Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold and 5 of the weirdest UFC fights

#4. Diego Sanchez vs. Michel Pereira

By the time of UFC Fight Night 167, Diego Sanchez was well past his prime, having made his professional MMA debut as far back as 2002. Thus, when he crossed paths with Michel Pereira 18 years later, he was not the same fighter he once was. No longer 'The Nightmare', Sanchez wallowed deeper into his unorthodox training methods alongside former head coach Joshua Fabia.

The matchup was intended as a showcase for Pereira as the Brazilian eclipsed his veteran foe in size, athleticism, and overall skill. During the bout, Sanchez twice attempted bizarre somersaults that were likely ill-timed rolling thunder kicks, if anything.

Neither of them landed, nor did Sanchez's sudden forward charges, which would see the UFC legend literally sprint across the cage to land punches.

Pereira was just as strange, fighting more like a Tekken character than a UFC fighter, while also engaging in truly odd behaviors like tapping his own heels and bouncing from side to side without making eye contact with Sanchez. Nevertheless, by the 3rd round, Sanchez had been thoroughly dominated before fortune shone on him.

His foe landed an illegal knee. While 'The Nightmare' seemed relatively fine, he opted against resuming the bout upon being informed that he'd win by disqualification if he chose not to continue the fight. Sanchez chose not to continue the fight, claiming the win via DQ to cap off a truly strange contest.

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#3. Ilia Topuria vs. Ryan Hall

At UFC 264, one of the most bizarre fights in recent memory took place when the oft-avoided Ryan Hall collided with undefeated finisher Ilia Topuria. From the onset of the bout, it was clear that Hall—a feared Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt—had no reliable strategy other than implementing an Imanari roll to force the fight to the ground. Thus, Hall kept using the Imanari roll with no setup, again and again to no effect.

No matter how many times he failed, Hall repeatedly tried securing an Imanari roll while Joe Rogan vehemently defended the featherweight grappler's questionable approach to the bout. The commentator even hit out at fans who began booing the American's performance.

When Topuria dragged Hall to the ground, securing his foe's back, Rogan upped the odd nature of the bout by asserting that Topuria—who had back control—was in trouble for doing so.

Right before the final seconds of the fight, which Topuria won via KO, UFC commentators Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan were pushing the narrative of how the Georgian couldn't approach the matchup the same way he approached all others, while ignoring Hall's decision to constantly roll or fall onto his own back.

Yet, moments later, Topuria secured a dominant position on the ground, knocking Hall unconscious with ground and pound.