10 Friends Turned Foes In The UFC

Being pals in Mixed Martial Arts is the equivalent of befriending a turkey. You can have a solid foundation built on trust and loyalty, but as soon as December 25th rears its head the inevitable is going to have to happen.

It's much of the same in terms of fighting. However, in this case it's only a matter of time before your friendship is going to be challenged in the name of discovering who is the better competitor - not who tastes better.

In the world of the UFC in particular, athletes tend to forge bonds with their training partners. This is down to most teams having to work together day in, day out, through the good and bad in order to get a fighter to where they need to be come fight night.

So, it'll come as little surprise that with this competitive edge being bristled daily, tight knit team mates are going to eventually come to blows - either verbally or physically - inside and outside of the octagon.

The UFC is about finding the Ultimate Fighter in every division. For two athletes to be matched together in a clash - from the same training team or circle - must only be seen as a compliment to their team's way of preparing fighters, right?

Try telling that to this group...

These two impressive fighters both honed their craft under the tutelage of the MMA godfather that is Greg Jackson, at his esteemed base in Albuquerque.

What's remarkable about this eventual rivalry is the fact that the two light heavyweights promised to never allow the sport to compromise their friendship.

Well, they tried.

That was all until the light heavyweight gold entered the scenario.

Before Jones' title shot against Shogun Rua - after the newly usurped champion, Evans, had been replaced by his teammate for the bout and the former had given Jones consent to fight for his old belt - 'Bones' decided to talk up a potential match up with Evans.

This irked his friend as the two had been transparent in their oath.

The two would clash after Jones' title winning performance and Evans would ignite a war with his Jackson team members, leading to him leaving the group.

Twitter warfare ensued and the old pals went back and forth on the internet and on television, too.

The two would also ruffle each other's feathers in a nightclub before their originally scheduled fight at UFC 133.

Both would have injuries that scuppered this titanic grudge match and it was only by the third attempt that we actually got to the cage unscathed - at UFC 145.

Jones would come out on top by unanimous decision and retain his title.

Was all that worth destroying a valuable friendship and splitting a team over?