10 Most Heated Rivalries In UFC History

9. Nate Diaz Vs. Conor McGregor

When you get two legendary sh*t talkers, there's always a chance that things will become extremely personal and the pre-match and post-match hype becomes less about simply selling a fight and more about genuine hatred.

That was indeed the case with Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.

Now, while McGregor may have ran his mouth about many an opponent, only to then be all nice as pie after the fight and say that the trash talking was all just to hype the fight, with Nate Diaz it was a completely different situation. Diaz doesn't play that way, and if he says he hates your guts and wants to rip your head off, he hates your guts and wants to rip your head off.

It's said that Nate was actually getting wasted on a boat when he got the call to fight Conor at UFC 196 on short notice. And with this rivalry quickly escalating to white-hot, Diaz got the satisfying tap-out win over The Notorious.

At UFC 202, of course, McGregor got some semblance of revenge with a hugely controversial decision victory in a rematch.

With the hatred and disdain still bubbling away between the two fighters, this rivalry could yet still see a third fight happen if and when McGregor decides to return to action.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.