The Top 10 bloodiest fights in UFC history

In the early days of MMA, the sport was often associated with blood and brutality. So much so, that it was often labeled a ‘bloodsport’ and was seen as being barbaric. One example of this was ‘Cage Rage’, a UK promotion that had very few rules compared to modern MMA franchises, and looking back was a lot crazier than the fights we see these days.

Since then, the MMA world has cleaned up its act and the sport is now seen as more of a legitimate sport. Having said this, on some occasions – fights will get messy and blood does get spilled. In this article, we’re specifically looking at the top 10 bloodiest fights in UFC history. Whilst the UFC may be considered as the pinnacle of the MMA universe, it still sees its fair share of blood and carnage. If you’re easily turned off by blood and violence, then this article is not for you. If you want to know more, read on.

1. Leslie Smith Vs. Jessica Eye

Ok, so technically, this one probably wasn’t the bloodiest fight ever. However, in terms of gruesome content, it was certainly up there. At UFC 180, Leslie Smith fought Jessica Eye. During the second round, the fight was called off by the doctor after Smith took a big punch to her ear. The result was that her ear was literally hanging off by the skin and blood was everywhere. Had this fight continued, there was a real and serious possibility that she’d have lost her ear. Thankfully, after the bout it was sewed together and she made a swift recovery.

2. Robbie Lawler Vs. Rory MacDonald 2

Some fighters are known for getting into wars, and Robbie Lawler is one of them. In their first fight, Lawler won by a close, split decision that led to their eventual re-match. Here, the pair battled until the fifth round, which saw Lawler eventually stopped by a flurry of punches. With blood streaming down his face, MacDonald was attended to afterwards by doctors, who tried to pad his face with tissues. Here, clearly dazed, he literally fell backwards from his seated position. It was a fearsome display by two warriors, which ultimately saw Lawler win the Welterweight title.

3. Ricardo Lamas Vs. Erik Koch

This match eventually earned Lamas a title shot against Jose Aldo. Here, he beat Erik Koch in two rounds and literally split his head open. With Koch on the ground, he attempted a closed guard on Lamas, who decided to drop bombs. This resulted in Koch getting struck in a vein or something on his head. After this, his head opened and blood spurted everywhere like a horror movie. A few seconds later, the ref stopped the bout with blood all over the canvas.

4. Conor McGregor Vs. Nate Diaz 2

When Nate Diaz is involved, you’re often in for a slugfest. After defeating Conor McGregor in their first fight and taking away his perfect streak in the UFC, the pair reunited which saw McGregor win by a majority decision. After the fight, the pair embraced, both drenched in each other’s blood and both had visible cuts to the head. This is understandable when you place the deadly left hand of McGregor against the iron jaw of Nate Diaz. Interestingly, during their first fight, Nate Diaz sunk a rear naked choke on McGregor whilst blood was streaming down his face…perhaps it’s a Nate Diaz thing?

5. Edson Barboza Vs. Tony Ferguson

This fight ended with Tony Ferguson winning by an anaconda submission. However, it was he who bled the most and in true Tony Ferguson style, his blood spilt everywhere. Interestingly, the first two rounds went mostly uneventful in terms of blood. Towards the end of the second though, Ferguson got checked around his eye and then the blood started to flow. By the time the bout was over, both men were rolling around on a bloody canvas that was now more red than grey.

6. BJ Penn Vs. Joe Stevenson

Back at UFC 80, BJ Penn fought Joe Stevenson for the UFC Lightweight championship. He won by a rear naked choke, but it was the bloodfest that fans will remember. At one point during the fight, Penn caught Stevenson at the top of his head that caused a huge cut. After the fight, a defeated looking Stevenson was slumped amongst the cage, looking visibly defeated. To add to the chaos, BJ Penn celebrated by licking the blood off his glove which was questionable but became iconic. As BJ Penn is Hawaiian, his love for fighting is understandable, as it’s part of their culture.

7. Cain Velasquez Vs. Antonio Silva

Cain Velasquez is often quoted as one of the greatest fighters ever, and in this fight at UFC 146, he painted Bigfoot’s face in blood. After taking Silva down, he proceeded with a brutal ground and pound. After this, there were two huge skids of blood on the mat which told you everything you need to know. Getting repeatedly hit in the head by someone at well over 100KG is not a nice feeling. Sadly, Bigfoot was the one who endured this. This didn’t deter Bigfoot though, the two met again a year later, which saw Velasquez win by the same tactic; punching Silva in the head.

8. Stefan Struve Vs. Denis Stonjic

Back in 2009, Stefan Struve was arguably at his peak and his impressive 17-3 record proved this. Here, he fought Denis Stonjic and eventually won by rear naked choke. Interestingly though, if you see his celebration image then you will see Struve with a smile on his face…whilst covered in blood. In fact, looking at the two it was Struve who you’d think took a pounding. And he did. However, by the power of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the Dutchman somehow found a way to win. An interesting fact is that Struve is also one of the tallest UFC fighters ever, standing at an impressive 7 feet tall.

9. Joe Lauzon Vs. Jim Miller

This match went the distance and saw Miller win by a split decision. Due to the two men’s dedication, it also earned them fight of the night awards which says a lot. By the end of the fight, both men were equally as bloodied as each other and it looked like something out of a low-budget horror story. A fun fact is that after the fight, Joe Lauzon was actually gifted the mat by UFC president Dana White. He proudly displayed this picture on his Instagram account in what is a physical representation of one of the UFC’s bloodiest battles ever witnessed.

10. Josh Koscheck Vs. Chris Lytle

Back at UFC 86, Josh Koscheck defeated Chris Lytle by unanimous decision. It also turned out to be one of the most comprehensive beatdowns ever that didn’t get stopped. By the end of the fight, Lytle had a huge cut on his head and it was pouring with blood. He embraced this though and even screamed towards Koscheck who had somehow failed to stop the fight. A true warrior, even though Lytle lost, you could not fault his attitude.

If you’d like to learn more about the UFCs history – then check out this book. It’s a literal UFC encyclopedia and has everything that you could imagine being written down about the organization. This book was written in 2011, so provides a great lesson about the old days.