10 fighters who feuded with the UFC
The UFC has been the world’s biggest MMA promotion for over a decade now, and despite the best efforts of rivals like StrikeForce, PRIDE and Bellator, that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon. With that said, despite their position, the UFC hasn’t always been able to keep all of its fighters happy.
With a roster of literally hundreds, disagreements between fighters and their promoter are bound to happen, but surprisingly enough some of the biggest feuds between the UFC and the men and women they promote have come with some of the sport’s biggest stars.
Clashes over money, treatment and disrespect have all happened over the years – and sometimes bridges have been burned for good. Here are 10 fighters who feuded with the UFC – in order of how bitter things became.
#10 Georges St-Pierre
Arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Georges St-Pierre could seemingly do no wrong for a long time as one of the UFC’s poster boys. A massive pay-per-view draw, GSP was one of the promotion’s most loyal athletes for the best part of a decade, but by the end of 2013, things began to go a little sour.
During the build for his Welterweight title defense against Johny Hendricks, St-Pierre criticised the UFC for not pushing through with enhanced drug testing with VADA for the bout. And when he squeaked by Hendricks in a controversial decision, the Canadian hero earned the ire of Dana White for refusing to commit to an immediate rematch.
Things appeared to be smoothed over when GSP agreed to step away from the sport and relinquish his belt, but over the next few years, it was clear he wasn’t in Dana’s good books – most notably when he was revealed as part of the MMAAA fighter’s union in late 2016. 2017 then saw things get worse as ‘Rush’ attempted to declare himself a “free agent” despite the UFC claiming to the contrary.
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed as GSP was brought back into the fold with a new contract and a fight for the Middleweight title against Michael Bisping in November 2017, but after winning that fight, he’s taken another step back from the sport so who knows if he’s still on-side with the UFC right now.