10 Most Surreal Moments In UFC History
MMA is not like other sports, and that can be both a blessing and a curse.
A sport born out of a pay-per-view spectacle so barbaric that it caught the attention of some of the most prominent politicians in the world was always going to stand out in the mainstream cultural landscape.
Though the rules of mixed martial arts have increased since the notorious first UFC event back in 1993 in order to better protect the fighters risking their lives inside the cage, MMA remains a largely unrestrictive sport, allowing fighters a variety of different ways to finish their opponents inside the distance.
Couple this with MMA's perpetual position as a weird hybrid of traditional combat sports mixed with some of the promotional antics more commonly associated with professional wrestling and you have a sport with a habit of providing entirely surreal moments on a regular basis.
One only has to look at the recent news that UFC president Dana White is attempting to make the supervillain-esque move of hosting future events on a private island to avoid government regulations surrounding the current global crisis to realise that MMA is not like other sports, and that can be both a blessing and a curse.
10. UFC 151 Being Cancelled After Jon Jones Refused To Fight Chael Sonnen
Those following the recent news surrounding the UFCs attempts to go on with the ill-fated UFC 249 card in spite of the global situation should by now, be well aware of just how far Dana White is willing to go in order to ensure that a scheduled pay-per-view takes place on the date advertised.
So when UFC 151 was entirely cancelled in 2012, you can imagine the head honcho wasn't best pleased.
The card had been set to be headlined by a bout between reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, and crafty veteran and all-round MMA legend, Dan Henderson.
However, just eight days before the event was set to take place, Dana White announced that Henderson would be unable to compete due to a partial rupture of his MCL.
Despite the turmoil, it appeared that the event would go on as planned when Henderson's teammate Chael Sonnen stepped up and announced that he would be willing to fight Jones on short notice.
Unfortunately, Jones declined to take the fight with Sonnen on short notice, citing the advice of his trainer, Greg Jackson.
White was furious, and with the remaining fights on the card deemed not suitable for pay-per-view, the UFC took the unprecedented step of cancelling the entire event.