10 Moments That Left UFC Embarrassed This Year

Meanwhile, fighters like Vince Morales and Vanessa Demopoulos publicly claimed on social media that bookmakers had approached them to influence their fights, though both later deleted their posts. Overall, this betting scandal marks the UFC’s second major controversy in three years.

2. Conor McGregor’s teammate incites massive brawl with ‘Team Khabib’ at Madison Square Garden

Whenever a teammate of Conor McGregor gets involved, they grab headlines. Last month at UFC 322, the pattern repeated itself. Inside Madison Square Garden, before Islam Makhachev could claim his second belt, McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis provoked Makhachev’s teammates, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Magomed Zaynukov, in the stands, which quickly sparked into a huge brawl with chairs flying and barricades torn.

As a result, security quickly removed Danis from MSG, and the promotion issued a permanent ban against him. Dana White, however, blamed himself for the brawl. Afterwards, the situation escalated further when New York Mayor Eric Adams treated the incident as a legal matter. He promised that authorities would hold the responsible parties accountable and conduct a full-scale NYPD investigation into the matter.

3. UFC misses out on major blockbuster matchups

By early this year, the matchup between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title was just one step away from reality. Naturally, the matchup generated excitement reminiscent of a McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov 2.0 scenario. However, the UFC pursued a different plan.

When Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, Makhachev also moved up to 170 pounds, creating a domino effect. Later, Makhachev’s teammate Umar Nurmagomedov explained the reasoning behind the UFC’s approach, revealing that the promotion wants to make Ilia Topuria the champion at 155 pounds.

Beyond the lightweight division, the promotion faced heavy criticism for failing to arrange a UFC heavyweight title unification fight between then-champion Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.

Despite public pressure, the UFC gave Jones significant leeway, and he spent nearly two years delaying the bout. Jones eventually retired, stalling Aspinall’s career momentum. After the long wait, Aspinall finally became the undisputed heavyweight champion.

4. Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier’s commentary draws social media backlash

The UFC commentary team has long faced criticism from fans. Over the years, social media users slammed them for mistakes at major events, including UFC 259, UFC 264, and UFC 271. As a result, fans, experts, and even fighters often ridicule commentators Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan for their commentary. This year proved no different.

Despite their legendary status in UFC commentary, some fans now consider Rogan and Cormier repetitive and predictable. During UFC 316 this summer, for instance, viewers grew frustrated as Rogan overreacted to routine left kicks, while Cormier repeatedly criticized fighters for not attempting takedowns.

Even with decades of MMA experience, Rogan’s commentary seemed to lose its spark. Recently, MMA legend Ronda Rousey also poked fun at Rogan. “He’s not an expert,” Rousey said of Rogan. “He’s a fan with an audience. He never fought.”

Fans also accused Rogan of showing bias at times. While many still respect both commentators individually, pairing them together on the commentary desk irritated fans the most. Consequently, fans are now urging the promotion to address the issue and improve the broadcast experience.

5. UFC struggles with quality versus quantity balance

Over the past few years, the UFC has driven explosive growth and pushed MMA into the global mainstream. Fighters now carry the sport’s identity on their shoulders, and the promotion has transformed into a billion-dollar powerhouse. As a result, expectations have risen sharply.

Yet, as the UFC continues to expand, more fans now believe the promotion no longer meets the standards it once set. Fans have increasingly criticized the UFC for a clear drop in overall quality, as recently highlighted at UFC Vegas 107, Vegas 110, and UFC 318, with oversaturation emerging as the biggest issue. These days, the promotion schedules events almost every weekend, a decision that has diluted the product.

Back in 2010, the UFC expanded from 20 events per year to 24, and it has continued to increase that number. This year alone, the promotion staged 42 events, including pay-per-views, Fight Nights, and Apex cards. For many fans, the packed schedule demands too much time, and a steady run of underwhelming cards has drained the excitement.

On top of that, fans have taken issue with the UFC’s growing reliance on fighters from the Contender Series, Road to UFC, and The Ultimate Fighter, particularly on Apex cards. While the roster has grown larger than ever, critics argue that the talent level has not grown with it. Across social media, fans accuse the promotion of favoring low-cost contracts over elite talent and leaning too heavily on aging veterans instead of investing in the top-level fighters.

6. UFC fails to improve live gates in 2025

Ilia Topuria’s meteoric rise in the UFC has led many to compare him to Conor McGregor, the record-breaking superstar who consistently shatters ticket sales and PPV numbers. Yet, despite Topuria repeatedly claiming he can outdraw McGregor, the figures tell a very different story.

This year, the UFC struggled to surpass its live gate records from the previous year. For instance, Topuria’s UFC 317 fight generated a live gate of $11.32 million, ranking only third among 2025 events. By comparison, Dana White and the UFC broke records last year. UFC 306, the “One and Done” event at The Sphere, set a new benchmark with a $21.8 million live gate.

Other notable events included UFC 300 ($16.5 million), UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden ($16.67 million), and UFC 299 in Miami ($14.14 million).

Meanwhile, in 2025, UFC 322, featuring Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev at Madison Square Garden, drew the highest live gate with $13.62 million. While respectable, this figure fell short of past milestones, exposing a surprisingly underwhelming year for Dana White & Co.

7. UFC 321’s double eye poke drama puts the heavyweight title picture on hold

After Jon Jones vacated the UFC heavyweight title earlier this year, fans and even Dana White hoped the division would enter a new era after years of stagnation. However, misfortune struck during Tom Aspinall’s first title defense. Dana White described the fight as a “great showing, shi–y ending.” Challenger Ciryl Gane started the bout aggressively, putting heavy pressure on Aspinall from the opening bell.

Unfortunately, an accidental double eye poke from Gane struck Aspinall, leaving him unable to continue, and the UFC ruled the fight a no-contest. Critics erupted in frustration because the promotion still does not have a system to distinguish between intentional and unintentional eye pokes, a distinction that remains difficult to enforce.

Even fighters such as Jon Jones openly admitted last year that they sometimes poke opponents in the eyes, saying, “I do poke people in the eyes, and it’s very illegal, but I do it.”

This incident underscores the urgent need for the UFC to review and clarify its rules, yet the promotion has still not implemented any official changes. Earlier this year at UFC Seattle, a similar eye poke seriously injured UFC legend Henry Cejudo, causing significant damage to his eye. Despite the severity of the injury, Cejudo’s opponent, Song Yadon,g was awarded a technical decision.

8. Controversial stoppage leads to UFC Atlanta result reversal

Although athletic commissions oversee judges and referees, any incorrect call in a UFC event instantly draws intense scrutiny to the promotion. For instance, last summer at UFC Atlanta, a controversial middleweight bout between Cody Brundage and Mansur Abdulmalik sparked significant debate.

Brundage initially lost via TKO, but a review revealed that a clash of heads at the 36th second of the third round caused the stoppage. The Georgia Athletic Commission reviewed the replay, deemed the head clash accidental, and overturned the bout to a draw, citing their rule that “no incomplete round will be scored.”

The Cody Brundage vs. Mansur Abdulmalik fight highlighted judging controversies. In addition, referees also embarrassed the UFC in 2025, notably at UFC Vancouver, where a referee prematurely stopped a fight and drew widespread criticism. Over the course of the year, several similar incidents occurred, keeping officiating under the microscope and emphasizing the need for clearer and more consistent oversight within the promotion.

9. Rodolfo Bellato’s Oscar‑worthy antics lead to No Contest at UFC Atlanta

UFC Atlanta grabbed major attention for several reasons. Of course, drama and controversy are part of the sport, but this event raised new questions about how far it went. In particular, the spotlight fell on the light heavyweight bout between Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig.

Fans had hoped for a blockbuster showdown, yet the fight quickly turned into what resembled an amateur or even Oscar-worthy performance, as Bellato acted theatrically inside the Octagon. That night, Bellato became more of a meme than a fighter. Both men traded strikes and attempted multiple takedowns, but as the last seconds were away, Bellato tried to secure a dominant position over Craig.

During the attempt, he threw an uppercut while entering Craig’s guard, which was an illegal move. Bellato collapsed dramatically; however, the replay revealed the truth. He had staged the fall to gain an advantage. Fans on social media erupted, demanding that the UFC take action and remove him from the promotion.

10. Arman Tsarukyan’s actions put UFC’s reputation at risk at UFC 311

Fans eagerly anticipated a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan for the title, and both fighters participated in media events and pre-fight press conferences. However, just a few days before the fight, news broke that Tsarukyan had injured himself.

Naturally, fans speculated that the incident was connected to drama involving Nina, who joined Tsarukyan for a content shoot during fight week while he demonstrated some of his bending skills. The situation escalated when reports later revealed that Tsarukyan missed weight. Despite this, he continued to insist that he was injured. Then, Dana White addressed the situation during a press conference.

“Well, it’s not about getting back in the good graces… [Tsarukyan] had the opportunity to fight for the title and didn’t make weight,” White said, commenting on their working relationship with the Armenian fighter.

Since then, Tsarukyan has publicly pushed for a title shot, but Dana White clarified that the promotion needs to go “back to the drawing board” when it comes to discussions about the title contention.