5 UFC fighters who feuded but never fought

#4. Kamaru Usman and Ben Askren

As with the feud between Luke Rockhold and Anthony Smith, the short-lived animosity between Kamaru Usman and Ben Askren was rooted in what one fighter deemed to be disrespect from another.

The difference, however, is that Usman and Askren had an actual physical confrontation. This happened due to Askren's insistence on calling Usman by the name his former high school wrestling coach used for him: Marty. It led to a backstage confrontation with Usman and Askren having to be kept apart.

When both men stepped onto the stage for the UFC 235 pre-fight press conference, they jabbed at each other. Askren mocked Usman's attempts at intimidating a professional fighter who was actively hoping to fight him inside the octagon.

On the other hand, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' poked fun at Askren's run in Bellator and ONE FC by congratulating him for finally signing with the UFC and being on stage with his favorite fighters. Despite it all, the two never faced one another in a bout.

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#3. Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan

The animosity between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan almost seems one-sided at times, largely due to the Russian's dismissive attitude towards the Georgian. However, Dvalishvili has expressed his dislike for 'No Mercy' numerous times.

He has cited the Russian's disrespect towards the reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, a friend of Dvalishvili's, as the source of his contempt.

The Georgian claimed that Yan directly addressed him when he threatened to brawl with Sterling at the hotel prior to their bout. Nevertheless, Dvalishvili acknowledged the Russian as a great fighter.

That, however, changed when he was asked about his prediction for Yan's upcoming matchup with rising UFC star Sean O'Malley. Merab Dvalishvili dismissed both fighters, claiming both were subpar.

He later snuck in another dig by expressing his joy over fighting a legend like former UFC featherweight champion José Aldo as opposed to someone like Yan, whom he described in unflattering terms.

Yan, for his part, has largely ignored the Georgian. Though he did mock his fairly uneventful win over Aldo, an opponent who Yan TKO'd in the past.