Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
Werdum and Velazquez may have completely altered UFC 196 but at least their late withdrawal didn’t see their original card completely destabilise like the ill-fated Jones and Henderson-headlined UFC 151. With Dan Henderson forced to give up his hard-earned shot due to injury the UFC scrambled to find a new challenger for their light heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for fans, and much to Dana White’s well documented dismay, Jones and his camp refused the proposed challenge of Chael Sonnen and the entire card was binned. With Jones having just returned to active duty following a controversial 2015, and Dan Henderson well on the wrong side of forty and now competing back down at middleweight, the chances of seeing these two meeting inside the Octagon are slim to none.
Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva
Billed as probably the biggest grudge match since his famous battle with Anderson Silva, trash talk pioneer Chael Sonnen and Pride legend Wanderlei Silva were set to meet on a number of occasions before their anticipated battle landed on the scrap heap. Set to finally meet at UFC 175 following two failed booking attempts due to injuries stemming from their infamous brawl on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, the bout was ultimately ditched entirely following a number of drug test failures. Neither Sonnen or Silva competed for the UFC again following the debacle, and it’s highly unlikely that the two will ever resolve their differences inside the Octagon.
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir III
Having welcomed Brock Lesnar to the UFC with a first round heel hook submission victory, Frank Mir found himself on the wrong side of a vicious beatdown in their undisputed title rematch at the historic UFC 100. Already an intense rivalry between two giant heavyweights, Mir upped the ante considerably when he controversially admitted that he wanted to break Lesnar’s neck and kill him in a third match. The rubber match between the two would have been huge for the promotion, but unfortunately for everyone it’ll never likely happen. Lesnar’s long battle with Diverticulosis eventually wore the former champion down and was the primary reason for his premature retirement from the sport in late 2011.
Ronda Rousey vs. Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino
Following her UFC debut in 2013 Ronda Rousey took the world by storm thanks to a string of dominant performances that were so short that you could upload them to Vine. Despite these undeniably impressive victories however many believed that Rousey’s toughest test remained outside the promotion. Years before Rousey, Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino was the unbeatable destroyer of WMMA, but due to a weight discrepancy the UFC’s crown jewel refused to take the superfight. Signing with the UFC in 2015 led many to believe that the fight was close to happening, but plans abruptly changed in November when Holly Holm stepped up to defeat Rousey and claim the bantamweight gold.
The definitive dream match that never happened, Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko will forever be the greatest fighters to never face off in competition, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Business squabbles between UFC head Dana White and Couture, Fedor, Affliction and finally Fedor and his M1-Global partners resulted in the fight never coming to pass. The UFC has often taken pride in its ability to attract the greatest fighters in the world, but its failure to secure the signature of the consensus pound-for-pound greatest mixed martial artist has haunted them for years.
Werdum and Velazquez may have completely altered UFC 196 but at least their late withdrawal didn’t see their original card completely destabilise like the ill-fated Jones and Henderson-headlined UFC 151. With Dan Henderson forced to give up his hard-earned shot due to injury the UFC scrambled to find a new challenger for their light heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for fans, and much to Dana White’s well documented dismay, Jones and his camp refused the proposed challenge of Chael Sonnen and the entire card was binned. With Jones having just returned to active duty following a controversial 2015, and Dan Henderson well on the wrong side of forty and now competing back down at middleweight, the chances of seeing these two meeting inside the Octagon are slim to none.
Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva
Billed as probably the biggest grudge match since his famous battle with Anderson Silva, trash talk pioneer Chael Sonnen and Pride legend Wanderlei Silva were set to meet on a number of occasions before their anticipated battle landed on the scrap heap. Set to finally meet at UFC 175 following two failed booking attempts due to injuries stemming from their infamous brawl on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, the bout was ultimately ditched entirely following a number of drug test failures. Neither Sonnen or Silva competed for the UFC again following the debacle, and it’s highly unlikely that the two will ever resolve their differences inside the Octagon.
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir III
Having welcomed Brock Lesnar to the UFC with a first round heel hook submission victory, Frank Mir found himself on the wrong side of a vicious beatdown in their undisputed title rematch at the historic UFC 100. Already an intense rivalry between two giant heavyweights, Mir upped the ante considerably when he controversially admitted that he wanted to break Lesnar’s neck and kill him in a third match. The rubber match between the two would have been huge for the promotion, but unfortunately for everyone it’ll never likely happen. Lesnar’s long battle with Diverticulosis eventually wore the former champion down and was the primary reason for his premature retirement from the sport in late 2011.
Ronda Rousey vs. Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino
Following her UFC debut in 2013 Ronda Rousey took the world by storm thanks to a string of dominant performances that were so short that you could upload them to Vine. Despite these undeniably impressive victories however many believed that Rousey’s toughest test remained outside the promotion. Years before Rousey, Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino was the unbeatable destroyer of WMMA, but due to a weight discrepancy the UFC’s crown jewel refused to take the superfight. Signing with the UFC in 2015 led many to believe that the fight was close to happening, but plans abruptly changed in November when Holly Holm stepped up to defeat Rousey and claim the bantamweight gold.
No longer seeing the value of fighting the dethroned champ, ‘Cyborg’ has since confirmed that she won’t be making any efforts to get down to 135 pounds, leaving disappointed fans to only wonder what would have happened had Rousey retained her aura of invincibility on that fateful night in Melbourne.
Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko
The definitive dream match that never happened, Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko will forever be the greatest fighters to never face off in competition, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Business squabbles between UFC head Dana White and Couture, Fedor, Affliction and finally Fedor and his M1-Global partners resulted in the fight never coming to pass. The UFC has often taken pride in its ability to attract the greatest fighters in the world, but its failure to secure the signature of the consensus pound-for-pound greatest mixed martial artist has haunted them for years.
Emelianenko’s return to the sport following a short retirement in 2015 has reignited hope that the legendary Russian might still compete inside the Octagon, but it can almost be assured that it won’t be against the long retired and now blacklisted 52-year old Couture.
What is the greatest UFC fight to never happen? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below!
What is the greatest UFC fight to never happen? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below!
No comments:
Post a Comment