5 UFC stars who held grudges for far too long

#2. Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes – fought at UFC 98

Matt Serra still holds a grudge against old rival Matt Hughes

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.

That's either gonna be a split for Hughes or a draw. #ufc98

— Joe Ruiz (@joeruiz) May 24, 2009

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.

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#1. Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov – fought at UFC 229

Despite a climactic end to their fight, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have never buried the hatchet

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.

Good always defeats evil.Very happy for @DustinPoirier I hope you will get the belt end of the year

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) July 11, 2021

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.