8 most bizarre mma fights in modern history

Every so often, a fight comes along that’s just so bizarre it causes you to squint at the TV, shake your head, and quietly whisper to yourself:  “What the hell am I watching?”  MMA News has gathered and ranked the most bizarre MMA fights we’ve seen in recent years.

8. Nicholas Dalby vs Ross Houston: Cage Warriors (2019)

So smeared with blood was the canvas by the end of this fight that it looked like a crime scene. Things got so bad that referee Marc Goddard was forced to end the bout in round three, declaring a no contest: “It was almost comical; I was about to lose my footing, I could’ve broken my ankle. I wouldn’t care if that happened to me, but I would really care if it happened to a fighter.”

7. Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis: UFC (2018)

In the end it was Lewis who got his hand raised, albeit in the most reluctant manner possible, while shaking his head in disappointment. The “Black Beast” later admitted that even he was bored during the fight, while Ngannou issued a public apology to fans. Dana White, meanwhile, labelled the fight an “abomination.”

6. Diego Sanchez vs. Michel Pereira: UFC (2020)

Diego Sanchez vs. Michel Pereira in 2020 was an encounter that truly had it all; front flips, back flips, forward-roll kicks and almost as many flying knees as there were conventional strikes. However, the way this encounter ended added an extra layer of weird to proceedings. Pereira looked to be heading toward a comfortable decision win when he landed an illegal knee on the grounded Sanchez, who was then gifted the victory by disqualification.

5. Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama: Pride (2002)

As soon as the bell rang, what seemed like a hockey fight broke out.  Both fighters clinched while holding each other’s head, and for more than a minute, exchanged a flurry of relentless, undefended shots. This happened two more times during the fight, before Frye managed to slam Takayama to the canvas and put him away with some savage ground and pound.

4. Wanderlei Silva vs Kazuhiro Nakamura: Pride (2006)

Entering the ring wearing a short-sleeved gi, Nakamura surprisingly held his own against Silva, even initiating brawls with the most feared striker in the division.  That was until his gi started to bother him, and Nakamura decided to disrobe right in front of the advancing Axe Murderer. To the surprise of no one, Silva swiftly dropped “King Kaz” to the canvas and unleashed half a minute of undefended ground and pound that forced the ref to step in.

3. Chael Sonnen vs. Paulo Fihlo 2: WEC (2008)

When the fight started, Fihlo showed no aggression or urgency. Instead, he plodded around the cage as Sonnen beat him up. It appeared as if Fihlo started to lose his mind. He began talking to himself. Instead of focusing on Sonnen, the 30-year-old seemed distracted by an invisible opponent elsewhere in the cage.  Commentator Frank Mir screamed, “Who is he looking at!?”

2. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000: Bellator (2016)

There’s gassed, and then there’s Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 gassed. The two former street fighters spent much of this bizarre MMA fight attempting to regain their breath, hugging one another and winging punches so anemic it seemed like the fight was shot in slow motion.

1. Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta: Rizin (2016)

The most bizarre MMA fight we’ve seen surely has to be this criminally mismatched encounter between Gabi “She Hulk” Garcia and Yumiko Hotta. It was truly a bizarre spectacle from start to finish. When both fighters entered the ring, 49-year-old Hotta to her credit seemed unfazed by the hulking presence waiting for her in the opposite corner. Garcia swarmed her opponent with strikes and finished this freak fight in just 41 seconds.

More on these fights

For more on these 8 bizarre fights, including photos and videos, visit our full feature article at MMA News below: