5 UFC fighters who made death threats to their rivals

Emotions often run high in a sport as demanding as MMA. At UFC 245, for instance, referee Marc Goddard's decision to stop the Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman fight garnered much attention. Covington was furious at Goddard's decision and did not shy away from calling him out.

On a podcast with Dan Hardy, Goddard opened up about the death threats he received from many of Covington's fans following the bout. It's fair to say that fans and fighters may cross the line when it comes to MMA.

The world of UFC has seen many rivalries over the years. From intense trash talk to bloody wars in the octagon, the UFC has been privy to it all. It's this intensity that fuels the popularity of Dana White's promotion.

In the age of social media, UFC fighters are now known to exchange verbal blows online. These messages, available for the world to see, often take dark turns. There have been instances of fighters threatening the lives of their rivals.

This article will look at five such instances between UFC fighters.

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#5. Conor McGregor to Tony Ferguson

Tony Ferguson was a recipient of one of multiple Conor McGregor death threats.

Ferguson took a jab at the Irishman on Twitter. 'El Cucuy' mentioned having something along the lines of "unfinished business" with the Irishman. McGregor, predictably, did not take too kindly to this.

Check out Tony Ferguson's post below:

During a QnA session on Twitter, Conor retaliated by calling his opponents "clowns," presumably talking about Tony Ferguson.

Ferguson shot back, accusing McGregor of being on growth hormones to look beefed up. He continued his rant, calling Conor "mentally weak" and "fragile."

"Taking Growth Hormone Will Do That To Someone’s Build. You’re Mentally Weak & Your Leg Is Compromised. Your Fragile, Frail & Breakable. That GH Gon’ Make U Break Kid. Keep Pumpin’ Ya Chest Ya Cheat. Not The 1st Time God Punished You. You Like Picking On People And DJ’s? WTF P****"

Ferguson's remarks made Conor McGregor go ballistic. In a now-deleted tweet, he threatened to kill 'El Cucuy' in the octagon. Addressing Tony Ferguson, McGregor wrote:

"Me and you are fighting one day mate and I gonna end your life in there full of it. Sauce. Money. Power. I already won all the belts and the money in this game I just wanna kill one of yous rats in there now it’s the only thing left for me to do. And Watch me do it. Only on PPV."

Check out a screenshot of Conor McGregor's now-deleted tweet:

Conor McGregor's deleted tweet about Tony Ferguson.

#4. Jon Jones at UFC 178 promotional events

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier's rivalry is a classic example of UFC fighters getting off on the wrong foot. The feud reached another level when the two fighters squared off at a now-iconic press event before their fight at UFC 178.

Soon after clashing heads, Jones and Cormier were involved in a brawl.

Check out the incident below:

In an interview with ESPN minutes after the incident, Cormier called Jones out for being "the fakest person" and a "chameleon."

Jon Jones didn't back down, and as the back and forth continued, DC told Jones he would've spat on his face had they been in the same room. Cormier's remarks seemed to irk Jones, who then threatened to kill his opponent.

Jon Jones told Daniel Cormier:

"I would literally kill you if you spit in my face. Literally kill you. I'm not saying I would fight you, I'm saying I would kill you if you did some stupid s*** like that."

Check out Jon Jones threatening to kill Daniel Cormier at the 1:00 mark of the video below:

The rivals did not clash at UFC 178 after 'Bones' withdrew, citing a leg injury. The fight was rescheduled to UFC 182, where Jones won via unanimous decision.

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#3. Henry Cejudo to Demetrious Johnson

Henry Cejudo faced then-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197. On the night, Johnson overwhelmed Cejudo with his strikes and won the fight via first-round TKO.

That didn't deter 'Triple C' from sending death threats to Johnson. Cejudo took to Twitter to take a jibe at Johnson, promising to "kill the mouse," and calling him a fighter "nobody cares to watch."

A few months later, Henry Cejudo handed Demetrious Johnson his first loss since 2011. It was a close contest, but Cejudo had the last laugh. Two judges scored 48-47 in Cejudo's favor, while the third judge scored it 48-47 for Johnson.

This ended Demetrious Johnson's 11-fight winning streak and paved the way for a new UFC flyweight champion in Henry Cejudo.

It was Johnson's last fight in the UFC. He was traded to ONE Championship soon after.

#2. Frank Mir wanted Brock Lesnar to die from octagon-related injuries

Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar's feud is legendary. The rivals met twice in the UFC and managed a win apiece. However, things got out of hand when Mir went on record to send death threats to Lesnar.

Speaking to WXDX-FM, Frank Mir expressed his hatred for the former UFC heavyweight champion. He said he wanted Brock Lesnar to become the first person that "dies to octagon-related injuries."

"I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries."

Mir later apologized for taking things too far but returned to his ways soon after. After making his pro wrestling debut, Mir reiterated his intentions of killing Lesnar.

"I’m getting into this to face Brock Lesnar. I couldn’t make him the first octagon death. Maybe I’ll make him the first in the ring."

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#1. Conor McGregor to Dustin Poirier after UFC 264 loss

'The Notorious' locked horns with Dustin Poirier for a third time at UFC 264, hoping to cap off his rivalry with a win.

However, with the fight ending in unfortunate fashion due to a leg injury, a frustrated Conor McGregor lashed out at Dustin Poirier and his wife, Jolie.

McGregor was caught threatening Poirier and his wife as he lay on the canvas with a broken leg.

"In your sleep you’re getting it, in your sleep you’re dead, you and your Mrs, it ain’t over."

McGregor's behavior drew criticism from UFC fighter-turned-commentator Paul Felder. Felder felt Conor McGregor had crossed a line with his death threats and by dragging Poirier's family into the feud.

Reacting to the incident on an episode of UFC Round-Up, Felder slammed McGregor, saying:

“You’re on the ground with your leg broken in half at the bottom, threatening to kill somebody to a man who has just dominated you twice in a row now.”

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