5 UFC fighters who feuded but never fought
In the UFC and, indeed, all of MMA, rivalries arise as natural consequences of the hyper-competitive nature of mixed martial artists scheduled to face each other. These sanctioned bouts are as close to legal street fights as can be organized.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz make up one of the UFC's all-time great rivalries, although the tension between the two men is fairly tame.
Other more heated rivalries include the likes of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. The hatred between the two former UFC light heavyweights boiled so hot that a brawl involving the two occurred before the first installment of their two bouts.
Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal made up one of the more recent heated rivalries in a friends-turned-enemies scenario. This culminated in Masvidal assaulting Covington outside of a steakhouse after losing a lopsided decision to 'Chaos'.
This list, however, covers feuds between fighters who, despite the hatred — be it mutual or otherwise — involved, never actually crossed paths inside the octagon.
#5. Anthony Smith and Luke Rockhold
Anthony Smith and the freshly retired Luke Rockhold had one of the most bizarre beefs in recent memory as the feud emerged from nowhere. It began when the former UFC middleweight champion criticized Anthony Smith in an interview with Submission Radio.
This was after announcing his intention to ply his trade in the UFC light heavyweight division. Rockhold denigrated Smith's skills before describing him as a bum.
This is a weird beef but I’m here for it. Hopefully we get Anthony Smith vs Luke Rockhold before the end of the year #UFC236 https://t.co/gqcnPSmcN1
'Lionheart' did not take kindly to Rockhold's words, ranting about the former world champion being universally disliked by fans, fighters, and even UFC staff members due to his arrogance and haughty behavior.
Smith then expressed his desire to fight Rockhold over his remarks, be it inside the octagon or outside of it. The feud continued as Rockhold questioned Smith's mettle as an elite fighter, yet neither man ever faced the other inside the octagon, the feud ending with a whimper.