury that still affects him to this day.
That would be bad enough, but Bisping has always stated that he feels Belfort was cheating during the fight due to his use of testosterone replacement therapy. And recently, the grudge came back to the forefront when Bisping spoke out about Belfort’s upcoming boxing match with the legendary Evander Holyfield.
‘The Count’ stated that he “hopes Evander batters him." He said that he’d take great pleasure in such a thing happening, while also labeling Belfort a “piece of sh*t.”
Evidently, this is one grudge Bisping isn’t willing to let go, despite their fight happening over eight years ago.
#2. Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes – fought at UFC 98
Sometimes, all it takes to trigger a major feud in the UFC is two fighters being poles apart in terms of their personalities. This was definitely the case when it came to the rivalry between welterweight legends Matt Hughes and Matt Serra.
The two men had crossed paths during the filming of 2006’s TUF 4, and clearly didn’t get along. The bad blood really built once Serra shockingly won the UFC welterweight title at UFC 69.
The UFC booked a title fight between the two, and then set them up as rival coaches on TUF 6. It quickly became apparent that Serra’s brash New York persona was never going to mesh with Hughes’ farm boy image, and so a tremendous rivalry quickly grew.
That rivalry should’ve been squashed once they fought at UFC 98. However, after Hughes took a semi-controversial decision win, the grudge remained very real.
Serra clearly believed that he’d deserved the nod in the fight, and couldn’t let go of his dislike for Hughes, even years after the fight.
In fact, as recently as 2016, ‘The Terror’, who retired from MMA in 2010, stated that he’d always be willing to return for a rematch with Hughes. He also labeled him a “pompous idiot” in the process. To date, this hatchet has still not been buried.
#1. Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov – fought at UFC 229
It’s pretty safe to say that, despite a largely climactic fight at UFC 229, the feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov is still very real.
As every UFC fan can probably remember, the build-up to their fight was hugely fraught. It started when McGregor infamously attacked a bus containing numerous fighters, including Khabib, preparing for action at UFC 223.
And despite Khabib finishing the fight with a neck crank in the fourth round, clearly proving his superiority, a post-fight brawl between the two men and their respective camps ensured that the rivalry continued.
Since Nurmagomedov’s retirement from MMA in October 2020, though, many fans expected cooler heads to prevail and the hatchet to be buried. After all, the chances of a potential rematch now seem highly unlikely.
Instead, though, both ‘The Eagle’ and the 'Notorious’ Irishman have continued to snipe at each other via social media, ensuring that the bad blood still remains fresh.
For instance, the two ended up in a nasty Twitter spat earlier in 2021 when McGregor apparently mocked the death of Khabib’s father Abdulmanap. The incident caused ‘The Eagle’ to label him “evil” and “dirty” in response.
And just last month, when talking about Jose Aldo, Nurmagomedov couldn’t help but take a shot at his Irish rival, labeling him a “scared chicken” when facing tough opponents like Dustin Poirier.
Given how active both men remain on social media, it’s probably safe to say that this grudge may well last for a while longer, too.
