While its roots are pretty much controversial, mixed martial arts has certainly evolved into an extremely exciting sport that people all over the world enjoy! Of course, there are more rules and regulations to protect the safety of the MMA fighters. Well-known organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) constantly reach new heights each year. The UFC is a really fun combat sport to watch.

The UFC is arguably a dominant producer of MMA, a very fast-growing sport on Earth. But you have to remember one thing: Success comes with a price tag. Although most of the UFC fighters are stable and strong people, they also have their moments, just like the rest of us. However, they cannot excuse themselves for their poor and sometimes bad behavior. Some things can never be forgiven in the workplace.

So what does it take for a UFC player to be labeled as "bad?" Sometimes, it's a lack of action in the Octagon. Other times it can be nothing more than just someone in a bad mood who snaps at someone else as an attempt to take their anger out on someone who probably didn't deserve the excess emotions. That being said, the UFC has had its fair share of situations which left the fans watching saying expletive phrases like "WTF?" and "SMDH!" Either way, the negativity cannot be prevented, so everybody just has to live and learn from their mistakes.

Let's take a look at 15 things the UFC wants you to forget about their fighters.

15 15. Jon Jones Is A Walking Disaster

 

Jon Jones is undoubtedly one of the most frustrating athletes in all of sports. He has all the talent in the world and could very well be the most gifted athlete to ever set foot in the octagon, but he's his own worst enemy. Every time Jones accomplishes something notable, he takes a huge step back. Among Jones's downfalls include DUIs, failed drug tests and even a hit and run incident. Following a hit-and-run case involving Bones Jones in 2015, forced UFC to crown an interim champion.

He was to face Daniel Cormier in mid 2016 but an anti-doping violation set that fight back. He would then get suspended for a year in November 2016, retroactive to July 7 of that year. In his return, Jones regained his title from Cormier, only to get flagged for another doping violation by the USADA. He was then stripped of his newly won light heavyweight championship. Jones is looking like he may go down as one of the biggest wastes of talent in the sport's history.

14 14. Dana White/Ronda Rousey Relationship Rumors

It's crazy to think Dana White was once vehemently against female fighters. Little did he know just a few years after making those comments that his top draw in the UFC would be a woman. Ronda Rousey was the UFC's first female signing. Being that she was undefeated, a champion and happened to be attractive, it made her the perfect acquisition for the UFC. However signing their first female fighter to a lucrative contract also meant that White and Rousey had to spend a lot of time together. Because Rousey and White were spending so much time together, rumors began to surface that the two were in fact in a relationship. Rousey addressed the rumors in her 2015 book My Fight:

“It was annoying, but it was also kind of cool in that, you know, I was flying around on a private plane, being spoiled. But, it was annoying in that I kept getting built up and then let down and built up and let down. And it happened, like, three times until they surprised me.”

13 13. Nick Diaz Tested Positive For Metabolites

As you may already know, Nick Diaz is a strong supporter of marijuana and its legalization.

While some people may support Diaz, taking pictures while high and smoking expensive blunts isn't the smartest thing to do, especially when he's a professional UFC fighter. When he was active in the UFC, he was suspended by Dana White for a reason: testing positive for marijuana metabolites.

Marijuana may be useful, particularly for patients who aren't well, but Diaz just looks like a Californian thug. He's retired now, but constantly being part of headlines on joints, suspensions and retirements won't make him look like a good role model for up-and-coming fighters. He has constantly stirred the pot during his time in the UFC.

12 12. Brock Lesnar Failed Two Doping Tests

Brock Lesnar is a WWE fighter now, but in his UFC days, he got suspended for one year after he failed two drug tests for banned substances.

USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) officials wrote in a statement, obtained by Fox Sports, "Lesnar, 39, tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolite, 4-hydroxyclomiphene, following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 28, 2016, and an in-competition urine test conducted on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200 in Las Vegas, Nev. Clomiphene is a prohibited substance in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List."

Lesnar hasn't returned to the UFC since. Instead, he contacted the company to let them know that he'll retire from MMA for the second time. However with his WWE contract expiring in a few months, rumors suggest he might make yet another return.

11 11. Nate Diaz's Smokes Out Of A... Glove?

Everyone knows that Nate Diaz loves MJ, but there's another question: how much does he actually like the controversial herb?

In the video below, you can see Nate smoking a blunt with his brother Nick. But not just any blunt. Nick's blunt was shaped to look like a UFC glove and costed $2,000.

Not everyone will get a chance to experience the same luxury as the Diaz brothers, but you can at least imagine what smoking a massive blunt is like. You might not want to anyway. You don't want to risk your job and perhaps even your career for puffing on a blunt. We're really curious to know just what made Diaz want to make one out of a UFC glove. But it's definitely not something the UFC wants remembered.

10 10. Conor McGregor Allegedly Punched A Member Of The Irish Mafia

Conor McGregor apparently found himself in the center of a sensitive situation when he allegedly a member of the Irish Mafia in a bathroom brawl with the wrong crowd. The reported brawl happened inside a pub in South Dublin, Ireland.

As far as the reports go, McGregor's victim was one of the most feared criminals in Ireland. The victim was also a key figure in many clashes that saw a significant amount of lives claimed at the turn of the century.

It's totally understandable that McGregor's family feared for his life following a death threat from the Irish Mafia. It was rumored that McGregor has a bounty on his head worth €900,000. McGregor doesn't seem too concerned about his safety. After leaving an Irish courtroom over a speeding ticket, when asked about threats against his life, he replied: “Come and get me.”

9 9. Rose Namajunas Coped With Mental Illness

Rose Namajunas may appear to be just fine, but she hasn't always been a stable person on the inside.

Namajunas' life is pretty much an open book and she certainly has a moving story to tell. Namajunas told USA Today, "I grew up with lots of anger, frustration and violence in my heart...In my childhood, I was (sexually) abused. There was a lot of drugs and violence around me. I come from a place of lots of turmoil."

Namajunas is the daughter of Lithuanian refugees. Although she was born in Lithuania, she and her family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She reportedly experienced a rough upbringing, so rough that she had to have an emotional support dog named Mishka to help her deal with her issues stemming from her fragile mental health. At least she got the help that she needed.

8 8. Mark Hunt's Ex-Manager Never Returned Loaned Cash

Mark Hunt became an overnight millionaire following his win in the K-1 Grand Prix in Japan in 2001. In addition, his ex-manager Dixon McIver talked him into loaning $300,000 as "bridging cash" for a thrilling business opportunity, and he did just that.

However, the money was never returned as the days went by. As a result, Hunt became more and more disgruntled with McIver and the way he was handling his business affairs. Hunt eventually received $170,000 in return from the court. It's safe to say that not everyone can be trusted when it comes to personal matters.

Hunt has often stated that he doesn't see himself retiring for good; hopefully it's not just for monetary reasons.

7 7. Diego Sanchez Got Ripped Off By A Sham Who Posed As A Friend

Diego Sanchez shot to stardom in 2009, but then he got ripped off by a sham who was posing as a friend.

If you remember the moment correctly, Sanchez was competing in the Octagon with BJ Penn and Clay Guida. The fame got to his head, and all of a sudden, he was living a rockstar-esque lifestyle with the wrong crowd and tons of substances.

During the infamous phase, Sanchez didn't hire a decent manager. Instead, he had one of his friends look after his monetary finances. Unfortunately, the so-called friend turned out to be a con artist who embezzled him for $170,000. This was the result of him letting bad influences enter his life and flipped the script to make it all go downhill.

Sanchez was left broke and realized that he had to turn his life around. He managed to better his life, which was a very good thing because some people never accomplish a 360 degree switch.

6 6. Michael Bisping's Ex-Manager Went Too Far In Bullying Him

Michael Bisping is a former UFC middleweight champion, but he once had beef with his ex-manager Anthony McGann that turned so sour that it ended up in an 11-day legal battle. The battle was extremely physical that the former pair was involved in a scrum outside of the courtroom.

In the end, Bisping was ordered to pay McGann more than $400,000. Though, the pair's judge stated that McGann exaggerated his claims and came up with false documents and evidence. The judge also noted that the legal costs involved in the case were almost out of all proportion to the sums at stake.

McGann would've avoided this whole ordeal if he never bullied his client and went so far as to threaten his life.

5 5. Priscila Cachoeira Was An Addict

Unlike some UFC fighters, Priscila Cachoeira came a long way on her journey to the Octagon.

Before Cachoeira made her UFC debut against Valentina Shevchenko, she talked about what she had to overcame on her journey. Cachoeira told MMAFighting.com, "A series of things hurt me inside...I was mistreated by my father, he said I wasn’t his daughter, he did things to hurt me. The funny thing is that I still had him as an idol.

Cachoeira added, "I started going to parties every day and met people that used drugs,” Cachoeira said. "My life changed, I dropped studies and sports and started sleeping during the day and partying every night. That’s how I started using 'lolo' (a blend of chloroform and ether), marijuana, cocaine and crack."

Stopping drug use is far from an easy task, but Cachoeira checked out a Muay Thai gym and started training in mixed martial arts, which pretty much helped her get the drugs out of her body in the form of sweat.

4 4. War Machine Received Life Sentence For Assault Of Ex-Girlfriend

In June 2017, former UFC fighter War Machine received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 36 years for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Christy Mack, and a friend of hers.

Over the course of his UFC career, War Machine went 14-5 while competing for the world-famous company. War Machine told ESPN, "I should have killed myself by now...There’s no reason right now that I shouldn’t be in the dirt right now laying next to Aaron Hernandez."

War Machine continued, "Not a day goes by that I don’t seriously regret all those things that I did. I was a very, very lost, very empty person...And to top it off, something’s not right with my head. Plain and simple. I’ve known that a long time and I’ve hated it."

War Machine sure didn't seem to be apologetic in the courtroom, which played into his large sentence.

3 3. Tim Hague Passed Away Following Fatal Punches From Adam Braidwood

The passing of the late UFC fighter turned professional boxer Tim Hague was definitely not something the company wants its fans to remember.

Prior to the deadly match, Hague had a 1-2 record as a pro boxer. Hague suffered a severe brain injury that ultimately led to his death two days later. Adam Braidwood delivered the fatal punches that caused him to hit the floor several times.

Braidwood went silent for a bit, as he unintentionally killed his 34-year-old friend, but broke his silence on social media. Braidwood tweeted a video of himself with an emotionally charged caption:

"Rip brother you will live in my heart forever. I will fight for us both now, I know that's what you would have wanted."

2 2. Tae Hyun Bang Convicted For Fight-Fixing Scandal

In November 2017, Tae Hyun Bang was sentenced to 10 months in prison for his involvement in a fight-fixing scandal. Bang allegedly took a little over $92,000 to throw a fight against Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul, South Korea, in late 2015. In addition, three people who handed Bang the money, were also given prison sentences.

The Seoul Central District Court issued a statement, obtained by MMAFighting.com, "The crime of match fixing damages the credibility of sport, and in international matches, it has a bad effect on the country's credibility as well...Bang had an obligation to play the game fairly, but he ignored it and took an important role in the scheme. But we did take into consideration that Bang won the bout and returned the money afterwards.”

As a result, the UFC released Bang, who held a 18-10 record. It appears that the Korean Cowboy will have a hard time looking for work after he finishes serving his sentence. He took the tough luck, but hopefully, he'll learn from his mistakes.

1 1. Pearl Gonzalez Was Once A Gang Member

Pearl Gonzalez is just a recent UFC recruit, but we doubt that you knew that she was once a gang member roaming the streets of Chicago, Illinois.

Gonzalez's parents were both addicts and were even homeless at one point. Gonzalez reportedly ran a gang when she was as young as 12 years old. The gang became her second family, and Gonzalez married a heroin addict by the time she was 18 years old. She was with her then-husband, so she was guilty by association, and spent nine days in jail for a robbery that she didn't actually participate in.

Fortunately, Gonzalez was able to turn her life around and this also helped her younger sister stay out of trouble. It's inspiring to see that she's turned her life around.