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#4. Former UFC champion Max Holloway vs. former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov
In April 2018, former UFC champion Max Holloway was tapped as the replacement for Tony Ferguson after his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov was scratched due to injury. Holloway was suddenly involved in one of the most significant UFC lightweight title fights in history. If Holloway were victorious, he would have joined Conor McGregor as the second two-division champion in UFC history.
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Disaster would strike, akin to a shadowy curse, and Max Holloway was declared unfit to compete at UFC 223.
The reason behind Max Holloway's forced withdrawal from the contest came from the New York State Athletic Commission. Doctors for the commission thought Holloway's extreme weight cut was too dangerous, and the bout was subsequently called off at the eleventh hour.
Al Iaquinta instead challenged Nurmagomedov for the vacant lightweight championship. While Nurmadomedov would succeed in the end, 'Ragin Al' still put up an admirable showing. In fact, he remains the only lightweight in history to go five rounds with 'The Eagle'. Nevertheless, fans lost a big one when Holloway and Nurmagomedov got away.
Max Holloway has the distinction of being the only American to capture and defend the 145-pound strap. A fight against Nurmagomedov, even an unsuccessful one, would have catapulted 'Blessed' into superstardom.
Unfortunately, that isn't the only instance where a fight might have been cursed from its inception.
#3. Former UFC interim champion Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz
One bout that got away was Dustin Poirier against Stockton's Nate Diaz.
After a 2-year layoff, reports surfaced that Nate Diaz would return to action against Dustin Poirier. The marquee bout was expected to serve as the co-main event for the UFC 230 pay-per-view. The main event was Louisiana's two-division champion Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis.
As with any Nate Diaz UFC fight announcement, suffice to say, it's big news. UFC fans were in a frenzy after hearing about a potential fight with Poirier. With two lightweights that love to stand and trade, the bout had all of the prerequisites to amount to something extraordinary.
Interestingly, Poirier has mentioned a deeper story as to why the fight fell apart. According to 'The Diamond', he admitted he got hip injections due to injury, but believes that was not the primary force as to why the fight didn't happen.
Despite the potential fight falling through, Poirier has not given up on the idea of fighting Nate Diaz down the line. However, as it stands, the fight is cursed. With only one fight left on Nate Diaz's contract, he certainly won't be fighting Poirier any time soon.
'The Diamond' is expected to face lightweight champion Charles Oliveira on Dec. 11 at UFC 269.
