10 Infamous UFC Bar Fights
1. Tito Ortiz Vs. Lee Murray
The infamous scuffle between 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' Tito Ortiz and 'Lightning' Lee Murray is perhaps the most talked-about brawl in MMA history.
The incident took place back in 2002, after UFC 38, outside of a London nightclub. Several other big named fighters were frequenting the bar that evening, including Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, and Pat Miletich.
It's important to note that nearly all the participants in this melee were heavily intoxicated, and there are several conflicting accounts as to exactly how things went down.
The rumble started when a large group of fighters were exiting the bar. One of Ortiz's associates decided to give Miletich a playful bear hug. In response, one of Murray's colleagues, Paul Allen, misinterpreted the situation, pulled the man off of Miletich, and began choking him.
The incident soon escalated, and pretty soon a who's who of UFC fighters and their posses were engaged in a massive street brawl. Fighters began swinging at one another indiscriminately. As Chuck Liddell recalled, "I'm hitting guys with spinning backfists, just dropping guys. It was a classic street fight. If I don’t know you, I drop you."
During the mayhem, Tito Ortiz and Lee Murray faced off in an alley. For those who might be wondering, yes, this is the same Lee Murray who was the mastermind behind the infamous Securitas depot robbery.
At the time, Ortiz was the reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and Murray was a relative unknown who had yet to debut with the promotion.
The most commonly recounted version of the story from eyewitnesses is that the former light heavyweight champ missed with a left hook and was then met with a combination of punches that sent him to the ground.
According to Murray, "He was down but still conscious. He would have been out cold, though, if it wasn’t for Pat Miletich and some of the other guys pulling me off him because I was soccer-kicking him in the face." Finally, the police arrived, and everyone fled the scene.
The fight has since become a part of MMA folklore.