Despite the numerous controversies which still exist in the sport of MMA and more specifically its premier promotion the UFC today, anybody who has been a fan since the days of Royce Gracie, Don Fry and Ken Shamrock will know just how far the sport has come. Gone are the days of the post-fight battle royals between the trainers, the plans to have the Octagon surrounded by a moat filled with crocodiles and when the rules didnt prohibit Keith Hackney from smashing Joe Sons testicles. Now all bouts are sanctioned by a governing state athletic commission, all fighters are required to take part in thorough random drugs tests and a unified set of rules prevent potentially dangerous attacks like kicking the head of a grounded opponent. Since those early days the UFC has transformed from a spectacle to a legitimate, bona fide sport. The change undergone in the last decade has been profound but, nevertheless, MMA is a sport involving people who are fallible and so controversy is inescapable. With every month that passes a new subject of debate will emerge in the MMA world after all, its what keeps MMA journalists in a job. Some are laughable, others are genuinely troubling and some are still hotly debated years after they happened. Here are the 10 Biggest Controversies In UFC History...
10. Ranked Fighters Released
The UFC is widely regarded as the best promotion in all of MMA and with good reason by and large all of the worlds greatest fighters, from the 125-lb Flyweights to the 265-lbs Heavyweights, compete in the UFC. This is why when a highly ranked fighter is suddenly released from the company it is all the more shocking. This recurring controversy struck again recently when Jake Shields (29-7-1) was suddenly dropped by the UFC. The 35-year-old had lost only once to Welterweight title contender Hector Lombard and prior to this he had been riding a three fight winning streak, which included wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia (both of whom are considered top-10 ranked fighters). Fortunately, an assembly of other MMA promotions recognised Shields obvious quality and he had his pick of the many offers he received to fight elsewhere. Other notable fighters who have inexplicably been cut from the UFC include Yushin Okami, Jon Fitch and Melvin Guillard.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
