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The UFC is the most visible MMA promotion in the world. Thus, it stands to reason that any odd occurrence that happens inside the octagon or even outside it, as long as it pertains to the UFC's fighters, will attract attention. Throughout its history, the UFC has been at the center of many bizarre situations.
The back-to-back injuries suffered in the main events of the last two UFC fight cards have caused a surge in concern over what might be happening. Unfortunately, the recent string of injuries in previous UFC events is neither the first nor last bizarre occurrence MMA fans will see.
Tom Aspinall's unexplained knee injury and Brian Ortega disclocating his shoulder are among the many situations that have left fans, pundits and fighters scratching their heads. This list compiles five superstitious beliefs and or urban legends that have found staying power in the MMA fanbase.
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#5. The head kick at UFC 54
When MMA was still a niche sport that ranked below the notice of mainstream sports media, the UFC was competing with the likes of PRIDE FC for prominence within the young combat sports fanbase. In 2005, one of the events that the promotion organized was UFC 54.
The fight card was headlined by a bout between the then-reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. What many fans remember from the event is an erroneous belief surrounding the knockout power of a head kick that Tim Sylvia, then a future UFC heavyweight champion, landed on his opponent, Tra Telligman.
The matchup was lopsided. Sylvia battered Telligman to a bloodied pulp that would've earned calls for the fight to be stopped had it taken place decades later. In the closing seconds of the first round, Sylvia knocked his foe unconscious with a seismic head kick. The impact was such that Telligman had to be stretchered out of the octagon.
Not long after, his career as a mixed martial artist was over. While it is not strange for a fighter to retire from combat sports after suffering a brutal knockout loss, Telligman's inexplicable public disappearance thereafter led to rumors that Sylvia's head kick had, in fact, killed him. The rumors were, of course, untrue, as Telligman is alive and well.
#4. The Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson curse
No modern MMA fight has been booked more times, only to collapse in the final instance than the failed bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. Both men are MMA legends, with the Russian retiring undefeated as the undisputed lightweight champion and the owner of a 29-0 record.
Ferguson, meanwhile, continues to ply his trade in the lightweight division. Despite his current losing streak, his legacy as a fighter who embarked on one of the division's most impressive win streaks remains intact. When both fighters were in their primes, fans clamored for a matchup between the two.
Nurmagomedov was an elite ground-and-pound specialist with a suffocating top game and relentless chain wrestling. 'El Cucuy', by contrast, was a buzzsaw of elbows, pressure and unorthodox Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Fans were eager to see how the grappling exchanges would ensue, least of all due to Ferguson's prolific use of the rubber guard in MMA.
Unfortunately, the fight never materialized. The matchup was scheduled five separate times, with both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson each withdrawing from the matchup at different points due to injuries and health-related setbacks ranging from bad weight cuts on Nurmagomedov's part to Ferguson tripping on a cable before the fifth bout collapsed due to the onset of a global pandemic.
The matchup has since been declared cursed, with many citing how bizarre the bout cancelations grew as time went on.
#3. The Chael Sonnen prediction curse
In his heyday, Chael Sonnen was one of MMA's most prolific trash talkers, capable of promoting himself into title fights while coming off of losses. Such was the case when the former title challenger talked himself into a title fight with Jon Jones despite suffering a TKO loss to Anderson Silva in his previous fight.
Following his retirement from active MMA competition, the former All-American wrestler embarked on a career as an MMA podcaster and analyst. Due to his natural charisma and silver tongue, Sonnen was able to grow his fanbase as he covered various topics on his podcast.
Nothing, however, earned more attention than Sonnen's pre-fight predictions. 'The American Gangster' is specifically known for the low success rate of these pre-fight predictions. Often-times, the outcomes he predicts for upcoming bouts are the opposite of what transpires inside the octagon.
This has led to a comical superstition that Sonnen only ever makes false predictions and that people ought to select the fighter that the former UFC title challenger picked against in order to secure bets.
#2. The Paul Felder curse
During his active years, retired lightweight contender Paul Felder was one of the toughest fighters on the roster. Despite retiring early, 'The Irish Dragon' was never finished throughout his 23-fight run in the UFC. Every loss he suffered was competitive, with all but one coming by way of split-decision.
A curious feature, however, of Felder's MMA career is that almost every fighter who has defeated him immediately loses their next bout. Felder's six losses came against Edson Barboza, Ross Pearson, Francisco Trinaldo, Mike Perry, Dan Hooker and Rafael dos Anjos.
The Paul Felder curse seems to have applied to every single one of his foes with the exception of Rafael dos Anjos, who enjoyed a two-year break from MMA after his victory before making a successful return against Renato Moicano. Every other foe Felder has faced, however, cannot say the same.
#1. The UFC main event injury curse
In recent weeks, the UFC has experienced a bizarre stretch of injuries that have affected the promotion's main event bouts. Last Saturday, UFC Fight Night 208 was headlined by Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight bout that would have likely been a title eliminator.
For Curtis Blaydes, it was a chance to extend his win streak to three victories as he hoped to earn a trilogy bout against reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who remains the only man to defeat Blaydes twice. Tom Aspinall, meanwhile, was headlining his second fight card in London.
A rising contender with blistering speed and all of his victories coming by way of either knockout or submission, Aspinall was riding an eight-fight win streak heading into the main event. Just 15 seconds into the bout, however, he collapsed after landing a low kick. His technique was perfect, nor did Blaydes check the kick to wound Aspinall's shin.
Instead, the Brit simply collapsed, clutching his knee in agony after suffering a freak injury that remains undisclosed. Prior to the UFC London event, the UFC on ABC 3 fight card suffered a similar situation as Brian Ortega dislocated his shoulder four minutes into his main event bout with Yair Rodriguez in what fans have since dubbed the main event curse.
