It is no secret the UFC brass and its fighters do not always see eye to eye on everything. In between fighter pay, contracts, fight obligations, and marketing, things are bound to get bumpy. Some issues are well-known public knowledge while others take time before they come to light. These issues may lead to an exchange of words or actions that are just downright disrespectful.
Whether intentional or not, fighters feeling disrespected by the brass may lead to further issues down the line, including grudges, strained relationships, and just ugly back and forth. Without further ado, let's take a look back at the times the UFC disrespected its fighters.
10 Francis Ngannou
The recently crowned Heavyweight Champion did not have to wait long before issues with the UFC emerged. Ngannou already had issues leading up to his rematch with Stipe particularly, having to sit on the sideline while Miocic and DC completed their trilogy. Most recently, after winning his heavyweight belt, Ngannou was ready to be an active champion.
He was called upon to headline UFC 265 in Houston, but due to issues with travel, he was unable to answer the call. Rather than looking for a replacement headliner in another division, the UFC decided to move forward with an interim belt between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis. The champ had just fought at the end of March and, considering the amount of time he waited before UFC 260, the creation of an interim title was a slap in the face to the Heavyweight Champion.
9 Stipe Miocic
It seems the heavyweight champion is bound to run into issues with the brass at one point or another. In the lead-up to his first match with Francis Ngannou, marketing for the match heavily favored the challenger. Highlights included Ngannou's recent knockout of Alistair Overeem as well as President Dana White's gloating of Ngannou's power and comparing it being hit by Ford Escort.
To add to the disrespect, Miocic opened as a betting underdog and little was being shared about the possibility the heavyweight champion would break the title defense record with a win over Ngannou. It seemed as the UFC was overlooking Stipe and ready to cash in on a Ngannou title reign. As the fight would play out, Stipe would drag Ngannou into the later rounds and win a unanimous decision. To show his resentment of the brass, Stipe would take the belt from Dana White and give it to his coach to wrap around his waist.
8 Amanda Nunes
Speaking of champions who are disrespected through marketing, the start of Amanda Nunes's title reign is a prime example of that. Amanda Nunes was set to face Ronda Rousey at UFC 207. The biggest story was obviously Rousey's return, but the UFC did little to no promotion to highlight its champion. The marketing package created for the fight greatly emphasized Ronda's journey back into the octagon and all the adversity she had to overcome in order to face the public once again. Amanda's road to the title or what she brought to the table to make herself a worthy champion were hardly spoken about to the point Joe Rogan took notice and had to pump the Women's Featherweight Champion.
7 Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier were scheduled to fight at UFC 230 at MSG. The UFC brought both fighters out to the UFC's 25th Anniversary Press conference to highlight the fight along with the UFC's return to New York City. Towards the end of the press conference, UFC President Dana White stated they had one final announcement before the lights went dim and a video began to officially announce Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor.
Taken as blatant disrespect, Nate Diaz can be seen leaving the conference and was later recorded talking to reporters that the fight with Poirier may not happen after all. It is not secret Nate already felt under-promoted and underappreciated by the UFC brass. The Khabib vs Conor announcement overshadowed Nate's anticipated return and was, honestly, what led to the fight never happening.
6 Cris Cyborg
Before she entered into the UFC, relationships were already bumpy between Cris Cyborg and UFC officials. Dana White and Joe Rogan had both made derogatory statements of Cyborg in the past that brought the fighter's appearance into question. Things were somehow magically resolved, at least from a business standpoint, for Cyborg to enter the UFC.
Cyborg started her UFC career having to slim down to 140 pounds for catchweight fights, but she eventually was placed at the forefront of the women's featherweight division. She captured gold, but the division never grew outside of women's bantamweights moving up a weight class and a couple of actual women featherweight. She eventually faced Amanda Nunes and was then released from her contract. Despite headlining several UFC cards, Cyborg's treatment and UFC run were subpar, especially considering she is one of the greatest to ever do it.
5 Tyron Woodley
The former welterweight champion had his issues with the UFC and felt he was never promoted appropriately. After some of his performances, President Dana White would berate Woodley for his lack of activity in his fight, rather than comment on how the differences in styles in between fighters may have led to a boring fight.
Woodley's booking for Till was also particularly disrespectful as the emphasis was placed on the English fighter, rather than the welterweight champion. Perhaps one of the more peculiar signs of disrespect happened just after Woodley captured gold. UFC Fight Pass posted a clip of the Welterweight Champ being knocked out by Nate Marquardt to promote Marquardt's upcoming fight with Tamdan McCrory. The UFC seemed to be okay with degrading its welterweight champ to promote the fourth fight of a Fight Night.
4 Demetrious Johnson
Perhaps one of the greatest mixed martial artists to ever do it, Demetrious Johnson, also had his troubles with the UFC. Things took a downturn as a result of Johnson's low PPV numbers, but things really began to escalate whenever 'Mighty Mouse' did not want to engage in a potential fight with then-Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw.
White and the UFC emphasized DJ's poor PPV numbers and went so far as to issue threats of making the fight, whether DJ wanted to or not. The last nail in the coffin occurred after a split decision loss to Henry Cejudo where one of the greatest talents in MMA was exchanged for Ben Askren in an MMA trade between promotions.
3 Gerald Meerschaert
Gerald Meerschaert and Khamzat Chimaev were set to fight at UFC Fight Night 178 on September 19, 2020. After the fight was signed, it was discovered the UFC was hoping to double book Chimaev against BJJ Specialist, Demian Maia just two weeks later. As any fighter would, 'GM3' felt disrespected, making a bold prediction Chimaev would need more than two weeks to recover from their upcoming fight. Unfortunately, as things would play out, Chimaev would only need 17 seconds to take care of Meerschaert. Had it not been for negotiations with Maia falling out, perhaps we would have a fourth Khamzat fight in 2020. Regardless, this was a tasteless move from the UFC to the MMA veteran.
2 Tony Ferguson
Following a knee injury he suffered while performing media obligations, Tony Ferguson was forced out of his match with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. He was shortly stripped of his interim title as Khabib and Al Iaquinta squared off for the undisputed belt, a belt which took the company 15 months before stripping Conor McGregor of due to inactivity. As one could imagine and in typical Tony Ferguson fashion, Tony was not pleased with the strip. Tony's championship run was extremely impressive, going on a nine-fight winning streak before fighting for an interim belt. His shot of being an undisputed champion was never presented to him due to poor UFC booking and McGregor inactivity.
1 Mark Hunt
Brock Lesnar would earn a unanimous decision win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200, using his power and superior wrestling to overpower The Super Samoan. What soon followed, however, was an overturning of the decision after Lesnar's drug tests came back positive. Hunt would sue the UFC after learning of Lesnar's positive drug tests, stating the UFC waived off drug testing as a means to ensure The Beast Incarnate competed at UFC 200. Mark Hunt believed the penalties following the failed drug test were not severe enough nor were they enforced by the brass.