MMA Title Fights We Never Got Part 1

MMA Title Fights We Never Got Part 1
February 1, 2021 
By Ryan Porzl

Just recently, I saw a video from MMA On Point on YouTube and the video was "Top 10 Title Fights We Were Robbed Of" which was a video they did two years covering MMA Title fights we nearly got but they ended it up not happening and if they did end up happening, it was many years later or even a little later when a title was no longer on the line. Seeing the video, I thought it would be fun to do my own list especially since they left me with a treasure trove to work with. Not only do I credit MMA On Point for the inspiration for this list, I also decided out of fairness, not only do I give them credit but I will also not use their ten choices since they already used them so if you want to see their list, it's on YouTube as of writing.

Before we start, here was MMA On Points Top Ten List in case you're curious
10. Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez
9. Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
8. Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
7. Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis
6. Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
5. Dominick Cruz vs. Renan Barao
4. Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson
3. Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor
2. Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Affliction)
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson

With that said, here's my list

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko Cro Cop II- What can be said that hasn't been said already about the Fedor/Cro Cop fight? It's legendary, it's great, it's unquestionably the biggest heavyweight title fight in MMA history, possibly the biggest title fight in MMA history, and won many fight of the year and decade awards. It was one of those fights where the planets were aligned perfectly as it was two years in the making between two guys at their absolute best. So after the fight came, many fans obviously were interested in the possibly of it happening again and it turns out we came close to another encounter. In 2006, PRIDE would host their Openweight Grand Prix with both Cro Cop and Emelianenko entering (though Emelianenko would pull out due to a hand injury) and in the end, Cro Cop would emerge victorious defeating Ikuhisa Minowa, Hidehiko Yoshida, Wanderlei Silva, and Josh Barnett to win the Grand Prix. With that win, Cro Cop again returned to number one contenders status and PRIDE would book the rematch for PRIDE Shockwave 2006 (December 31, 2006). Unfortunately, the fight wouldn't happen as Cro Cop would later pull out due to having foot surgery and later signing with the UFC. After Barnett turned down the opportunity, Emelianenko would defend against Mark Hunt and retain the championship in what would be his last PRIDE fight before the promotion was bought out. In the end, we never did get a Fedor/Cro Cop II fight and with Fedor winding his career down and Cro Cop forced to retire, the door is closed on it.

Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira- Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are among the greatest heavyweights of all time and a fight between them would be one of the biggest of all time. However, outside of missing each other in the RINGS 2000 King of Kings Tournament, their paths were different as Couture would achieve his success in the UFC winning two UFC Heavyweight Championships, two UFC Light Heavyweight Championships, an Interm Light Heavyweight Championship, and the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament while Nog won the mentioned RINGS KoK tournament before achieving huge success in PRIDE FC becoming the first PRIDE World Heavyweight Champion and the PRIDE Interim World Heavyweight Champion. However, with the two in different organizations not to mention different weight classes at times and with Couture retiring in 2006, it looked as though the fight would never happen. Then in 2007, everything changed as Couture emerged from retirement and upset Tim Sylvia for a historic third UFC Heavyweight Championship while PRIDE was bought by the UFC and Nogueira would be among the majority who made the pilgrimage to the octagon. Then in the summer of 2007, Nogueira would make a successful debut against Heath Herring while Couture successfully defended his title against Gabriel Gonzaga making it look like we were close to a long awaited encounter. Unfortunately, the UFC would hit a snag when Couture had a falling out and left the company though the UFC kept him to his contract. By early 2008, the relations began to improve and the UFC would offer Couture a chance against Nog at UFC 81 (February 2, 2008) but Couture would turn it down resulting in Nog facing former two time champion Tim Sylvia for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Still, Nog would go on to win the fight and the championship, not only keeping the title fight alive but making it bigger. By the spring, Nog would then coach the eighth season of the Ultimate Fighter opposite a resurgent Frank Mir and then the two would fight for the Interim Title at UFC 92 (December 27, 2008). However, as the season was going, the UFC and Couture struck a deal for Couture to return and defend his title but with Nog tied up, the promotion put Couture with Brock Lesnar a month earlier at UFC 91 (November 15, 2008). Sadly for the fans, the UFC hit a double whammy as both Couture and Nog would lose their belts and while no one was sad about a big Lesnar/Mir II fight, it was a lost chance. After a brief delay due to Couture getting elbow surgery, the two would finally meet at UFC 102 (August 29, 2009) with Nog winning and while we got the fight which met expectations, you still can't help but wonder how much bigger and epic it could've been with some gold.

Miesha Tate vs. Sarah Kaufman II- In a way, both Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman are among the pioneers or early stars of women's MMA. After both largely worked their way through the indy promotions, they actually met at a Strikeforce Challengers show on May 15, 2009 with Kaufman winning by unanimous decision. Following this fight, both became regulars for Strikeforce and enjoyed reigns as Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion with Kaufman being the inaugural champion in 2010. After successfully retaining the title against Roxanne Modafferi, Kaufman would lose the title to another women's MMA pioneer Marloes Coenen in 2011 who then would go on to lose the title to Miesha Tate. While Tate won the title, Kaufman went on to rack up two wins following her title loss and by the end of 2011, she was considered the number one contender. Going into 2012, it looked as though we would get a rematch as it was expected to take part in Strikeforce's January 7, 2012 event. However, the fight never happened as Ronda Rousey's rise to stardom was taken effect and after originally offering to fight Kaufman for the number one contenders spot, Strikeforce would change gears and book Tate against Rousey at their March 3rd event which became Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey while Kaufman fought Alexis Davis on the same show. While Kaufman would win her fight, Tate wasn't as fortunate and became another victim of Rousey's armbar thus preventing a title rematch between the two. Kaufman's win would earn her a shot at Rousey's title in August 2012 but she too lost. Ultimately, Tate and Kaufman would never face each other again despite both competing together in the UFC from 2013-2015 and with Tate retiring in 2016, any chance of the fight happening is zero.

Chuck Liddell vs. Forrest Griffin- This is probably one of the more interesting fights on this list especially since they have history. Originally, Liddell and Griffin crossed paths in 2005 on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter as Liddell was a coach on the show with Griffin on his team and that same year, both men scored huge wins with Griffin winning the Light Heavyweight portion of the season while Liddell would go on to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. As Liddell had his legendary title reign, Griffin slowly plugged along scoring wins and losses. In 2007, both men saw their careers go different directions with Liddell losing the title to Rampage Jackson at UFC 71 (May 26, 2007) and began his decline while Griffin began to make his own title run. A good example of their direction was UFC 76 (September 22, 2007) which saw Griffin score one of the biggest wins of his career against the debuting Mauricio "Shogun" Rua while Liddell lost a close fight to Keith Jardine marking the first losing streak of his career. By the end of 2007/early 2008, both seemed to be on the upswing as Liddell defeated the returning Wanderlei Silva in December 2007 while Griffin would coach the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter against Jackson and then go on to defeat him in July 2008 for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. After an injury forced him out of UFC 85, Liddell was then matched up with Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans at UFC 88 (September 6, 2008). Going into the fight, it looked like a potential title eliminator with the winner facing Griffin next. Ultimately, Liddell would suffer a brutal knockout loss thus depriving us of the potential fight and Evans would go on to face Griffin at UFC 92 (December 27, 2008) with Evans defeating Griffin for the championship. Liddell/Griffin would never happen as Liddell would fight only two more times in the UFC losing to Shogun Rua and Rich Franklin before being forced into retirement while Griffin would serve as a gatekeeper for the remainder of his career before retiring in 2013. Liddell/Griffin is one of those fights that could've been considered a dream fight as both are considered stars, both held the light heavyweight title, Liddell was known for his knockouts, and both had exciting styles which had the potential to be a fight of the year candidate. Plus, there's the history between them as sort of a mentor/protege from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Dan Severn vs. Don Frye- Dan Severn and Don Frye have a lot in common as both came from amateur wrestling, both are two time UFC tournament winners, and both have signature mustaches. Severn and Frye also had history as Severn was a mentor to Frye during his amateur wrestling days and both assisted the other in tournaments with Frye helping train Severn for his UFC 5 tournament win while Severn returned the favor helping train Frye for his UFC 8 tournament win. With all that, a fight between them sounds like it could've been interesting and we came close to getting such an encounter. In 1996, after winning two UFC tournaments the previous year, Severn went on to defeat Ken Shamrock in a close decision to become the second and last UFC Superfight Champion at UFC 9 (May 17, 1996) while Frye captured two tournaments of his own in UFC 8 (February 16, 1996) and Ultimate Ultimate 1996 (December 7, 1996). Going into 1997, the UFC began implementing weight classes and the first weight class to get a championship would be heavyweight. With Severn as the Superfight Champion and Frye the most recent tournament winner, the UFC decided to book them to face each other at UFC 12 (February 7, 1997) to determine the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately, the fight wouldn't happen as Frye suffered a broken hand and was forced to withdrawl. With Frye out, the UFC turned to not only another recent tournament winner but the only man to beat Frye at that point: Mark Coleman. Coleman would go on to defeat Severn to become the first UFC Heavyweight Champion while Frye looked on doing guest commentary. The fight would end up never happening as Frye left the UFC, never to fight again for them, while Severn would stay a little longer before he too left. Oddly enough, both would dabble in pro wrestling but wouldn't cross paths in either MMA or wrestling and with both retired and in their 50s/60s, it's not happening.

Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua- Hendo and Shogun are responsible for having one of the greatest fights in MMA history but the fact is we probably could've gotten it earlier with higher stakes. In 2005, Rua began to rise in MMA when he entered and won PRIDE's 2005 Middleweight (205 lbs.) Grand Prix but his rise was somewhat stunted as his fellow Chute Boxe fighter and good friend Wanderlei Silva was the champion and they wouldn't fight each other. Meanwhile, Henderson settled in the newly formed welterweight (183 lbs.) division becoming PRIDE's 2005 Welterweight Grand Prix winner and champion. Fast forward to 2007, Henderson moved back up to 205 pounds and defeated Silva at PRIDE 33 (February 24, 2007) to win the Middleweight Championship. With Silva no longer champion, the door was open for Shogun to finally challenge for the championship and it could've been something to be excited about. Unfortunately, it didn't happen as the UFC bought PRIDE shortly after and while both Hendo and Shogun would jump, they largely weren't able to come together as each had their own stuff happening with Henderson bouncing around weight classes and had a cup of coffee with Strikeforce while Shogun battled injuries and attempting to find his footing in his first two fights before eventually making a comeback and winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. By 2011, there was a chance of a unification fight but the window was short with Shogun losing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Jon Jones just as Henderson won the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. Eventually, these two would finally meet later in the year at UFC 139 (November 19, 2011) and it would be Henderson winning a battle for the ages. Oddly enough and unlike most of these fights, this fight would happen a second time, though with no title on the line at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 (March 23, 2014) with Henderson winning again.

Frank Mir vs. Andrei Arlovski- Mir and Arlovski have an interesting story as both came into the UFC around the same time of late 2000/early 2001 after a handful of fights and both looked like much needed prospects in a shallow UFC heavyweight division. Over the years, both would mostly climb the ranks with the occasional loss and both showed promise to be future UFC Heavyweight Champions. Of course, Mir would get there first by winning the vacant title from former champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 48 (June 19, 2004) thanks to an armbar. Unfortunately, Mir wouldn't enjoy the reign as he was sidelined in the fall due to a motorcycle accident with no one knowing if he would even come back. With Mir out, the UFC booked an interim title fight between Arlovski and Sylvia at UFC 51 (February 5, 2005) with Arlovski winning via achilles lock. After successfully defending the interim title against Justin Eilers at UFC 53 (June 4, 2005), it looked like we would get a unification match between Mir and Arlovski in late 2005. In the end, the fight wouldn't happen as Mir's recovery took a few months longer and with that, he was stripped of the title and Arlovski was promoted to undisputed champion. Ultimately, we never got the title fight as Mir's return came around the same time Arlovski lost the title to Sylvia and while both men would rebound by 2007, Arlovski would leave the UFC in 2008 seemingly preventing the fight from ever happening. Over the years, Mir would continue to chug along in the UFC while Arlovski became a journeyman as he competed in Affliction, EliteXC, Strikeforce, ONE Championship, and WSOF before eventually returning to the UFC. Eventually, the fight would finally happen at UFC 191 (September 5, 2015), ten years after it nearly happened. Arlovski would eventually win a lackluster fight on a unanimous decision.

Tito Ortiz vs. Vitor Belfort- Ortiz and Belfort have some things in common. Both are legends, both are pioneers especially in the UFC, both competed in UFC tournaments, and both became light heavyweight champion. By 2001, Ortiz had made it to UFC gold when he captured the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship the year before at UFC 25 (April 14, 2000) and Zuffa had purchased the UFC. With Zuffa having the just bought the promotion and the state of Nevada sanctioning MMA, the UFC decided to have a coming out party in what became the disastrous UFC 33 (September 28, 2001). For the event, UFC planned to not only have top fighters like Chuck Liddell and Murilo Bustamante but also three title fights with one being Ortiz defending the Light Heavyweight Championship against Belfort. Going into the fight, Ortiz had made three successful title defenses defeating the legendary Yuki Kondo, Elvis Sinosic, and future UFC champion Evan Tanner while this fight would result in Ortiz attempting tp tie Frank Shamrock and Pat Miletich for most successful defenses in UFC history. Belfort was fighting in the UFC for the first time in three years since UFC Brazil (October 16, 1998) and began his period of bouncing around between UFC and PRIDE where he scored wins over Gilbert Yvel, Bobby Southworth, and Heath Herring. The fight would end up being cancelled as Belfort would be forced to pull out due to an arm injury. After considering Kevin Randleman, Zuffa would go with Vladmir Matyushenko as Ortiz's new opponent with Ortiz retaining on a unanimous decision. Ortiz and Belfort wouldn't fight until 3 1/2 years later (by which point Ortiz lost the championship) at UFC 51 (February 5, 2005) which Ortiz won by a split decision.  

Dan Henderson vs. Kazuo Misaki III- This is something that many wouldn't think of but their series needed a third encounter. Given this is the III, it's safe to say that these two fought twice and we're tied. Not only that but a third fight could've had even higher stakes. The two first fought in a non title fight (Henderson was the 183 pound PRIDE World Welterweight Champion) at PRIDE Bushido 10 (April 6, 2006) with Henderson winning by unanimous decision. The second fight occurred a four months later when they fought in the quarterfinals for the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix at PRIDE Bushido 12 (August 26, 2006) with Misaki avenging the loss by scoring a unanimous decision. Later in the year, Misaki would go on to win the grand prix and with that, Henderson being the champion, and them being tied a win, it looked like the obvious choice was to do a rubber fight. Strangely enough, PRIDE never did it, even though both men were at PRIDE 33 (February 23, 2007) that February but were put with different opponents as Misaki lost to Frank Trigg while Henderson beat Wanderlei Silva. Shortly after PRIDE was bought out, Henderson went to the UFC while Misaki didn't and the two wouldn't cross paths again before their retirements. 

Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler III- Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler is not only a classic series of fights in MMA history but it's arguably Bellator's biggest series and the first fight is considered one of the all time greatest fights. The two first collided at Bellator 58 (November 19, 2011) with Chandler defeating Alvarez by submission to win the Bellator Lightweight Championship. Two years and a contract dispute later, the two rematched at Bellator 106 (November 2, 2013) with the two having another classic but Alvarez would avenge the loss by regaining the championship by split decision. To no surprise, Bellator planned a third outing which would appear on their PPV debut at Bellator 120 (May 17, 2014). However, the fight was cancelled when Alvarez pulled out due to injury and Chandler ended up facing and losing to Will Brooks. Shortly after the event, Scott Coker took over Bellator and granted Alveraz his release to sign with the UFC which prevented the third fight from happening. While both are still competing, it feels unlikely they'll meet again with Alvarez now in ONE while Chandler is in UFC or it definitely feels unlikely it'll be for a championship.