5 times a big UFC fight got postponed
UFC fans know that a fight doesn't happen before the two fighters are inside the cage. That's because fighters have to deal with so many unpredictable factors heading into a fight.
Just one mishap could cause a fight or even an entire card to crumble. When a fight gets canceled, it either gets rebooked on a future date or goes down the long list of UFC what-ifs.
Five marquee UFC fights that got postponed:
Fortunately, the UFC often sets a future date for canceled marquee matchups. Aside from Conor McGregor vs Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson, there aren't too many examples of canceled high-profile bouts that were never revisited by the UFC.
On that note, let's take a look at five times a big UFC fight got postponed.
#5 Leon Edwards vs Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz was expected to make his highly-anticipated Octagon comeback against rising star Leon Edwards at UFC 262. However, the welterweight showdown has reportedly been postponed after Diaz suffered an injury.
Fortunately, fight fans will only have to wait a few more weeks to witness the return of the beloved octagon bad boy. Diaz vs Edwards is reportedly being pushed back to UFC 263, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Edwards took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the development.
UFC 263 will be headlined by the UFC middleweight title match between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori in the main event and the bantamweight championship fight featuring Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno in the co-main event.
Diaz and Edwards were supposed to fight in the first five-round co-main event without a title on the line. According to reports, the rescheduled matchup between Edwards and Diaz could still be a potential five-rounder.
#4 Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier met for the first time at UFC 182 in a match that 'Bones' dominated to retain his UFC light heavyweight crown.
The bitter rivals were expected to run it back over a year after their initial encounter, with their roles reversed at UFC 197. However, Cormier had to withdraw from his title defense three weeks before the pay-per-view event. Jones, instead, bested Ovince Saint Preux for the interim title.
The UFC slotted the highly-anticipated rematch between Cormier and Jones as the headliner of the landmark event UFC 200. Unfortunately, Jones was pulled out of the bout by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) due to an anti-doping policy violation, and the rematch was once again called off.
The two finally met at the main event of UFC 214 in July 2017. Jones recaptured the light heavyweight title by knocking out Cormier in the third round. But the saga wouldn't end there.
Jones's win was later overturned into a no-contest after he tested positive for a turinabol metabolite, and Cormier was subsequently reinstated as champion. There hasn't been a proper ending to this iconic rivalry to this day.
#3 Uriah Hall vs Chris Weidman
Chris Weidman has revealed that recapturing the UFC middleweight title before retiring from the sport is his ultimate goal. But to earn a title shot, he has to go through some of the top contenders in the division.
At UFC 258, Weidman was given the opportunity to put together a winning streak in a rematch against Uriah Hall. However, 'The All-American' had to pull out of the middleweight showdown after testing positive for COVID-19.
The meeting between Weidman and Hall was rescheduled for UFC 261. But the much-anticipated rematch ended disastrously mere seconds into the fight.
Weidman broke his leg after throwing a leg kick that Hall telegraphed and checked. Eerily, Weidman suffered the exact same injury that Anderson Silva did when they fought at UFC 168.
#2 Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega
Australian star Alexander Volkanovski has been booked to defend his UFC featherweight title against Brian Ortega in the co-main event of UFC 260. Unfortunately, Volkanovski suffered from a severe case of COVID-19 and was forced out of the title fight.
In a bizarre turn of events, Volkanovski and Ortega agreed to put their title match on hold to serve as coaches for the return of The Ultimate Fighter. The champion and challenger will lead two opposing squads composed of bantamweight and middleweight UFC hopefuls.
An official rebooking date hasn't been announced by the UFC yet. In the meantime, Volkanovski and Ortega will have to compete as rival coaches before they meet in the UFC octagon.
#1 Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor
The best highlight of Conor McGregor's career was his knockout victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 194. However, McGregor's highly-anticipated clash with Aldo for the UFC featherweight title was originally booked for UFC 189.
McGregor and his fans accused Aldo of docking him after the Brazilian pulled out of the title defense due to a rib injury.
At UFC 189, the Irishman put his no. 1 contender on the line against Chad Mendes instead. McGregor narrowly pulled out a victory when he scored a timely knockout seconds before the second round ended.
Five months later, McGregor landed a championship date with Aldo. The rest, of course, is history.