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Whether it be 2 fighters that were under the same promotional banner for years, fighters that were out there bouncing between promotions for years, or even fights that are such a compelling match up its surprising nobody took advantage of it, what are some of your favorite fights that never happened? Some of these fights may have even been booked at one time but never materialized. Btw, I was inspired to do this thread by eworden78 and a thread he just opened.
-Rich Franklin vs Nate Marquardt: Two guys from the same era that were at or near the top of the MW division for quite a while, mostly at the same time, its surprising this fight never happened. Also a pretty compelling match up along with making sense rankings wise.
-Babalu vs Randy Couture: Both guys had been mainstays in the top 10 forever and both guys fought at both 205 and Heavyweight. Also from the same era.
-Robbie Lawler vs Phil Baroni: These 2 guys were cut from the same cloth in the early to mid 2000s version of the UFC. Both aggressive, hard hitting, inconsistent (to different degrees), 170-185ers that where not only in the UFC at the same time but were bouncing around other promotions when they exited the UFC at the same time. I cannot believe this fight never happened in Cage Rage, ICON, EliteXC, Rumble on the Rock, or some other promotion, it was a no-brainer.
-Karo Parisyan vs Sean Sherk 3: Most people know that Sherk beat up a teenage Karo twice outside the UFC way back in the day. This, and the fact that they were 2 UFC WW mainstays at about the same time, makes it a surprise they never booked the 3rd fight in the Octagon.
-Rumble vs Thiago Alves at 170: Pretty simple concept, 2 HUGE welterweights that miss weight all the time and KTFO people all the time.
-Shinya Aoki vs Takanori Gomi in PRIDE, Sengoku, or Shooto: Probably the 2 best JMMA 160ish pound fighters with different but equally exciting styles that were kicking around for much of the same time.
Frank Shamrock vs Kazushi Sakuraba: Both MMA pioneers who were all time greats from the same lineage and fought in Japan a whole lot and comparable in size, this fight would've been so awesome.
There are many more. What are some of your favorites?
-Rich Franklin vs Nate Marquardt: Two guys from the same era that were at or near the top of the MW division for quite a while, mostly at the same time, its surprising this fight never happened. Also a pretty compelling match up along with making sense rankings wise.
-Babalu vs Randy Couture: Both guys had been mainstays in the top 10 forever and both guys fought at both 205 and Heavyweight. Also from the same era.
-Robbie Lawler vs Phil Baroni: These 2 guys were cut from the same cloth in the early to mid 2000s version of the UFC. Both aggressive, hard hitting, inconsistent (to different degrees), 170-185ers that where not only in the UFC at the same time but were bouncing around other promotions when they exited the UFC at the same time. I cannot believe this fight never happened in Cage Rage, ICON, EliteXC, Rumble on the Rock, or some other promotion, it was a no-brainer.
-Karo Parisyan vs Sean Sherk 3: Most people know that Sherk beat up a teenage Karo twice outside the UFC way back in the day. This, and the fact that they were 2 UFC WW mainstays at about the same time, makes it a surprise they never booked the 3rd fight in the Octagon.
-Rumble vs Thiago Alves at 170: Pretty simple concept, 2 HUGE welterweights that miss weight all the time and KTFO people all the time.
-Shinya Aoki vs Takanori Gomi in PRIDE, Sengoku, or Shooto: Probably the 2 best JMMA 160ish pound fighters with different but equally exciting styles that were kicking around for much of the same time.
Frank Shamrock vs Kazushi Sakuraba: Both MMA pioneers who were all time greats from the same lineage and fought in Japan a whole lot and comparable in size, this fight would've been so awesome.
There are many more. What are some of your favorites?
