Mixed martial arts is a violent, bloody sport.
Two athletes step into the cage and try their best to punch, kick, or submit their opponent,
so, obviously, someone's gonna get hurt.
But at the end of the day, it's a contest of skill between professional athletes, men
and women who respect one another and admire the sport of MMA…
Well, most of the time.
Occasionally the tension gets so bad, it spills out into the streets, locker rooms, or even
a press conference.
These are the MMA fighters who don't need an official contest to take down their opponent.
Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw
The MMA universe is full of legendary feuds, and some are downright hateful, like the rivalry
between Cody Garbrandt and T.J.
Dillashaw.
The two were once members of Sacramento-based Team Alpha Male, led by former WEC champion
Urijah Faber.
But the good vibes evaporated when Dillashaw left Alpha Male to train with striking coach
and Faber rival, Duane Ludwig.
It was then that all of Alpha Male turned on the then-UFC bantamweight champ.
Both Faber and Garbrandt accused their former teammate of being an overzealous training
partner, a guy who hurt people in the gym.
Garbrandt labeled Dillashaw a sell-out, a liar, and a snake, and things finally exploded
when the two were tapped as rival coaches on UFC's reality show The Ultimate Fighter.
The plan was for Garbrandt and Dillashaw to coach teams of upcoming fighters, and then
duke it out in the Octagon.
But during an argument, Garbrandt lost his cool.
"He stepped toward me in my bubble.
You know got in my personal space, and I latched him up like an eagle."
Garbrandt grabbed Dillashaw's throat, but before T.J. could fire back, the coaches were
pulled apart by their teams.
"So he called me fake, then attacked me, which seemed a little crazy, right?"
The two bantamweights settled their beef at UFC 217, where Dillashaw walked away with
the belt.
Chiesa vs. Lee
There are some things you can't do in mixed martial arts.
You can't pull hair, gouge eyes, or hit below the belt.
And you definitely can't talk about Michael Chiesa's mom.
The UFC lightweight lost his cool when Kevin Lee mentioned his mom during a press conference
in May 2017.
Chiesa and Lee were set to fight at UFC Fight Night 112, and to promote their upcoming match,
they were part of the UFC's Summer Kickoff conference.
But the duo stole the show when Lee made an innocent comment about Chiesa's mom.
"I just hope he shows up, cuz, I know his mama got tickets, so…"
"Don't you ever talk about my f---ing mom"
Admittedly, the comments seem harmless, but as Chiesa explained on The MMA Hour,
"It’s okay to talk s---.
It's okay to promote fights, but you just don't bring families into it."
Sadly, Chiesa didn't get a chance to defend his mom's honor, as Lee won their fight due
to a controversial stoppage.
Sims vs. Thomas
The Ultimate Fighter first aired in 2005, and this reality show had a simple premise.
Stick a bunch of up-and-coming fighters in a house and make them fight each other.
The winner gets a UFC contract.
Of course, if you lock a bunch of young, extremely fit hotheads inside a house stocked with alcohol,
sooner or later, things are going to get out of hand.
Perhaps the most infamous incident came in Season 5, between Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas.
After both were eliminated from competition, the tension between them turned to blows.
But while the brawl was great for promotional material, the UFC brass wasn't happy.
Sims and Thomas were kicked off the show and banned from ever competing in the UFC.
Nurmagomedov vs. the Diaz brothers
A lot can change in three years.
For proof, just look at the careers of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz.
These days, Nurmagomedov is the UFC lightweight champion and considered to be a legendary
grappler.
As for Diaz, he's one of the sport's most popular fighters, thanks to his rivalry with
Conor McGregor.
But in 2015, Diaz and Nurmagomedov crossed paths at a World Series of Fighting event,
and things got physical.
The fighters were both attending as spectators.
But when Nate saw Khabib, he immediately launched into trash talk, backed up by his older brother,
Nick.
Eventually, things escalated, with an official claiming Nate threw the first punch.
But once the groups were separated, it was all-out-war outside the arena, with people
kicking downed opponents and throwing metal chairs.
While that brawl degraded into rage-fueled violence, we'd love to see an official match
between Diaz and Khabib on the books.
Jones vs. Cormier
In the history of MMA, there's never been a rivalry quite like the one between light
heavyweights Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
Their feud is a saga full of drug tests, canceled bouts, a car crash involving a pregnant woman,
a highly-coveted title, and two actual fights, one of which ended in a disqualification.
"He's a bitch.
He's a bitch.
He's a bitchass."
"I beat you after a weekend of stuff."
But before their first official fight, these two titans threw down outside the Octagon.
In 2014, then-champ Jones, and Cormier were squaring off for a photo op, but when Jones
got too close, it was game on.
It was an embarrassing moment for the UFC, but one that would cement the Jones-Cormier
rivalry for all time.
But hey, it's MMA.
No one's here to make friends.
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