MMA in 2014: 15 Best Fights That Didn't Happen
If one storyline dominated 2014, it was the best, most interesting fights in the sport not happening because of injuries to the biggest stars. It was a frequent, frustrating trend that helped to make 2014 one of the worst years in modern MMA history.
From epic grudge matches to blue-chip title fights to sure-to-be-exciting slobberknockers, nothing was sacred.
It was not just the injury bug that gave promoters fits in 2014, however. From contract disputes to drug testing, the MMA gods gave us new ways to be disappointed this year.
With dozens upon dozens of fights getting axed in 2014, which ones would have been the best? Which ones do we most regret not seeing? Find out here!
No. 15: Chan-Sung Jung vs. Akira Corassani
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC Fight Night 53
What Went Wrong?
After getting busted up by Jose Aldo at UFC 163, The Korean Zombie was set to return to the cage opposite Swedish striker Akira Corassani at Fight Night 53. The fight was mouth-watering on paper...so naturally something had to go wrong. In a tragically expected turn, the injury-prone Chan-Sung Jung would be forced to withdraw from the fight.
What Happened Instead?
Jung was replaced by Max Holloway, who would go on to defeat Corassani. The fight would be something of a coming-out party for the Hawaiian...but was something of a tearful farewell for Jung. The Zombie would decide to hang up his gloves, at least for a time, in order to fulfill his mandatory two years of military service in his home country.
No. 14: Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 173
What Went Wrong?
Following a controversial 2013 spent exclusively outside the United States and its more stringent drug testing, the UFC audaciously gave Vitor Belfort a title shot opposite Chris Weidman. Don't like it? Well, you're clearly not a real [expletive] reporter...despite the fact that you're about to be inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.
In a twist even M. Night Shyamalan would roll his eyes at, Belfort wouldn't make it to the card. Why? It initially seemed to be related to getting cut off from TRT...or something. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had failed a drug test administered by the NAC in February due to his not-at-all-surprising abuse of TRT. All that, by the way, came after promises from Dana White that the UFC would "test the [expletive]" out of TRT users.
What Happened Instead?
Belfort would be replaced by Lyoto Machida (which, in turn, prompted a full-blown tantrum from White), and the bout would be moved to UFC 175 due to an injury to middleweight champ Chris Weidman. Belfort was later added to UFC 175 for an ill-fated bout opposite Chael Sonnen (more on that later).
From there, in a naked display of where the integrity of the sport ranks in comparison to money, the NAC would proceed to give Belfort no punishment for his flunked test, and the UFC would double-back and give him another crack at the belt at UFC 181. Another injury to Weidman, however, would push their fight back to UFC 184 in February.
No. 13: Ian McCall vs. John Lineker
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC Fight Night 56
What Went Wrong?
Much like Chan-Sung Jung vs. Akira Corassani, Ian McCall vs. John Lineker was one of those fights that were too good to be true. Just hours after making weight (and giving us one of the greatest MMA moments of 2014), Uncle Creepy withdrew from the fight due to a blood infection.
What Happened Instead?
Well...nothing. Lineker was pulled from the card, and the fight was rescheduled for UFC 183. Hopefully, things go better in January.
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No. 12: Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 180
What Went Wrong?
After Norman Parke withdrew from UFC 180, a battle between two of the UFC's all-time leaders in post-fight bonuses was made. Diego Sanchez would face Joe Lauzon in a sure-to-be-exciting lightweight title fight. Things went sideways, however, when both Lauzon and Sanchez suffered injuries.
What Happened Instead?
The fight was cancelled entirely and, alas, will not be revisited. Lauzon is currently tapped to face the fast-rising Al Iaquinta at UFC 183, while Sanchez remains on the shelf.
No. 11: Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 173, TUF: Brazil 3 Finale, UFC 175
What Went Wrong?
Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva had one of the longest, weirdest rivalries in recent UFC history. Unfortunately, when it came time to put pen to paper, Silva just plain refused to do so. As a result, the fight was delayed again and again and again and again.
Eventually, NAC representatives came a'knockin' in search of a urine sample. Well, the man with the cup must have borne a resemblance to Sonnen, because when Silva spotted him, he allegedly bolted on him, too.
What Happened Instead?
Sonnen's slip-sliding schedule would eventually settle at UFC 175, where he would be set to face Vitor Belfort. Wanderlei Silva would be asked to appear before the NAC and wound up no-showing at his own disciplinary hearing.
The result? A $70,000 fine and a lifetime ban from MMA competition in America.
No. 10: Gilbert Melendez vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 170
What Went Wrong?
In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it booking, former Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez was slated to face electrifying Dagestani Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 170. However, a day after announcing the fight (and despite including it on the original version of the UFC 170 poster), UFC President Dana White said "not so fast." While no reason was given at the time, news began leaking that Melendez was embroiled in a particularly ugly contract dispute with the UFC.
What Happened Instead?
The aforementioned ugly contract dispute actually led to a brief fling between Melendez and the UFC's fast-emerging rival, Bellator MMA. The UFC would match Bellator's contract offer and proceed to give him a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter, packaged with a title fight opposite lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.
Nurmagomedov was pulled from the card and would later replace Rustam Khabilov at UFC on Fox 11, where he beat Rafael dos Anjos.
No. 9: Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 178
What Went Wrong?
Give credit to Khabib Nurmagomedov; when a fight falls through, it happens before you even get the chance to be excited. After his UFC 170 bout with Gilbert Melendez fell apart inside 24 hours, Nurmagomedov one-upped himself in a big way by having his next fight, a UFC 178 bout opposite Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, fall apart inside 24 minutes.
What Happened Instead?
Nurmagomedov has not been in the cage since injuring his knee, and it seems as though his recovery is slow enough that it will cost him a title fight. Cerrone was kept on the card and booked to face Bobby Green, who would later be replaced by Eddie Alvarez.
No. 8: Julianna Pena vs. Jessica Andrade
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 171
What Went Wrong?
Julianna Pena vs. Jessica Andrade would have been a showdown between the two most violent ladies in the UFC not named Ronda Rousey. Unfortunately, a hard training session ahead of the fight resulted in Pena suffering a catastrophic knee injury that included a tear in every single one of her collateral ligaments (and her meniscus). That actually resulted in something of an endearing yet emotional tirade from Dana White, who was incensed following a tear-filled phone call with Pena.
What Happened Instead?
Andrade would remain on the card and defeat Pena's TUF18 roommate Raquel Pennington. Pena has actually popped up cageside at numerous UFC events over the last few months (most recently sitting alongside Forrest Griffin and White at the TUF20 Finale) but is still recuperating from the injury. According to her coach, she will be good to go by April 2015.
No. 7: Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
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When Was It Supposed to Happen
UFC 181
What Went Wrong?
After a particularly ugly negotiation period, championship-level boxer and highly touted MMA prospect Holly Holm put pen to paper and became a UFC fighter. Her debut, opposite The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 veteran Raquel Pennington, received a surprisingly high booking on the stacked UFC 181 pay-per-view. Unfortunately, Holm suffered a neck injury in training that would force her off the card.
What Happened Instead?
Pennington would meet UFC newcomer Ashlee Evans-Smith. While Evans-Smith put in a strong early effort, Pennington scored a Submission of the Year candidate with a buzzer-beating bulldog choke.
Holm would remain on the shelf for the rest of the year. She is currently targeting a February 2015 return.
No. 6: Daniel Cormier vs. Rashad Evans
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 170
What Went Wrong?
What was supposed to be a weighing and measuring of the 205-pound version of Daniel Cormier wound up being one of the wackiest stories of 2014. Just hours after a conference call to hype the fight (which was set to take place 10 days later, no less), former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans withdrew from the co-main event of UFC 170 due to a knee injury.
What Happened Instead?
As if Evans hanging up the phone, stepping out of the office and having his knee explode wasn't strange enough, word broke a few days later that he was going to be replaced by a cashier from a coffee shop. Indeed, Patrick Cummins would step in against Cormier on a few days' notice and get his face punched off in 79 seconds. While the UFC dodged a bullet there, Cummins would later go on to show that he's actually a formidable fighter.
No. 5: Dominick Cruz vs. Renan Barao
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 169
What Went Wrong?
Following two years out of the cage, Dominick Cruz was poised to make his long-awaited return with a title unification bout against Renan Barao. Knee injuries had robbed the pound-for-pound great of much of his athletic prime, but it was a torn groin muscle (shutters) that would nix his fight with Barao and, in turn, result in him being stripped of his UFC title.
What Happened Instead?
Barao would remain on the card and face a surging Urijah Faber, who he would defeat via knockout. Cruz, meanwhile, would add another seven months to his absence but finally came back with an emphatic win over top-10 staple Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178.
No. 4: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 180
What Went Wrong?
UFC 180 was built around Cain Velasquez. Not only that, but the UFC took the extra step of hyping the main event—his fight with Fabricio Werdum—by putting together The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. Unfortunately, those eggs were thrown into a historically flimsy basket. Velasquez would withdraw from the fight due to a knee injury.
What Happened Instead?
The event would go on without Velasquez. Werdum remained on the card and face off against fan favorite Mark Hunt in an interim title fight, which he would win via second-round knockout.
Velasquez's future remains a bit murky at the moment. While the UFC is angling for a Velasquez vs. Werdum title unification bout in June, the ominous pessimism of Velasquez's coach, Javier Mendez, suggests that may not be realistic.
No. 3: Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 175
What Went Wrong?
As discussed earlier, when a long-awaited bout between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva fell apart, the UFC surprisingly replaced Silva the with more-or-less top middleweight contender, Vitor Belfort. Many details, including the weight class and whether a title shot would be on the line, were left unclear...but they would ultimately not matter. Ahead of the bout, it was revealed that the two fighters had combined for three failed drug tests in 2014.
What Happened Instead?
The bout would be scrapped entirely, and both fighters would go in front of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Belfort would receive no fine or punishment and once again be paired off with UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman. Sonnen, on the other hand, would get slapped with a two-year ban from the sport, which effectively ended his MMA career.
No. 2: Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 3
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
Bellator 120
What Went Wrong?
In its second attempt at having its first pay-per-view, Bellator leaned on the men widely considered to be its best fighters, lightweights Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler. The duo had already put together two of the greatest bouts in the promotion's history, and tossing them into the cage a third time was surely a stroke of genius.
Not so much. Ten days ahead of the event, Alvarez suffered a concussion in training and was forced out of the fight.
What Happened Instead?
Then-Bellator President Bjorn Rebney had hedged his bets to ensure a lightweight title fight happened. Season 9 lightweight tournament winner Will Brooks was given a tune-up fight on the preliminary card specifically to ensure the presence of an extra 155-pound body for just such an occasion. He was moved up to the pay-per-view portion of the event, faced Chandler in the co-headliner and walked away as the interim lightweight champion.
Things went very differently for Alvarez, however. By the time he had finished recuperating, Bellator's home office underwent a regime change. New promotional President Scott Coker would cut Alvarez loose and allowed him to finally join the UFC.
No. 1: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2
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When Was It Supposed to Happen?
UFC 178
What Went Wrong?
Jon Jones' "ducking" a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson was a running story through 2014. Jones passed up a potential blockbuster immediate rematch with his Swedish rival in favor of a hastily put-together tilt with Glover Teixeira. However, even after dispatching the Brazilian with ease, Jones still wanted no part in a rematch with the man affectionately called Lusty Gusty.
When Jones found himself in a bitter contract dispute with the UFC, however, a rematch with Gustafsson wound up becoming a major part of the negotiations. He would eventually bury the hatchet (well, it seems that way, at least) and agreed to face Gustafsson at UFC 178. In a tragic turn, however, the Swede tore his meniscus and was forced out of the fight.
What Happened Instead?
You probably know what happened from there. Daniel Cormier. Press conference brawl. Jones injury. UFC 182.
Gustafsson, alas, was left out in the cold (which isn't an unfamiliar situation for him, given that he is Swedish). He currently finds himself needing to fight his way back into title contention and is booked to face Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC on Fox 14 in January.
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