Throughout UFC history, there have been several intriguing championship fights that have captured the eyes of fans around the globe. On the other hand, there have been times where fans were left heartbroken when an exciting title fight got pulled off at the last minute. Here are the top 5 championship fights that never happened.
Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is infamously known as the cursed fight as it has been canceled on four separate occasions between 2015 to 2018 before the fight got rescheduled at UFC 249. Then once again, the bout got canceled due to several reasons. As a result, Ferguson ended up fighting Justin Gaethje.
Then reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was supposed to defend his belt against the #1 contender Dan Henderson at UFC 251. However, Henderson sustained a partial rupture of his MCL and had to withdraw from the fight. As a result, the entire UFC 251 event was canceled.
Then UFC featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, was on his way to claim the champ-champ status against the UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. However, Anjos suffered a broken foot just ten days prior to the fight. As a result, McGregor ended up fighting Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
Jones vs. Johnson was set for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 187. However, Jones was suspended after violating the UFC's Athlete Code of Conduct policy. As a result, Johnson ended up fighting Daniel Cormier at UFC 187.
Then UFC bantamweight champion, Renan Barao, was all set to defend his title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 169. Moreover, Barao was undefeated for over a decade coming into this fight. However, Cruz sustained an injury, and the bout was canceled and was never rescheduled.