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The UFC is the epitome of MMA as a sport, but it is a business first and foremost. Because of that, its main priority is generating as much revenue as possible. This causes it to give importance to countless different things that seem to have nothing to do with the athletic integrity of the sport.
This entails throwing more of their promotional weight behind flashy knockout artists who double as trash-talkers. However, there's nothing quite like a heated rivalry to invigorate the fans and draw the attention of viewers everywhere. In a sport as competitive and physical as MMA, such rivalries are natural byproducts.
Two fighters aiming for the top of the division will always butt heads. Furthermore, the sport rewards strong personalities, which clash when in the presence of each other. Thus, there have been numerous rivalries throughout UFC history, but which of them stands above the others as the greatest?
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#5. Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate
Back in 2011, UFC president Dana White made the now-infamous, statement that women would never fight in the octagon. These words came back to bite him, as Ronda Rousey emerged as the premier attraction in MMA. As a natural hothead with a hyper-competitive streak, 'Rowdy' was never the most agreeable fighter.
But there is one fighter, perhaps besides Cris Cyborg, that she detested more than anyone, and that was Miesha Tate. The two women first crossed swords back in their Strikeforce days, when Tate was the women's bantamweight champion. At the time, Rousey was scheduled to face her for the 135-pound title.
It was Tate's opinion that her foe had nothing to merit a title shot and that she was merely being given the opportunity due to her physical appearance and being marketable. When the two women finally clashed, however, Rousey proved to be more than good enough, submitting Tate in the first round via trademark armbar.
It was a humbling loss for 'Cupcake' and set the stage for an explosive rematch when both women signed with the UFC. By then, Rousey was the UFC women's bantamweight champion. The two filmed The Ultimate Fighter 18 together and had countless heated confrontations ahead of their showdown.
When the two finally locked horns, the ensuing fight was longer than their first, but the result was ultimately the same, with Rousey submitting Tate via armbar. After her win, 'Rowdy' refused to shake Tate's hand, punctuating a rivalry credited with bringing WMMA to the forefront of MMA media attention.
#4. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
Some fans are still in disagreement over who the greatest trash-talker in MMA history is: Conor McGregor or Chael Sonnen. During the peak of Anderson Silva's title reign as the UFC middleweight champion, he was greatly feared as an invincible fighter who humiliated and dismantled his foes.
Finding willing opponents became difficult, but Chael Sonnen stepped up to the plate, viciously attacking 'The Spider' with relentless trash talk aimed at both his skills and worth as a fighter. He claimed that Silva was the worst draw in UFC history and that the Brazilian only pretended not to speak English.
He mocked his foe's association with the Nogueira brothers, claiming that earning a black belt from them was no different than a child winning a toy with their McDonald's Happy Meal. When the two men finally fought, Sonnen came within touching distance of victory, dropping and outwrestling Silva.
A last-ditch triangle armbar from the Brazilian forced Sonnen to tap out. It was not the win that Silva wanted, so when Sonnen worked his way back into a rematch, Silva claimed he was giving his rival a chance to redeem himself. The trash talk ensued and Sonnen even threatened to spank Silva's wife.
Despite all of the bluster, the result was still the same. 'The Spider,' in a far better performance, TKO'd Sonnen in the second round to close out a feud that made them both massive PPV attractions.
#3. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
The feud between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is less about genuine enmity and more about a clash of personalities that just don't mix. The Irishman is a vain trash-talker who enjoys the finer things in life, while Diaz is a foul-mouthed, mean-mugger who likens himself to a gangster.
After beating Michael Johnson in impressive fashion, the Stockton cult icon called out McGregor in an explosive post-fight interview, claiming that 'The Notorious' was taking everything he had worked for. Fans were shocked, and the UFC took notice, enlisting Nate Diaz's services when Rafael dos Anjos became unavailable.
'RDA' was scheduled to defend his lightweight title against McGregor, who sought to become the UFC's first-ever simultaneous two-division champion. Nate Diaz stepped in on short notice, accused his foe of steroid use during the pre-fight press conference, and was in turn labeled a faux gangster by McGregor.
For his role as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor for children, the Irishman mocked him, claiming he made animal balloons with one hand and gun signs with the other. It sparked immediate interest in their bout, and come UFC 196, an unlikely outcome took place as Diaz stunned and choked out McGregor, the betting favorite.
It set up a rematch preceded by fake retirements and arguments with the promotion before the two men finally set foot inside the octagon and had a war for the ages that ended with McGregor's hand raised in victory, with a majority decision.
#2. Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are polar opposites, but it appears that their heated feud stems from a misunderstanding of sorts. Jones claims that when he was first introduced to Cormier, he tried to break the tension of meeting someone new by making a joke about 'DC's' wrestling credentials.
According to Jones, he jokingly told Cormier he could take him down. However, 'DC' took offense to this, and the two have never seen eye to eye since. It seems like an inconsequential beginning to the pair's rivalry, but it encapsulates Cormier's deep need to prove that he can not only compete with Jones but beat him.
To avoid facing his teammate and close friend Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title, 'DC' cut down to light heavyweight in pursuit of Jon Jones and the undisputed 205-pound strap he held at the time. After defeating Dan Henderson, Daniel Cormier challenged 'Bones' in his post-fight interview.
He promised Jones that there was no running from him, and the matchup was set. The leadup to their first bout was marred by brawls, trash talk, and even death threats. It was of Cormier's opinion that Jones was a fraudulent person who didn't deserve everything he had, and he would storm into the octagon and take it all.
But when the two men finally crossed swords, Jones proved to be a step ahead, outwrestling and outstriking Cormier. That, however, was not the end of their feud. Afterward , Jones' true character came to light as positive drug tests for cocaine and a subsequent hit-and-run incident led to the UFC stripping him of his title.
Cormier eventually won the vacant title and a rematch was set. But a positive PED test saw their original rematch axed, and 'DC' began doubting if Jones would ever set foot inside the octagon due to his poor decision-making. Finally, the two rematched, with Jones emerging victorious via TKO.
Alas, Jones tested positive for PEDs again, and the bout was overturned to a no-contest. It was the last time the two clashed in the cage, but their feud still lives on in some form.
#1. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor
There is no rivalry more personal than Khabib Nurmagomedov's feud with Conor McGregor. Strangely enough, the two were once good friends, but things took a turn for the worst after the Irishman was scheduled to face Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, which Kha bib Nurmagomedov thought he was in line for.
It turned out that the contract the UFC had sent him was just for leverage against McGregor during the promotion's negotiations with the Irishman. After realizing that he was used as a pawn in the UFC's game, Nurmagomedov snapped. He began calling McGregor out, referring to him as a chicken.
Things escalated beyond the point of no return when Artem Lobov, at the time a good friend of Conor McGregor's, spoke ill of Khabib Nurmagomedov in an interview. This prompted Nurmagomedov to corner him in a hotel hallway with a group of his goons, filming a confrontation that saw 'The Eagle' slap Lobov.
The video was uploaded to the internet and upon viewing it, McGregor was enraged. He boarded his private jet with his own cronies and flew to New York, where he intercepted a bus carrying Nurmagomedov, along with other fighters, attacking it in one of the ugliest scenes in UFC history.
Afterward, 'The Eagle' famously told McGregor to send him a location and the two would come face to face. Regardless, the UFC booked the two for a fight, with Nurmagomedov set to defend his newly minted lightweight title against the champion who never lost it in the cage.
The pre-fight press conference was filled with personal and religious insults that rattled Nurmagomedov. So when the two finally clashed inside the octagon, the bout was tense. Nurmagomedov was dominant, but after finishing his foe, climbed out of the cage and attacked Dillon Danis, one of the Irishman's cornermen.
The brawl marked an ugly end to a fight that headlined the highest-selling pay-per-view card in MMA history, with 2.4 million buys. The feud has not died down at all, with both men still taking occasional shots at each other.
