10 Controversial Moments in MMA History

Even though mixed martial arts is a relatively young sport, its had its share of controversy in its short lifetime.

There have been several moments in the sport in which certain actions were done, or certain words were said that just struck a cord with the fans and with the media. Ironically, in the sport of fighting a surprising amount of these controversial moments did not happen inside but rather outside of the cage.

So, what are the 10 most controversial moments at this point in MMA history? Read and find out but please be aware that it's difficult to quantify controversy so these moments aren't ranked per se but just increase gradually from least controversial to most.

Jon "Bones" Jones Says He Hates Toy UFC Belts

While this moment doesn't scream controversy like the others on this list, MMA forums and message boards were set ablaze when UFC lightweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones stated in an interview that he hated the plastic UFC belts sold in stores because the people who buy them didn't have to work hard for a belt that looks just like his.

Controversial? Maybe not in the grand scheme of things but a lot of MMA fans were certainly annoyed and it slightly tarnished Jones' humble, pious image.

Zuffa Releases All Golden Glory Fighters Under Contract

Alistair Overeem, formerly the Strikeforce heavyweight champion but no longer, was recently released from the organization and had the title stripped from him.

Shortly after this debacle, Zuffa released all fighters under contract with them (with the exception of Sergei Kharitonov) who train with Overeem at the famed Golden Glory gym in the Netherlands. So now the UFC is without Jon Olav Einemo and Strikeforce is without Valentijn Overeem and former women's bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen.

This dispute between Golden Glory and Zuffa has shaken things up but only amongst "hardcore fans." The casual fans of the sport just say "Alistair who?"

After a few days passed, it was revealed by Dana White that the source of the conflict was (supposedly) over Golden Glory demanding that the check be issued to them rather than their fighters.

However, Marloes Coenen struck back by posting a picture of her check made out to her, not Golden Glory, so who really knows for sure. All that is known is that this whole series of events was controversial.

Dana White Gets in Trouble for Using Anti-Gay Language

In the spring of 2009, UFC president Dana White went on a profanity laced tirade against MMA journalist Loretta Hunt and an anonymous source she used in an article that criticized the treatment of managers in the UFC.

The tirade was legendary and unfortunately included an anti-gay slur that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) thought the head of a major sports organization should not be using.

GLAAD protested the UFC and eventually got Dana White to apologize for his language although he never apologized to Hunt herself.

The whole issue has since been largely forgotten by fans but it was a huge black eye on the sport when it was going on.

"Motorboat Gate"

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson pretended to "motorboat" reporter Karyn Bryant and a firestorm of controversy erupted, in part due to Jackson's history of being...forward with female reporters (read: humping them).

Thing were made worse when Joe Rogan called Maggie Hendricks, a reporter who harshly criticized Rampage, "cunty" over the famous "Underground" mixed martial arts forum.

Eventually, fans settled down and the sordid event passed on into MMA history.

Kimbo Slice-Seth Petruzelli Post Fight Fiasco

At EliteXC: Heat, brawler and cash-cow Kimbo Slice was supposed to take on Ken Shamrock. Instead, Shamrock got injured on the day of the fight and wasn't allowed to compete.

Light heavyweight Seth Petruzelli was then taken off the undercard and put on the main event against Slice, a heavyweight. The result of the bout is one of the most well-known in MMA history.

Petruzelli knocked out slice with an off-balance jab only 14 seconds into the fight and EliteXC therefore lost its most marketable star. But what was revealed after the fight was much worse.

Yahoo sports publicized a radio interview with Petruzelli in which he basically stated that the promoters enticed him to stand with Kimbo instead of taking him down. The comments about the fight ended up attracting the attention of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Even though they found no evidence of wrongdoing in EliteXC, the bad press along with Kimbo Slice being exposed was enough to destroy the company.

Nate Marquardt's Release from the UFC

There was a firestorm of controversy when former UFC fighter Nate "The Great" Marquardt was released for the reason of failing to pass his medical requirements.

The flames of controversy only worsened when it was revealed that this was due to Nate Marquardt undergoing testosterone replacement therapy or TRT. The whole TRT issue is one of the most divisive issues that the sport has faced due to the fact that many fans feel that it is essentially legalized cheating.

The issue of TRT was more prominent on the next controversial moment, which was...

Chael Sonnen's Trial

When it was announced that Chael Sonnen would fight Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship, many in the MMA community laughed. "Nobody can beat Silva, especially not Chael Sonnen," everyone said.

However, for the better part of 23 minutes they were proven wrong. Chael Sonnen, after weeks of verbal tirades against the champion, managed to deliver on his promises and batter the champion like no one else had before getting caught in a last-minute triangle choke.

Despite the loss, Sonnen was still the man of the hour in the MMA world. Unfortunately, that didn't last for long.

It was eventually announced that Sonnen's testosterone levels were way above normal on his post-fight drug test. Sonnen was suspended but he appealed the suspension.

His trial was highly controversial because the issue of TRT first came to the fore. It didn't help that Sonnen was already one of the most controversial figures in the sport; the community was polarized over him.

Eventually, Sonnen was given what amounted to a slap on the wrist and many MMA fans were angered. Things got worse when Sonnen was accused of and plead guilty to money laundering, not the sport's finest hour.

Even till this day, fans are rigidly split over Chael Sonnen.

Bisping vs. Hamill

Michael Bisping versus Matt Hamill sticks out as one of the most egregiously bad decisions in the history of the UFC.

Hamill dominated Bisping throughout the fight yet Bisping was awarded with the split decision victory. The fact that the fight took place in the UK, Bisping's home country, made people raise an eyebrow at the questionable decision.

The fight is still an example of one of the worst decisions in MMA.

Greasegate

One of the most anticipated matchups in the history of the UFC was the second fight between Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn for St-Pierre's welterweight title.

Each man had a legion of devoted fans pulling for them and when they finally fought, St-Pierre proved too much for Penn, who couldn't answer the bell at the start of the 5th round.

But after the fight, B.J. Penn made a startling accusation: St-Pierre was greasing.

The whole issue created an insane amount of controversy on forums as well as in the MMA community as a whole. When one of the key figures in the sport is accused of and (essentially) caught cheating, it's bad for the sport and for the community.

The Nashville Brawl

Few could have imagined that Jake Shields would wind up in another fight only moments after his shocking upset victory over Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville.

During Shields' post fight interview, his middleweight rival Jason "Mayhem" Miller grabbed the microphone and asked for a rematch.

What followed was arguably the biggest black eye in the sport's history. Miller was shoved by Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and then Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz threw a punch at Miller.

A brawl started and the fighters involved were fined. Strikeforce has not appeared on CBS since and many cite the brawl as the reason for that.