The 20 Worst Moments in UFC History

Over the years, the UFC has evolved into an elite sports fighting organization. It began with humble roots and grew to be the largest MMA organization in the entire United States.

Not everything has gone perfectly along the way, however. This is a collection of the twenty worst moments in UFC history. There are always bumps on any road. Along its way, the UFC has hit some very deep potholes.

If you can handle it, here are the worst of the worst, organized in reverse order for your pleasure.

No. 20: UFC 1 Announcer Bill Wallace

This guy is a gem. He is so funny that it almost makes up for how incredibly incompetent he is. Unfortunately, this was the very first UFC broadcast, and this man failed in every way.

He could not pronounce names, called it the Ultimate Fighting Challenge, and actually burped during the first couple sentences of the broadcast.

He was amazingly terrible, and now after all these years, we can thank him for it.

Do not drink any milk while you watch this:

No. 19: Michael Bisping Defeats Matt Hamill

The reason this is listed is not because of the terrible decision that gave Bisping the win. This is listed for the magic that Bisping created when it was over.

Hamill, being deaf, could not hear the things Bisping had to say, which, to say the least, were pretty rude. It is also pretty strange that he yelled it all at Hamill's back when he knew very well what Hamill's condition was.

Hamill, with no knowledge of what Bisping had said, congratulated Bisping and said he deserved the win.

It was an amazing display of poor sportsmanship that some people still consider important these days.

Joe Rogan interviewed "The Count" immediately after the fight:

The decision:

The following interview discusses the Bisping decision and what Hamill is doing now. Check out 5:20 to see his reaction to the Bisping fight.

There is justice in the world:

No. 18: Gabe Rudiger Fails To Make Weight

Now Gabe is an interesting fellow.

Originally seen fighting Melvin Guillard at UFC 63, Gabe almost pulled out a victory. As the round came to a close, Gabe took advantage of Melvin's gassed state to sink in a chock. Unfortunately for Rudiger, the round would end saving Guillard from a humiliating defeat.

Rudiger would be knocked out in the following round with a shot to the body, one of the very few times that has been accomplished.

This performance earned Gabe a spot on season five of The Ultimate Fighter television show.

It seems that Gabe liked to eat, and cutting weight just wasn't his thing. When it came time for him to finally fight, he had to lose a large amount of weight in a very short time. We, the fans, were treated to everything from an on-air colonic treatment to Gabe in a sweatsuit whining his backside off in the sauna.

Eventually his teammates could no longer deal with it, and he quit trying to lose the rest of the weight. All two pounds of it.

It is a shame because he really is a nice guy, and despite his problems on the show—many believe that he made a boring season worth watching.

Check out the following interview and decide for yourself:

No. 17: BJ Penn Battles Caol Uno to A Draw at UFC 41

The reason this is significant is that the entire premise of the event was to determine a lightweight champion. The spot was vacant, and the UFC intended to fill it.

BJ Penn went into the fight heavily favored. Not just because he was a great fighter, but also because he had already knocked Uno out at UFC 34.

What a terribly strange time to garner a draw.

The night ended with no champion to fill the lightweight bracket. While this was bad for Penn, it was a disaster for the UFC who ended up with no lightweight champion at all.

Here is Penn's first fight with Uno. It is not shocking to think the UFC favored Penn at UFC 41 following this display at UFC 34:

No. 16: Randy Couture Gets Title Shot After Being Knocked Out

Recently Strikeforce has been heavily criticized for allowing Brett Rogers a shot at the Strikeforce heavyweight belt after being tko'd by Fedor Emelianenko.

This is fairly hypocritical considering the fact that Randy Couture was given the same opportunity to win the UFC heavyweight belt. His chance came after being completely knocked out by Chuck Lidell.

Brett Rogers may have fought for the title, but he was severely outclassed and dominated by Alistair Overeem.

Randy, on the other hand, scored one of the greatest decisions in the history of the UFC. This is also ironic, considering the UFC cut Sylvia afterward thinking he was not very good.

Good enough to build Randy's reputation apparently.

The complete Strikeforce heavyweight title fight:

It is not possible to obtain footage of the UFC title fight, so here is a video of Randy Couture training for the event:

No. 15: Paul Buentello Knocked Out by Andre Arlovski at UFC 55

This was a good win for Arlovski, and a fast one too. So fast that almost no one saw how it happened and the crowd became pretty upset. It seems they expected more for the money they spent, and surely Buentello felt the same way.

There is no denying the fact that Buentello was knocked out cleanly by Arlovski and replay shows this. Enjoy a rare full fight from the UFC. Pay attention to the crowd reaction as well.

It really is a surprising finish.

No. 14:Tank Abbott Loses His Mind at UFC 17

Tank Abbott was an unusual fellow. He was rough and unapologetic in the cage and ran with a rough crowd.

Constantly in and out of jail, Abbott was the poster boy for what MMA should not be. In fact he would be competing with Bobby Hoffman for best Jerk Of The Year Award if not for the fact that Hoffman was so much more successful—and a lot meaner.

Nevertheless, Abbott really tried, and his efforts did not go unnoticed at UFC 17. Nearly everyone was subjected to a personal attack by Abbott, and it is a wonder he didn't end up in jail that night as well.

Instead he was suspended for a year—with pay.

An interesting reward for a strange display of idiocy.

Here is Tank Abbott:

No. 13: Kevin Randleman TKO's Himself before Title Defense at UFC 24

This was an extremely unfortunate freak event that occurred during the middle of a live pay per view broadcast. The heavyweight title was on the line, but there would be no fight that evening.

Kevin Randleman made sure of that.

While walking around backstage of the event, Randleman slipped on a pipe.

He injured his shoulder in the fall and suffered an apparent concussion after hitting his head. He was rushed to a local hospital.

Needless to say, this was an unprecedented disaster. Who could ever predict such a thing?

Even today it is largely considered the weakest UFC presentation to date.

Here is an interview with Kevin Randleman, if only to make this entry as weak as the event itself:

No. 12: Dana White Challenges Tito Ortiz to a Boxing Match

It is one thing when you don't get along with your boss, and quite another when that boss wants to kick your rear end. Such was the case between Dana and Tito.

While this might sound like a joke, it really happened.

Or did it?

Actually the bout never occurred, but the buildup to it was tremendous. It probably would have garnered a large pay per view audience by itself.

Knowing Dana White, this was probably what he was thinking too.

Here is a really good interview with Tito Ortiz discussing the event:

No. 11: Dana White Signs Kimbo Slice

Dana White apparently decided selling out just means no empty seats and went for it by signing the great Kimbo Slice.

This was a very surprising move by the pay per view maverick. Surprising because Dana swore up and down that he never would. Later, he altered that statement to say he would, but only if Kimbo defeated a credible opponent.

Fortunately, Gary Shaw was there to provide a guaranteed win over James Thompson, which we must assume is the win that gave him the "credibility" Dana mentioned. It is either that, or Dana was incredibly impressed by his performance vs. Seth Petruzelli.

Here is what Dana had to say about Kimbo Slice:

Here are some past moments that led up to and shed light on the signing:

No. 10: Dana White Signs James Toney

In an even more mysterious move, Dana White signed professional boxer James Toney to fight Randy Couture. Even Dana claims he doesn't know why he did it and it was a big mistake.

It certainly was a big mistake for Toney, who is bound to be mightily destroyed by an aged Randy Couture.

Dana White confirming fight with Randy Couture:

Secret Negotiations:

James Toney on Randy Couture:

No. 9: UFC 5 Superfight Is Superbore

UFC 5 was amazing. This event featured the much anticipated Superfight between Joyce Gracie and Ken Shamrock.

It is said by many that this was the fight in which the term "Lay-and-Pray" was coined. Who knows? It certainly does apply, as Ken Shamrock basically lays on top of Joyce and hugs him for thirty minutes.

Despite the fact that you are probably salivating at the chance to see this fight, the five-part thirty minute epic lay-and-pray will not be shown here.

This is for your own good.

Instead, here is a three minute video of Lew Hicks, Navy SEAL, inventor of SAFTA (don't ask), and trainer of Big Jon Hess!

No. 8: Matt Lindland Knocks Himself Out at UFC 43

Well, what can be said about this?

Matt Lindland trained hard with Randy Couture and Dan Henderson in order to defeat his opponent, Falaniko Vitale.

Apparently Matt missed a lesson on take downs, and this ugly incident is what followed.

Not exactly the brightest moment in UFC history.

No. 7: Brock Lesnar Loses Mind at UFC 100

Brock certainly made a name for himself at UFC 100 when he spit in the bloody face of his defeated opponent, Frank Mir. Pointing and mouthing off at both Frank and Frank's father, Brock was unbelievable.

Brock went on to flip off the crowd, insult the UFC sponsor, and make a giant fool of himself.

In fact he went so crazy that the UFC pulled every video and clip of the event off the internet and just about everywhere else. All that is available now is Brock Lesnar's apology.

People who did not even see the event will remember it for a long time. It was quite a spectacle, and Brock has had to do some damage control to save his public image.

The fact that he became so ill probably saved him from more backlash than he has already received.

Here is practically the entire ugly episode:

And Brock Lesnar's apology:

No. 6:Tito Ortiz Fights for the Freedom of Mixed Martial Arts

The fight between Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort was epic. Fighting for the light heavyweight championship, each fighter in turn gave it all he had.

Vitor was clearly spent at the end of the fight, which was declared a victory for Tito Ortiz by the judges.

Vitor was so dehydrated from the event he had to be taken to a nearby hospital when it was finished.

Tito, on the other hand, seemed newly invigorated and did a large array of things from running into the upper stands to talking trash with both Chuck Liddell and Ken Shamrock.

The funniest thing he did was to announce to Joe Rogan that he was fighting for the troops. He explained that the troops are fighting for our freedom and he, Tito Ortiz, was fighting for the freedom of mixed martial arts.

Although he is a much better trash talker than Ken Shamrock, it was still an epic failure.

Here is most of it:

No. 5: UFC 43 Wes Sims vs Frank Mir

This fight was just one of those things we would all like to forget. It was an ugly display.

Wes Simms, seemingly unaware of the rules of the octagon, decided to start face stomping Frank Mir into unconsciousness. He was naturally disqualified, but it left everyone who witnessed it quite stunned.

Frank would meet Wes again at UFC 46. For Mir, revenge was sweet as he knocked Simms out in round two of the engagement.

While such tactics were used in PRIDE, the difference here is that Frank was pressed against the cage. In PRIDE, they used regular roped rings and a fighter getting face stomped can always move his head out of the ring.

Obviously, moving a fighter's head out of the cage is simply impossible.

No. 4: Renato Sobral Chokes Out David Heath at UFC 74

Oddly enough, at an event called UFC 74 Respect, Sobral felt that David Heath had not given him any. Therefore, he decided to maintain an Anaconda Choke until Heath blacked out. That was long after the referee told him to get off.

Sobral later stated that he put Heath to sleep in order to teach him a lesson.

Well the UFC taught Sobral a lesson by releasing him from his contract and removing him from the UFC roster.

To this day, Sobral remains unapologetic, yet it is clearly one of the worst moments in UFC history—if not all of MMA.

Here, Sobral justifies his actions:

No. 3: Dana White Fails To Sign Fedor Emelianenko

Prior to Fedor signing with Strikeforce, there seemed to be a real possibility that Fedor would be fighting in the UFC.

Dana White and Zuffa had allegedly offered Fedor the largest contract in the history of MMA. Unfortunately, they could never come to terms with Fedor's management group, M-1 Global.

While M-1 Global operates in over 90 markets worldwide, they are not exactly a household name in the United States. As a result, Dana felt that co-promotion was beneath the UFC organization. He also claimed that M-1 Global used thug like tactics in negotiations.

Whatever the reason, the end result is a failed attempt to sign the greatest fighter in the world. An epic failure for both Dana White and the UFC.

Here are some moments of interest:

Following Dana's failure to sign Fedor, he seemed to change his tune. He went so far as to say that Fedor had not fought anyone since the late nineties. Make of this what you will, but Fedor is in Strikeforce and not the UFC.

That is the bottom line and what makes this one of the worst events in UFC history.

No. 2: Corey Hill Breaks Leg

The image of this event is all that will be provided for this, the number two most horrible moment in UFC history.

The image is not doctored.

It was a sick accident that came as the result of a checked kick. Corey's leg snapped and gained a type of flexibility not normally seen outside of a Fantastic Four comic book.

Dale Hartt at UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" is the man responsible for the defensive move that cost Hill the fight and his leg (for now).

Hill is recovering from the incident and expects to be one hundred percent when his physical therapy is completed. Unfortunately, that will not be for many months.

No. 1: Joe Son Hit In The Groin

This is the absolute worst moment in UFC history. It sickens any man who ever sees it and is a reminder of how much the UFC has changed since its early beginnings as a tournament based cauldron of blood and guts.

There are no rules!

The old UFC slogan was truly put to the test when Joe Son suffered the most horrible attack in not only UFC, but all human history combined. Yes, it was that savage.

Kieth Hackney was relentless in his assault upon Jon Son's er...groin (rhymes with halls). Over and over, he struck- to the dismay of every man who has ever seen it. Kieth's attack alone probably set the UFC back ten years.

Enjoy...

If that was not enough, here is the full fight Benny Hill style: