Championship Fails: The Five Worst UFC Title Fights Of All-Time

Earlier this month (March 4, 2017), Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson did battle for a second time at UFC 209 in a rematch of their UFC 205 bout last November.

Once again, Woodley defended his 170-pound title, but the bout fell far short of the expectations it was given based on the entertaining nature of the first “Fight of the Night”-winning scrap between the two.

At times, this happens in mixed martial arts (MMA).

While title fights typically consist of two of the best fighters in the world at a given weight, the fights don’t always end up being entertaining, and on some occasions, they end up being quite boring and lackluster.

With that being said, let’s take a look at Woodley vs. Thompson II and five of the worst title fights in UFC history:

Ken Shamrock vs. Dan Severn II

UFC legends Shamrock and Severn met in a rematch at UFC 9 on May 17, 1996 in a bout that most fight fans consider to be one of the worst fights of all-time period, let alone one of the worst title fights of all-time.

With Shamrock’s UFC Superfight championship on the line, but bout produced embarrassingly little action. Shamrock took the center of the octagon, while Severn appeared to be content circling around on the outside. Each man seemed to be waiting for the other to engage, which resulted in a supremely lackluster bout, and one that fans found as nothing more than boring.

When speaking of this fight, it must be noted that there were major rule changes put in place just prior to the contest, specifically a rule prohibiting the use of a closed fist, which is simply mind-blowing to even consider nowadays.

Perhaps this is why the fight turned out to be what it was, but either way, it remains one of the more prominent match-ups on our list of worst UFC title fights.

Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski III

Former UFC heavyweight champions Arlovski and Sylvia met for the first time at UFC 51 on Feb. 5, 2005, where, after landing a big shot early on, the “Pitbull” sunk in a leglock to finish Sylvia and become the interim heavyweight champion.

At the rematch at UFC 59 on April 15, 2006, Sylvia got his revenge. He was dropped early on, but “The Maniac” battled back and landed a thunderous blow to stop Arlovski in the very first round.

The anticipated trilogy bout between the two at UFC 61, however, didn’t provide another exciting finish. In fact, it didn’t provide much of anything, as it turned out to be a fight between two cautious fighters. Neither man appeared to be willing to engage, perhaps in fear of being knocked out again, and that left fans with little action as Sylvia scored an uninspired decision victory in one of the worst UFC title fights we’ve seen.

Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites 

Legendary longtime former champ Silva successfully defended his middleweight title over Leites at UFC 97 on April 18, 2009, but it wasn’t his most memorable title defense, and it happens to be one of the worst title fights we’ve seen in UFC history.

At the time, Leites, a submission specialist, was underdeveloped on the feet, leaving him with no answer for the offensive-minded Muay Thai specialist in Silva. As a result, Leites repeatedly fell to his back hoping that “The Spider” would dare to enter his guard. Given his experience and fight intelligence, however, Silva elected to remain on the feet, resulting in the bout providing precious little action.

To call this bout a ‘snoozer’ would be an understatement.

Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia

The second bout on this notorious list including longtime former champion Silva, who is arguably the most decorated champion in the promotion’s history, this defense over current top welterweight Demian Maia at UFC 112 on April 10, 2010 wasn’t a sign of that widely-respected fact.

Early on in the bout, Silva began taunting Maia, which was always a staple of his style, but also peppering the fellow Brazilian with strikes. Later on, however, “The Spider” appeared uninterested in fighting, as he looked to me doing more running than engaging. While Maia desperately tried to score, Silva showed so signs of aggression, and his lack of action even led referee Dan Miragliotta to warn him in the fifth round.

UFC president Dana White has infamously said that he was the most ‘embarrassed’ he’s ever been as UFC boss on that night and he didn’t even stick around long enough to strap the belt around Silva’s waist after the fight.

Clearly, this bout ranks as one of the worst UFC title fights of all-time and a forgettable fight at best.

Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson II 

Woodley and Thompson first met at Madison Square Garden at Nov. 12 2016’s UFC 205 in what turned out to be an instant classic. The two men went back-and-forth for five rounds, with each having his moments. Woodley dropped Thompson multiple times while coming dangerously close to locking in a fight-ending  guillotine choke, but “Wonderboy” battled back from the brink of a loss, which led the judges to score the bout a majority draw.

Unfortunately for fight fans, the rematch turned out to be a five-round ‘snoozer,’ as most labeled it, and most definitely one of the worst title fights in UFC history.

Neither man appeared willing to engage first, which provided a fight with limited action. Neither man was hurt until Woodley nearly finished Thompson once again with less than a minute left in the bout, and the two simply spent the majority of the fight eying each other down waiting for the other to make the first move.

The result was a heavily blasted main event that delivered one of the biggest title fight letdowns in promotion history at a time when the UFC needed a main event to be a hit more than ever.

That didn’t happen, and now Woodley vs. “Wonderboy” stands as one of the dubiously-dubbed worst title fights of all-time.

Which one did you think was the worst?