8 Most Shocking UFC Plans That Almost Happened
1. Tito Ortiz Vs. Dana White In A Boxing Match
Truly one of the most confounding, bizarre, situations in the history of combat sports was the ill-fated boxing match between UFC president Dana White and one of the best mixed martial artists in the world Tito Ortiz.
Ortiz and White had shared a tumultuous history before the idea of the pair stepping in the ring competitively had ever even been discussed. Dana had initially served as a manager for Ortiz, prior to White becoming UFC president when Zuffa purchased the company in 2001.
The always-rocky relationship between Tito and Dana only deteriorated from this point on, with the pair famously engaging in a scuffle while mid-air on a private jet that saw Ortiz put White in a neck crank before the fight was broken up.
In 2007, during negotiations with the UFC, Ortiz stated in his contract that he wanted to have an exhibition boxing match with White, possibly assuming that the UFC president would never take him up on the offer.
However, the former amateur boxer White was more than happy to settle his differences with Ortiz in the ring, and an exhibition bout between the pair was scheduled for 2007.
When it came down to the weigh-in for the contest, Ortiz wouldn't show, robbing fans of the opportunity of seeing one of the most powerful men in combat sports fighting inside the squared circle.