It's tough for MMA fighters to admit that they tapped sometimes. While a fighter can sometimes attribute a knockout loss to a fluke, or a decision loss to bad judging, there's little left to chance when it comes to a fighter tapping out inside of the cage. As a result, we've seen some fighters have post-fight meltdowns.

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In fact, a popular thing that some fighters do is say that they didn't tap. Either to maintain ego or to avoid taking an L on their record, some competitors will lie up and down to avoid the bad outcome. And it happens more than fans might realize, where an MMA fighter claims they didn't tap but they did.

7 Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen (Bellator 170)

The only fight winner on this list came at Bellator 170. Chael Sonnen and Tito Ortiz met at Bellator 170, in the former's return to competition. While the bout was won by Ortiz in the first round following a rear-naked choke, controversy arose in the aftermath of the fight.

During one scramble, Sonnen caught Ortiz in a guillotine attempt. Sonnen cranked on the submission before seemingly letting the choke go. However, Sonnen would later say that Ortiz actually tapped and that's why he let go. While Ortiz has denied the accusation, MMA fans have since noticed that the tapping did occur.

6 CB Dolloway vs. Amir Sadollah (The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale)

MMA: UFC 222-Dollaway vs Lombard
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

When CB Dolloway met Amir Sadollah in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Middleweight Tournament, it was his second time facing off with the Persian fighter. The first time around he lost via decision, but he lost the second bout via armbar. According to Dolloway, he didn't actually tap.

Dolloway argued immediately post-fight that he didn't tap to the armbar, and he shouldn't have lost. Despite the film clearly showing that he did indeed tap, Dolloway argued with commentator Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that he didn't.

5 Matt Lindland vs. Murilo Bustamante (UFC 37)

Murilo Bustamante's title defense against Matt Lindland went about as well as it could. Bustamante tapped out Lindland in the first round with an armbar. However, Lindland quickly protested the stoppage. He said he didn't tap, and because athletic commissions didn't really care back then, they just restarted the fight.

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Lindland then got a second crack at Bustamante, and the two kept fighting. Despite Lindland getting another attempt to win the middleweight title, he lost once again. He tapped to a guillotine choke and didn't protest the second tap.

4 Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie (UFC 1)

Royce Gracie squares off against Ken Shamrock

Royce Gracie was about as dominant as it gets at UFC 1. His biggest competitor was supposed to be future UFC Champion Ken Shamrock. However, he quickly dispatched him in the semifinals. Submitting him less than a minute into the contest with a rear-naked choke, Shamrock tapped the mat, ending the fight.

Shamrock seemed to quickly regret that decision. While the referee didn't see the tap at first, Gracie began arguing with Shamrock for him to admit he tapped. While at first attempting to say he didn't, Shamrock then quickly copped to tapping, and the fight was over.

3 Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira (UFC Brasila)

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In one of the more strange fights on this list, Kevin Lee met Charles Oliveira in an empty arena at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two men put on a fun fight until the third round came where Oliveira got Lee in a guillotine choke, causing him to tap.

In a few moments following the tap, Lee seemed to have forgotten that he actually did so, likely due to him momentarily passing out. He forget that he tapped and tried to protest the halting of the bout. However once Lee realized what had happened, he admitted that he had tapped and ended the fight.

2 Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas (UFC 217)

MMA: UFC 223 Rose Namajunas vs Joanna Jedrzezjczyk
© Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

The only entry on this list that ended in TKO came at UFC 217. The dominant champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk met a lightly-regarded challenger in Rose Namajunas at Madison Square Garden and was expected to run through her. However, Jedrzejczyk was promptly knocked out inside of the first round.

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Getting knocked down multiple times, the final sequence saw Jedrzejczyk get put down to the mat while being pounded into the mat by Namajunas. Jedrzejczyk then began tapping the mat halting the fight. However, she complained post-fight that she actually didn't. Unlike some fake taps, there's no investigating that needs to be done here.

1 Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva (UFC 117)

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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Chael Sonnen's main event fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 was going so well until it wasn't. The Bad Guy dominated Silva for the first four rounds of the fight, before being caught in a triangle choke in the final round. Sonnen tapped to the choke, ending the fight, or did he?

Well, yes, he did. However, he tried to deny it at first. While still wrapped in Silva's legs, Sonnen tried to argue with officials that he didn't tap. Nobody seemed to buy that Sonnen didn't tap, and he later said that he was just confused and shaken up after being caught.