There have been numerous highly anticipated UFC matchups that have fallen through over the years because of unfortunate circumstances, and they easily could’ve produced fireworks.
From championship fights, to rivalries, to intriguing stylistic pairings, here are 10 of the best scheduled matchups that never ended up happening.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
While it appears that another Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson fight booking is imminent at the time of this writing, let’s just hope the fifth time is the charm.
These two were scheduled to fight on four other occasions, but a series of unfortunate circumstances and injuries has resulted in it never happening. The first booking was during The Ultimate Fighter Finale card on Dec. 11, 2015, when Nurmagomedov was forced out due to injury and replaced by Edson Barboza. Ferguson submitted Barboza in the second round via D’Arce choke, earning both “Performance” and “Fight of the Night” bonuses.
They were then scheduled to fight at UFC on FOX 19 on April 16, 2016, but this time it was Ferguson who pulled out. Ferguson was replaced by newcomer Darrell Horcher, whom Nurmagomedov battered before earning a second-round TKO win.
Then, an interim lightweight championship fight was scheduled to take place at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017, but the fight was canceled due to Nurmagomedov falling ill from a bad weight cut.
Finally, the two were set to meet a fourth time. At UFC 223 in April 2018, Nurmagomedov and then-interim champ Ferguson were going to fight for the undisputed lightweight title. But in a freak accident, Ferguson tripped over a wire and blew out his knee. Max Holloway stepped in briefly, but the New York State Athletic Commission deemed Holloway unfit to compete due to a severe weight cut. Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to face Paul Felder on the same night, stepped in for the massive opportunity but was dominated by Nurmagomedov in a five-round battle.
Nurmagomedov finally realized his dream of becoming the UFC lightweight champ, and here’s hoping the fight with Ferguson will finally come to fruition in early 2020 as expected.
Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz
In what was meant to be Nate Diaz’s highly anticipated return, his UFC 230 fight vs. Dustin Poirier set for Nov. 3 2018 never happened.
And there was a lot of confusion in this one, from Diaz storming out of the press conference in Los Angeles, to both Diaz and Poirier tweeting that they’re not fighting on that show, to the end result, which was Poirier pulling out because of a hip injury. Poirier went on to explain that he believed Diaz was playing too many games, and that the fight may have not ended up happening, which is why he decided to undergo the surgery.
Stylistically, we were likely robbed of a “Fight of the Year” contender, but it appears that Poirier is still interested in the matchup. With the history there, the fight could end up happening sometime down the line – we hope.
Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
In a rare occasion, the falling apart of the Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson fight resulted in the cancellation of an entire event. Jones was scheduled to make his fourth title defense vs. Henderson at UFC 151 on Sept. 1, 2012, but Henderson was forced out due to injuries.
Chael Sonnen offered to step in on short notice, but Jones was advised by his coach, Greg Jackson, not to take the fight. With just days remaining in his training camp, there wouldn’t be enough time for him to prepare. The entire event was subsequently canceled.
Junior dos Santos vs. Brock Lesnar
After coaching “The Ultimate Fighter 11,” Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar were scheduled to face off in the main event of UFC 131 on June 11, 2011. But Lesnar’s constant health issues with diverticulitis forced him to pull out, and he was then replaced by Shane Carwin.
Dos Santos went on to dominate Carwin, which set him up with a fight vs. then-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, where dos Santos picked up the upset victory, knocking him out in the first round at UFC on Fox 1.
A fight with Lesnar could have been a big opportunity for dos Santos, as Lesnar arguably the biggest pay-per-view draw in the UFC at the time.
Anthony Pettis vs. Jose Aldo
For a brief moment, we were about to get arguably the most anticipated superfight a fan could have asked for at the time, as Anthony Pettis opted to move down to featherweight to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title, as opposed to challenging for the lightweight title.
The two were linked for a matchup at UFC 163 on Aug. 3, 2013, but Pettis pulled out citing a knee injury. Aldo went on to face Chan Sung Jung, defeating him via fourth round TKO, and retaining his 145-pound title.
The fight with Aldo was never rescheduled, as Pettis went on to challenge Benson Henderson for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 164 in his hometown of Milwaukee, submitting Henderson via first round armbar, becoming the UFC lightweight champion.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor was on a remarkable UFC run and coming off his record-breaking featherweight title win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194, where he knocked him out in just 13 seconds.
He then attempted to move up in weight and challenge then-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. However, dos Anjos was unfortunately forced to pull out due to a broken foot and was replaced by Nate Diaz, who would face McGregor in a welterweight bout.
Diaz ended up shocking the world, submitting McGregor in the second round to hand him his first UFC loss. Dos Anjos would then go on to lose his lightweight title to Eddie Alvarez. Years later, as a welterweight, dos Anjos is still vouching for the fight to be rescheduled and is willing to face McGregor at 170 or 155 pounds.
Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
Perhaps this fight would have had much more implications in the welterweight division before it was finally scheduled at UFC on Fox 29 on April 14, 2018, but that doesn’t mean fight fans didn’t get up when Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit was announced.
Although in the latter years of their career, both guys have produced plenty of violence and incredible battles in the octagon, which is why this had all the makings of an incredible fight. Unfortunately, Brown pulled out due to an ACL tear and was replaced by Alex Oliveira, who ended up submitting Condit in the second round.
Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold
After Georges St-Pierre vacated his UFC middleweight title, then-interim champion Robert Whittaker was promoted to undisputed champ.
He was then scheduled to make his first title defense vs. former champ Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 on Feb. 10, 2018, but an unhealed staph infection forced Whittaker out. He was replaced by Yoel Romero.
Romero and Rockhold would go on to compete for the interim title, where Romero knocked out Rockhold in the second round, but he wasn’t crowned interim champ because he missed weight.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
The string of bad luck continued for the Aussie, as Robert Whittaker yet again was forced out of a fight, this time just hours before his scheduled bout with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234 on Feb. 9 of this year. Whittaker had to undergo emergency hernia surgery, and as a result, the fight was scrapped from the card entirely.
Now that Whittaker has lost his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya, and Gastelum is coming off a split decision loss to Darren Till at UFC 244, a fight between the two would very much make sense, as both attempt to climb back to middleweight title contention.
Frankie Edgar vs. Chan Sung Jung
Both Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung have faced the who’s who in the featherweight division, but had never crossed paths until they were scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 139 on Nov. 10, 2018.
Edgar, however, was forced out due to a torn bicep and was replaced by Yair Rodriguez, who went on to produce one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history with an upward elbow with one second remaining against the “Korean Zombie.” It was a fight Rodriguez was on his way to losing if it made it to the judges’ scorecards.
With Edgar now set to make his bantamweight debut vs. Cory Sandhagen on Jan. 25 in North Carolina, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see this matchup happen.
