5 of the weirdest moments in UFC history
The UFC might sell itself as a pretty serious sport, full of bad blood, heated rivalries and fighters doing their best to get to a level where they can win a UFC world title, but despite this, there have been plenty of weird and comedic moments over the years.
Now, I’m not talking about intentionally comical moments like the time Tom Lawlor walked to the Octagon to Who Let The Dogs Out? with fellow fighter Seth Petruzelli on a lead – I’m talking more about unintentional moments that were hilarious, often for all the wrong reasons. I’m talking seriously weird comedic incidents.
Here are 5 of the most hilariously weird moments in UFC history.
#1 Rousimar Palhares celebrates a bit too early
Brazilian leglock master Rousimar ‘Toquinho’ Palhares caused plenty of strange moments during his 5-year run in the UFC, including sobbing on his way to the Octagon for his fight with Jeremy Horn, and two instances that saw him refuse to release heel hooks on his opponents – the second of which earned him his release from the company.
Undoubtedly his strangest moment came at UFC 134, though – the UFC’s first time returning to his home country of Brazil in over a decade. Faced with fellow grappler Jim Miller, Palhares surprised everyone by showcasing his striking skills, and late in the first round, he nailed Miller with a head kick that folded the American up.
A few punches later, and Palhares figured he’d sealed the deal – and promptly leapt onto the Octagon fence in celebration. Except referee Herb Dean hadn’t stopped the fight at all. Cue mayhem as Miller staggered to his feet while Dean had to persuade Palhares to come down from the fence to continue the fight.
Seconds later – in an equally crazy moment – the still-wobbly Miller dropped Palhares with a combination of his own, but the Brazilian recovered quickly and slammed him to the ground, before outworking him over the next two rounds to win a clear unanimous decision.
At the end of the fight though, the only moment people were talking about was the weird incident that saw ‘Toquinho’ attempt to call his own stoppage.
Sure, a similar incident happened a few years later when Anderson Silva prematurely celebrated when he knocked Michael Bisping down, but at least that moment occurred as a round ended. Here, lord only knows what Palhares was thinking.