What single fight would have changed UFC history the most if the opposite outcome happened?

[arcadeperfect]

Carmouche finishes off the RNC against Rousey: UFC WMMA dies in the cradle.

Sounds like we missed out on the better outcome.

 

[JakePaulMMA]

If Tito vs Guy Mezger didn't get stopped to 'check the cut' on the very top of Guy's head.

Tito would've whipped his ass in their rematch anyways and I don't even feel great saying that.

 

[Dr. Rose]

Chael popped for steroids after the fight and would have been stripped immediately & erased from record books. Why do morons keep insisting he would have been champ "if"??!!
I swear it's the same blatant glazing as when people claim TJ is in the BW goat debates
I totally don't see a pattern here

Edit: I forgot to contribute. Jose Aldo didn't get a fair weight cut & hydration period for his fight with McGregor. They made him parade around for an all champions Q&A after weighing in (he looked like shit), to give Conor every advantage they could manage. Equal treatment may have changed it from a 13sec KO to anything else

If Big John awarded Carlos Newton the technical sub victory he deserved, instead of awarding it to his friend Matt after he woke up.

Big John was friends with Hughes? Maybe. The UFC might have just hated Newton. I remember a lot of people thought he beat Hendo in the tournament at UFC 17. It might be one of the first "robberies" in the UFC.

 

[arcadeperfect]

This is a topic that should be shared with the UFC game devs. Having what-if scenarios and the various repercussions would be cool. Unfortunately EA would never do it, but it's nice to dream.

 

[TCE]

Had Marlon Moraes/Merab been stopped when Merab was dropped for the third time, maybe Merab would have never got to the belt?

Any referee could have stopped that fight when Merab was all over the shop stumbling over, who knows what the title picture would be like now?

 

[Luffy]

If Poatan had managed to beat Ankalaev in their first fight. As then, I think he'd beat JJ, the destine man. Poatan was the defense line... Tom was even willing to wait for the Pereira fight ... Once Ankalaev edged it, JJ appeared laughing watching cartoon (avatar). JJ had told you all:

"I'm not worried about the Tom fight. I'm worried about the Pereira fight. "

Ankalaev even said "I beat Alex now please fight Tom " ..... Ankalaev was a big JJ secret fan and knew Alex's code of not doing a Topuria and going straight for Islam. But JJ wouldn't have ran as Islam, he'd have accepted that arms open! Heheh

 

[FreddieRoachsVoice]

If Randy would have beaten Brock...

If Brock didn't grab the cage and win with an illegal strike...

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

Had Shogun beaten Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall would be HW champion today.

 

[Tito Tapped]

If Royce loses at UFC 1 your parents will never hook up and you won't be born.

 

[BForrester]

Griffin/Bonnar TUF finale was a snooze fest.

Edit: was beaten to the punch

 

[PaulieVegas27]

Sakuraba/Royce hands down.

 

[Qays Stetkevich]

If Royce Gracie had lost to Art Jimmerson. . . .

by his gloved hand.

No UFC, mma never gets big internationally nor in the US, 8 vs 8 battle royales in Poland become the most popular form of "mixed martial arts".

 

[mkess101]

If Forrest vs Bonnar 1 turned out to be a snoozefest or a quick but unspectacular finish, UFC likely wouldn't have survived

Was my first thought

 

[RockyLockridge]

Not really would've changed much but dumbass Rockhold losing to Bisping.

The MW division was at it's finest and it wasted almost two years with his nonsense defense against Henderson and than GSP coming in for a one off.

Created quite the clusterfuck during that period.

I guess Cejudo saving FLW was a big deal too.

It would change things quite a bit if rockhold won

-no henderson lol defense
-no Whittaker interim title
-no gsp return
-no vacant title fight

It would change mw quite dramatically

 

[RockyLockridge]

It would be an even sadder UFC had Chandler had beat Oliveira for the Lightweight Title. I have a feeling that Islam would have had to wait for the title shot and McGregor would have been gifted a title shot knowing what we know about how long Chandler waited for McGregor.

Nah, Conor can't fight at lw

 

[Tornikidou]

The Griffin-Bonnar snoozefest is the only correct answer for me.

But just to say something a bit different, I firmly believe an UFC 251 McGregor-Masvidal as the first event ever in fight island in the middle of peak COVID era would've sold 3M PPV.

 

[r-harper-1]

The same could be said for Cat Zingano.
Had she sat back and boxed Ronda it likely would have been clear to us that Ronda had zero hands. Instead she gifted Ronda an easy win furthering her aura of invincibility.

Ronda was slick with the arm bar though

 

[r-harper-1]

Jones vs. Reyes- If Reyes had been given the decision there would likely be no discussion of having Jones in the GOAT conversation.

Whittaker vs. Adesanya 2- This one should have gone to Whittaker and extended Adesanya's MW reign when it really should have ended here. It also could have stopped Strickland becoming a champion.

Shevchenko vs. Nunes 2- Had Shevchenko gotten the nod in a very close fight it's doubtful she would have moved to Flyweight when she did, and if she did not move I wonder what the first days of Flyweight have looked like. Would Nicco Montano have defended against someone else or would she still have basically been cut for not fighting?

There is zero possible way to objectively score that fight for Whittaker……Ludicrous

 

[Slapjit]

If PVZ choked oot Rose Namajunas den gyal prolly do above avg in UFC den neva do Slaps dat means John Dodson's Wife wuld be scrappin' wid Theo Von's wife fi di inaugural #PowerSlap wimmenz strap at #PowerSlap13

 

[sdpdude9]

Thought of another. If Ferguson beat Gaethje then the Khabib fight would have been booked for a 6th time and the sun would have exploded to prevent it happening.