This popped into my head while watching UFC 263, and seeing how popular Nate Diaz is. If RDA didn’t get hurt leading into the RDA vs Conor fight, allowing Nate Diaz to step in as a late replacement, Nate doesn’t turn into the star he is today. Before any of you Diaz dorks tries to disagree, the last PPV Nate even fought on was UFC 141 in 2011, and even his title fight was on free tv. If the UFC thought they could make money with him on PPV, they would have. He headlined a few free shows, but that was it…and his fight before Conor was against Michael Johnson, and it wasn’t even a co-main on free tv.
Then RDA gets hurt, Nate gets the win and the rest is history. Nate and Conor fight a 3rd time, and RDA misses out on the big PPV fight. What if RDA didn’t get hurt? That version of RDA was a motherfucker, and the entire landscape of the UFC would have been different if he beats Conor at 155. There’s no rematch, Conor drops back to 145 similar to the way Izzy just did to 185.
Another moment that felt small at the time, Cejudo getting the split decision over mighty mouse. Don’t get me wrong, it felt big at the time, beating an all time great in his prime…but it opened the door to MM being traded for Askren, and without that we never get the viral KO that turned Masvidal into a star. He’s another guy that the hardcores loved but wasn’t getting a title shot, or headlining a PPV. That moment changed everything.
The trade also changed things for Askren too. Without the short UFC run and the popularity he gained there, he’s not fighting Jake Paul for a million dollars…and without the Ben fight, there’s no Woodley fight either. Jake Paul is likely still targeting Bellator guys, and they possibly even co-promote the fucking thing.
Another moment, Rashad Evans getting hurt, paving the way for Jon Jones to fight for the belt. His record of being the youngest champion will likely never be broken. If Rashad doesn’t get hurt, and ends up beating Shogun…how long before Jon gets his shot? Does Jon end up being the one to leave Jackson-Wink because they stick with their champion Rashad? Does it play out like Cain and DC, with one guy changing weight classes, meaning Jon to HWT? I doubt Jon changes, but it would have been interesting to see how that feud plays out if Rashad was never injured and won the belt. Now Jon is the GOAT, and has records for title defenses. If he didn’t get a title shot for another couple years, how does that change things? If he’s a couple years older when he wins the belt, is he a little more mature and not acting crazy?
What other small moments like injuries and close decisions going one way or the other ended up being huge moments for the UFC?