5 UFC title fights that made no sense

UFC history is littered with title shots that felt undeserved. Most of them, though, could be explained by reasons like star power or unfinished rivalries.

There have, though, been a number of UFC title fights booked over the years that basically made no sense whatsoever, leaving fans baffled.

Quite what the promotion was thinking in booking these title fights often remains a mystery, even years after the fact.

Here are five UFC title fights that made no sense.

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#5. Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. - UFC 307

While it hasn't actually taken place yet, a list detailing title fights that didn't make sense wouldn't be complete without this upcoming light-heavyweight title bout.

When it was announced last week that current 205-pound kingpin Alex Pereira would be returning at UFC 307 to defend his crown against Khalil Rountree Jr, most fans were baffled.

When 'Poatan' downed Jiri Prochazka in June, most observers believed his next logical challenger would be Magomed Ankalaev.

After all, the Dagestani is currently riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak and is ranked at No.2 in the division. More to the point, his wrestling-heavy style appeared to be the best test for Pereira's overall skills.

Instead, it was announced that Ankalaev's next fight would be against Aleksandar Rakic in October. This instantly led fans to believe that Pereira's next fight was being saved, potentially for a mega-clash with Israel Adesanya.

Instead, though, he'll now be facing the No.8 ranked Rountree. 'The War Horse' is on a five-fight win streak, but he's also coming off a suspension for PEDs, making him a truly confusing choice for a title fight.

Quite what Dana White and company are thinking with this one is a mystery, but one can only hope that Pereira comes through the fight quickly, and can face Ankalaev as soon as possible.

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#4. Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland - UFC 293

Sometimes, it seems that timing is the most important factor in deciding the UFC's title fights.

A great case of this came in 2023 when Sean Strickland received an unlikely shot at middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

To be fair to Strickland, he wasn't an entirely undeserving contender. He'd won his last two bouts and was ranked in the top ten at 185 pounds.

However, a couple of months prior, Adesanya had already begun a bitter rivalry with Dricus du Plessis, and literally every fan wanted to see that fight.

Du Plessis had knocked out former champ Robert Whittaker, capping off a run of six wins in the octagon. He was quite clearly the top contender to 'The Last Stylebender'.

Despite this, Dana White and company wanted a headline bout for their pay-per-view in September, and as 'Stillknocks' had only beaten Whittaker in July, he stated he wouldn't be ready for that date.

From there, the Adesanya vs. Strickland fight was made instead, frustrating fans who wanted 'The Last Stylebender' to settle his grudge with du Plessis.

In the end, of course, 'Tarzan' justified his opportunity by upsetting Adesanya over five rounds. And thankfully, fans who wanted Adesanya vs. du Plessis did get that fight - albeit with 'Stillknocks' as champ - this past weekend.

Still, it'd be hard to claim that Strickland's title shot made any kind of sense outside of the timing issue.

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#3. Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida - UFC 140

Another good example of bad timing causing a UFC title fight that didn't make too much sense came in December 2011. It saw Jon Jones defend his light-heavyweight title against Lyoto Machida instead of the recognized top contender, Rashad Evans.

Jones had actually won the title in the first place after replacing Evans in a bout with then-champ Shogun Rua earlier in the year. At that point, the two men were friends and teammates.

Following 'Bones' becoming champion, though, a vicious fall-out took place that saw Evans leave his longtime training camp to start his own team. Suddenly, Jones vs. 'Suga' was the fight everyone wanted to see.

The UFC initially booked it to take place in August, but when Jones picked up an injury, Evans instead defeated Tito Ortiz.

A month later, 'Bones' was back to beat Rampage Jackson in his first title defense, seemingly setting up his fight with Evans.

Unfortunately, 'Suga' couldn't make the planned December date. Rather than simply push the fight back, Dana White and company made the confusing decision to book Jones against former titleholder Machida, who'd gone 1-2 in his last three fights, instead.

Jones beat Machida handily, but the decision to book the fight felt even more nonsensical when Evans returned literally six weeks later to beat Phil Davis.

Quite why the promotion couldn't have just waited to book the fight everyone wanted to see was baffling. Jones vs. Evans eventually took place in April 2012, but the path to the fight remains confusing over a decade on.

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#2. Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero - UFC 248

Israel Adesanya's 2023 title fight with Sean Strickland wasn't the first one to make very little sense during his run as middleweight champion.

'The Last Stylebender' famously defeated Robert Whittaker to claim the 185-pound crown in late 2019, but at the time, he wasn't the only undefeated star in the division.

Paulo Costa, who had debuted just over a year prior to Adesanya, was also cutting a path of destruction through the division.

By 2019, 'The Eraser' had beaten four opponents in a row to take his overall MMA record to 12-0. When he then defeated former title challenger Yoel Romero in a 'Fight of the Year' candidate, he was cemented as the division's top contender.

Fans quickly began salivating over the thought of an Adesanya vs. Costa bout, but they were left scratching their heads when Dana White announced the next title fight.

Instead of facing Costa, Adesanya was booked against Romero in his first title defense. Remarkably, 'The Soldier of God' had lost his last two fights, and hadn't won since February 2018!

Why was he suddenly pushed into a title shot? According to Dana White, albeit after the fight had happened, Costa was injured. Adesanya didn't want to wait, and the UFC CEO thought the fight would be fun.

White went on to admit that the fight hadn't lived up to his expectations and then stated that the promotion probably should've just waited for Costa. The Brazilian eventually got his shot, but only months after what was one of the most nonsensical title bouts in octagon history.

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#1. Andrei Arlovski vs. Justin Eilers - UFC 53

It's arguable that the UFC title fight that made the least sense took place in the summer of 2005 and saw Andrei Arlovski defend his interim heavyweight title against Justin Eilers.

There were multiple reasons why this fight was baffling, and to tell the truth, it still doesn't make a lot of sense nearly two decades later.

To defend the matchmakers slightly, Eilers wasn't their original choice to face 'The Pitbull'.

Former titleholder Ricco Rodriguez was initially the chosen contender, but when 'Suave' decided that he couldn't put a decent training camp together, he withdrew.

Not wanting to remove Arlovksi from the event altogether, a search for a different contender was underway. The obvious choice was Paul Buentello.

'The Headhunter' had debuted in the octagon four months earlier with a vicious knockout of Eilers, had a big reputation, and was on a five-fight win streak.

Bizarrely, though, Buentello was overlooked in favor of Eilers himself, despite the fans literally seeing 'The Headhunter' drop the latter face-first just two events prior.

The explanation given was that Buentello had injured his hand in that fight, but that made even less sense when the former King of the Cage champ was also booked at UFC 53 against debutant Kevin Jordan.

Quite why Buentello was held back remains a mystery, even if it didn't matter in the long term. Arlovski unsurprisingly dispatched Eilers with ease and ended up fighting - and beating 'The Headhunter' four months later.

Still, 'The Pitbull's' first title defense against Eilers stands as the most absurd title bout in UFC history.