Top 10 UFC rivalries
The staff of CoveringTheCage.com will present a list each day leading up to Saturday’s UFC 200 at T-Mobile Arena. Thursday: Top 10 Rivalries
10. Joanna Jedrzejczyk-Claudia Gadelha – While there is probably a bit of recency bias at play here, the top two fighters in the UFC’s smallest division can’t stand to be in the same room with one another at this point.
9. Andrei Arlovski-Tim Sylvia – A bitter heavyweight rivalry grew downright ugly when Sylvia allegedly began dating Arlovski’s ex-girlfriend.
8. Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock – Ortiz made several enemies during the early years of the organization. Shamrock in particular may still harbor ill will as he lost to Ortiz three times.
7. Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos – There really wasn’t a whole lot of tension between two of the nicest heavyweights in the organization, but their three memorable meetings included the first-ever UFC fight on network television.
6. Tito Ortiz-Chuck Liddell – Even though both hailed from Southern California, they had very little in common. While both had several rivals, the bad blood between them and the fact Liddell won both meetings by knockout makes this one stand out.
5. Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir – Mir welcomed Lesnar to real fighting with a submission victory in 2008 and Lesnar returned the favor a year later. The two still dislike each other and may have been fighting again this weekend had Mir not been suspended for a failed drug test.
4. Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber – Cruz signed fight posters over Faber’s face all the way back in 2007 and their careers have been linked ever since, including a title fight victory by Cruz last month.
3. Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen – Sonnen almost made good on his unprecedented trash-talking campaign by nearly dethroning Silva in the first meeting, then somehow managed to ramp up the vitriol leading up to the rematch.
2. Miesha Tate-Ronda Rousey – Sure, the bad blood started when they were battling for Strikeforce supremacy. But the rematch in the UFC and a season as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate FIghter” has done little to settle their differences.
1. Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier – While the brawl inside the lobby of the MGM Grand is more than enough evidence, there has been plenty of drama behind the scenes as well.
