Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira and 4 other great rivalries in the UFC

#4. Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal

At one point in time, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were once close friends. In fact, in Covington's words, the two were best friends. Masvidal claims to have helped the former UFC interim welterweight champion in the past by accommodating him at his own home when Covington had no place to stay.

'Chaos' contested the claim, stating that it was the home of Masvidal's ex-wife instead. The two were former training partners at the American Top Team, during which tensions arose when Covington adopted his heel gimmick and began verbally attacking their teammates in the media. Dan Lambert was forced to discipline both fighters to no avail.

Masvidal began to publicly question the integrity of Covington's decision to attack former friends and training partners for the purpose of raising his public profile. He did this all the while accusing 'Chaos' of refusing to pay one of their coaches.

When Covington finally left ATT, the feud escalated. The NCAA Division I standout revealed details of their past sparring sessions, claiming to have dominated Masvidal to such an extent that 'Gamebred' became unwilling to train with him.

He also questioned his former friend's quality as a father before posting an Instagram picture with a woman alleged to be Masvidal's ex-wife and accusing him of previous infidelity.

When the two faced off at UFC 272, Covington won in dominant fashion. The rivalry, however, was not over as 'Chaos' was later attacked by Masvidal outside a steakhouse, leading to a legal dispute between the two former friends that is yet to be resolved.

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#3. Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling is the current UFC bantamweight champion, while Petr Yan is the division's former kingpin. Both men have locked horns twice, with both fights ending in victories for Sterling.

Their first bout, however, has an asterix. Prior to UFC 259, Petr Yan was the reigning UFC bantamweight champion. Sterling made it a point to question the widely held opinion that Yan was the division's best fighter by criticizing the competition the Russian had faced in his path to the title.

Yan faced Urijah Faber, who by no one's metric was an elite bantamweight at that point. Afterward, the Russian faced Jose Aldo, who while great, was on a two-fight losing streak, capturing the then vacant bantamweight title against the Brazilian.

So when Yan finally faced Sterling at UFC 259, the Russian phenom had a point to prove. He dominated the fight, punctuating his performance with several takedowns to add insult to injury as Sterling is primarily a wrestler.

However, in the final minute of the fourth round, Yan landed an illegal knee when Sterling was grounded. Sterling was unable to continue the bout and won Yan's belt due to disqualification, becoming the first UFC champion to do so in the promotion's history.

Fans around the world were highly critical of Sterling following the bout, with many suggesting that the Jamaican's reactions following the illegal knee were exaggerated. They believed that he was well-equipped to continue the bout but refused to do so as he recognized Yan's superiority.

The claims intensified when Yan himself began echoing them and Sterling was forced to withdraw from a scheduled rematch in favor of a surgery he had been delaying.

'The Funmkaster' became an internet meme, with many labeling him a paper champion fleeing from the true champion. After recovering from his surgery, Sterling agreed to a rematch but Yan was forced to withdraw, leading to accusations from Sterling.

Finally, at UFC 273, the two faced off in a bout many believed Yan would win without effort. Instead, Sterling controlled major portions of the bout when the Russian repeatedly exposed his back while defending takedowns, leading to a split-decision loss for the former champion.