Conor McGregor/Khabib Nurmagomedov and 4 other UFC friendships that collapsed
The UFC represents the ultimate destination for all fighters in MMA. And in a sport where each man or woman is largely responsible for their own success, an individualistic mentality is fostered. Mixed martial artists understand that theirs is a sport that upholds an 'everyone for themselves' attitude.
But sometimes, certain fighters find kindred spirits. More often than not, these kindred spirits are other fighters. They're typically training partners with whom fighters journeyed through the sport, climbing the rankings of their respective divisions together. From this, a friendship can bloom.
Unfortunately, such friendships are always in danger of shattering. These bonds are always one cheap shot or 'stolen' title shot away from things turning ugly. And this has happened several times in the UFC. Fighters, who were once good friends, became enemies, never again seeing eye to eye.
#5. Jon Jones & Rashad Evans
At one point in time, former UFC light heavyweight champions Jon Jones and Rashad Evans were close friends. Before the 2010s, 'Sugar' was the undefeated titleholder at 205 pounds. Meanwhile, 'Bones' was a young prospect that everyone correctly believed was a future champion in the making.
When he joined Jackson-Wink MMA, the gym that Evans trained at, Jones and 'Sugar' became fast friends. Evans had lost his title by then but had worked his way back into title contention. But after an injury forced him to withdraw from his title fight with Maurício Rua, 'Bones' stepped in to face 'Shogun.'
Jones defeated Rua in one of the greatest title-winning performances of all time, enthroning himself as the youngest champion in UFC history. After his victory, he didn't shy away from the idea of facing Evans, which stunned 'Sugar' as Jackson-Wink fighters generally tried not to fight each other.
Rashad Evans responded in kind, and things quickly soured when Greg Jackson revealed that he'd coach Jon Jones instead of 'Sugar' if the two fought. This prompted him to leave the gym and the friendship dissolved into heated trash talk, culminating in a UFC 145 title fight, where Jones defeated Evans via decision.
#4. T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt
T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt both represented Team Alpha Male under the guidance of bantamweight legend, Urijah Faber. With the help of former fighter-turned-coach Duane Ludwig, TAM molded T.J. Dillashaw into a striking savant who captured UFC bantamweight gold in an all-time great win over Renan Barão.
Due to the amount of time Dillashaw and Garbrandt spent training together, they were friends, albeit not too close. But things went downhill fast after Dillashaw left TAM in favor of training exclusively under Duane Ludwig's tutelage. Urijah Faber felt betrayed, and Cody Garbrandt felt obligated to defend his mentor.
He accused Dillashaw of being a poor sparring partner, a cheat, and a snake, while also claiming to have knocked him out in sparring. When the two filmed The Ultimate Fighter 25, numerous scuffles ensued en route to their showdown at UFC 217. Dillashaw emerged victorious, and followed it by winning an immediate rematch.
#3. Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov
Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov tell a tale of two careers. The Irishman reached the highest of highs, while Lobov has one of the worst records of any well-known fighter, with 13 wins and 15 losses to his name. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that McGregor was a large reason Lobov stayed in the promotion for so long.
The two were close friends, having trained at Straight Blast Gym Ireland together. In fact, Lobov once claimed to have had a hand in making Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey the financial success that it became, even asserting that he turned down a $1 million offer from the Irishman for his role.
His reasoning was that he did what he did in good faith for his friend. This, however, makes his subsequent decision to sue McGregor after he sold his majority Proper No. Twelve stake perplexing. But Lobov claims he's entitled to 5% of that sale. This caused McGregor to lash out at Lobov on Twitter.
In response, 'The Russian Hammer' filed a second lawsuit, alleging defamation, intimidation, and harassment in a complete breakdown of their friendship.
#2. Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington
Perhaps the most recent MMA friendship to implode for everyone to see involves Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The two men came up on the MMA scene together, all the way to Masvidal becoming the BMF champion and Covington capturing the interim welterweight strap.
Unfortunately, things soured between the two men. Covington's penchant for trash talk, however, soon got on Masvidal's bad side when 'Chaos' started attacking fellow American Top Team members. Furthermore, Covington's alleged refusal to pay one of their mutual coaches proved to be the last straw.
The two repeatedly trash-talked each other, with Covington bringing up Masvidal's marital issues, while also criticizing him as a father. The two men finally clashed at UFC 272, where 'Chaos' emerged victorious in a fairly dominant affair, barring a knockdown late in the fight. But, as fate would have it, things would only escalate.
In the aftermath of their bout, Colby Covington was allegedly assaulted by Jorge Masvidal outside of a Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach, causing 'Gamebred' to be charged with several criminal offenses.
#1. Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov
It might shock fans to know that Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov were once friends. When the Irishman was still a featherweight, and 'The Eagle' still a lightweight prospect, the two were complimentary towards each other and took a picture together after Conor McGregor's win over Dustin Poirier.
Nurmagomedov even asked for one of his shirts after seeing it online in a tweet, with McGregor reciprocating the goodwill by inviting 'The Eagle' to train with him. But things quickly soured once 'The Notorious' landed a lightweight title shot against Eddie Alvarez, as the UFC had used 'The Eagle' for leverage.
They had him sign the contract to face Alvarez for a title shot only to persuade McGregor to meet their demands. This infuriated the unbeaten Dagestani, who began referring to McGregor as a 'chicken,' while expressing frustration over the Irishman losing to Nate Diaz via submission, but being given a title shot after winning a rematch.
This only got worse when McGregor was stripped of his lightweight title and 'The Eagle' slapped the Irishman's then-friend Artem Lobov, leading to the infamous bus attack at UFC 223 Media Day. From there, the two were scheduled to fight at UFC 229, and their first pre-fight press conference was as unhinged as any.
Things got deeply personal between the two men, such that even after Nurmagomedov beat McGregor, he scaled the cage and attacked one of the Irishman's cornermen.