Are you interested in MMA/UFC fighter street fights and how their MMA skills transfer outside of a professional setting?
In this article, we present 13 MMA/UFC fighter street fights that were caught on camera.
Contents
- 13 MMA/UFC Fighter Street Fights
- 1. Roger Huerta Street Fight
- 2. Ryan Hall Pizza Fight
- 3. Maiquel Falcão Outnumbered at a Brazilian Gas Station
- 4. Amateur MMA Fighter Street Fight Against Bouncers
- 5. Matt Serra vs. Drunkard
- 6. Melvin Guillard Bar Fight
- 7. Conor McGregor’s Pub Punch
- 8. Jorge Masvidal Blasts Leon Edwards
- 9. BJ Penn Street Fight
- 10. Mike Perry Street Fight vs. Grandad
- 11. Don Frye Punches Fan at UFC 270
- 12. Australian MMA Fighter in a 1 vs. 2 Street Fight
- 13. Nate Diaz Street Fight vs. Rodney Peterson
- Overall
13 MMA/UFC Fighter Street Fights
When professional fighting skills spill over into the streets, the scenarios are nothing short of intense.
MMA and UFC fighters are trained to compete at the highest levels within the ring, but when confronted with real-world altercations, the rules can go out the window.
In chronological order, let’s dive into 13 instances where MMA/UFC fighters were caught in street fights, all captured on camera.
1. Roger Huerta Street Fight
On the night of August 4, 2010, chaos erupted on the streets of Austin, Texas, involving former UFC fighter Roger Huerta.
The TMZ video captured Huerta in a street fight with a much bigger man, later identified as former Texas Longhorns linebacker Rashad Bobino – who can be seen knocking down a woman with a right hook outside a bar.
Roger Huerta then comes into the frame and appears to be confronting Rashad about his actions.
Roger Huerta is then seen with his top off, with Rashad running in the opposite direction.
Among the masses of people and taxis in the street, most of the fight isn’t seen.
However, when the camera finally catches up, Rashad Bobino can be seen lying unconscious on the ground, with Roger Huerta delivering one final head stomp around the 1.06 mark.
In the aftermath of the controversy, no legal charges were pressed against Huerta, who was seen as a hero in the MMA community.
2. Ryan Hall Pizza Fight
In 2011, jiu-jitsu beast Ryan Hall’s calm and technique-driven approach to handling an aggressive drunk individual at a pizza restaurant went viral.
The situation unfolded when a visibly intoxicated man began causing a scene at the restaurant after Ryan Hall told him no one at his table smoked or had a lighter.
The drunk then gets very close to Ryan’s face and says, “Try it! Try it! Go!”
Hall manages to control the situation with remarkable restraint, securing a double-leg takedown, full mount, and control of both wrists.
Eventually, Ryan Hall lets the man up, but after refusing to leave the restaurant despite the owner asking repeatedly, Ryan Hall loses his patience and drags the man out of the restaurant, finally putting him to sleep with a rear-naked choke.
3. Maiquel Falcão Outnumbered at a Brazilian Gas Station
Former UFC and Bellator fighter Maiquel Falcão was involved in a severe altercation at a gas station in Brazil in February 2013.
Captured by CCTV, Maiquel Falcão appears to slap a woman with his wallet after he said she called him racial slurs, connecting to the side of her shoulder as she walks away from the counter.
As he and his friend Kaue Mena were about to leave the station store, they were attacked inside and later ambushed outside by several men related to the assaulted woman.
The video footage is brutal, showing one of the assailants wielding a 2×4 piece of wood and striking Falcão multiple times.
The camera then changes angle and shows Mena getting knocked unconscious when the same weapon is used to smash him from behind.
He’s then punched in the head multiple times despite being unconscious. As a result, Mena was in critical condition at the intensive care unit of Hospital do Coração.
4. Amateur MMA Fighter Street Fight Against Bouncers
In 2015, amateur MMA fighter Hany Sbat from Australia took on 12 bouncers inside the casino of the Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne.
After being refused entry to the gaming floor of the casino, Hany Sbat is guided out by 4 bouncers and is suddenly surrounded by 12 members of security.
1 security member seems to grab Hany from behind, so Hany pushes him away and is then swarmed by all of the security members. He then threw a punch at another and ran away.
The bouncers chase him and Hany knocks down one with a right hook and is then pounced on and held down by 10 bouncers at once.
Hany Sbat pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault and was fined $2,500.
The bouncer Hany Sbat punched suffered a broken nose and cheekbone.
5. Matt Serra vs. Drunkard
Just before his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018, Matt Serra found himself in an unexpected altercation in a Las Vegas restaurant.
The former UFC welterweight champion was dining with his family when a highly intoxicated man began causing a scene, harassing the staff, and eventually threatening Serra himself.
Recognizing the potential threat, Serra used his expertise in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to neutralize the man without causing any harm.
With a basic takedown, Serra managed to subdue the individual, controlling him on the ground in full mount until security arrived.
6. Melvin Guillard Bar Fight
In September 2018, former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard was captured on video knocking out 2 men and punching a woman in a bar.
The reasons behind the bar fight are unknown, but one of the men can be seen approaching Guillard before making his way to the exit.
But before he makes his way past Guillard, he’s flattened by a right straight, as is the second guy who throws a punch at Guillard.
After a year-long legal battle, Guillard entered a plea agreement, admitting to a single charge of second-degree assault.
He was sentenced to probation and required to settle fines and fees, yet he avoided incarceration.
7. Conor McGregor’s Pub Punch
In an incident stirring significant controversy, Conor McGregor was involved in an altercation at the Marble Arch Pub in Dublin in April 2019.
The situation escalated when McGregor offered shots of his own brand of whiskey to customers at the bar.
One of those customers was Desmond Keogh, a 50-year-old man who refused the drink by exclaiming, “I don’t want to drink that sh**.”
Feeling offended, Conor McGregor is seen striking Keogh on the left side of the head with a straight left.
Untroubled, Desmond Keogh turns to his right and starts talking to the guy beside him, while McGregor is pulled away by two men.
8. Jorge Masvidal Blasts Leon Edwards
In 2019, the tension between UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards reached a boiling point in a notorious backstage scuffle that left Edwards bloody and bruised.
During a live ESPN interview at the O2 Arena in London, England, Masvidal didn’t like something Edwards said to him, leading to Masvidal giving Edwards a “three-piece and a soda” combination.
The fight was quickly broken up, and Leon Edwards is yet to have his revenge in the octagon, making it known that he doesn’t want to fight Jorge Masvidal since claiming the UFC welterweight title.
9. BJ Penn Street Fight
In a shocking turn of events in August 2019, UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn was knocked out during a street fight outside the Lava Shack in Pahoa, Hawaii.
The incident was recorded and revealed the former two-division UFC champion B.J. Penn engaging in a physical altercation with a much larger man who turned out to be his “acquaintance” (according to Penn).
After screaming at the guy, “You hit like a fa*ggot!”, three times, B.J. Penn gives the stranger free punches to his face.
With a right hook left hook combination, B.J. Penn is knocked out and sent to the ground, being quickly picked up by his friend.
Later that night, B.J. Penn tackled the same guy from behind and reigned down ground and pound to get his revenge. The fight was eventually stopped by security.
10. Mike Perry Street Fight vs. Grandad
In a restaurant altercation in July 2020, Mike Perry dropped an old man in a bizarre scene, shortly after getting physical with two other restaurant diners before the video started.
As can be seen in the video, the old man mocks Perry about calling the police, with Mike Perry replying, “I’ll knock your old ass out, let’s go you fat piece of sh**!”
The old man replied, “I’d like to see you try”, and less than a couple of seconds later, the old man was dropped, hitting his head on the ground as he fell.
Unfortunately, the camera sways and misses the start of the fight, but it does appear the old man attacked first.
Regardless, he shouldn’t have mocked an already angered and intoxicated Mike Perry, but there isn’t any excuse for Mike Perry’s lack of control and actions.
The old man was transported to the hospital and said he was experiencing memory problems in relaying what happened that night.
In response to the incident, Mike Perry tweeted the following:
I want to be a better role model for my family. For my unborn son. My Queen @latory_g and for myself so I can earn the respect I deserve. To my sponsors and my bosses at @ufc I want to apologize for how my actions have impacted our relationships. I will be better all around #Oss
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) August 2, 2020
11. Don Frye Punches Fan at UFC 270
In January 2022 at UFC 270, Don Frye was seen punching a fan in the face in the Honda Center.
The two can be seen shaking hands, but the guy then gets closer to Don Frye and says something he doesn’t like.
Roughly 10 seconds later, Don Frye lands a straight right and the two are separated in opposite directions.
Talking to social media influencer Nina, Don Frye explained the fan said, “Let’s go outside”, to which Don Frye joked he was simply pointing to which direction they should go.
Some have joked about how Don Frye started his career at UFC 8 in 1996 and is still fighting there 26 years later at UFC 270 in 2022.
12. Australian MMA Fighter in a 1 vs. 2 Street Fight
In April 2022, Viktor Lyall, an Australian MMA fighter ranked eighth in the country (at the time), displayed remarkable self-defense skills during a confrontation with two men at Brunswick Street Mall in Brisbane, Queensland.
The incident shows Lyall intervening after he noticed two men attacking another individual on the ground.
They then continue to shout, swear, and follow Viktor Lyall down the street, clearly looking for trouble.
Lyall, who didn’t initiate physical contact until it was necessary for self-defense, skillfully delivered a swift head kick to one attacker, followed by a check hook to the jaw in the next scene when one attempted to sucker-punch him.
13. Nate Diaz Street Fight vs. Rodney Peterson
In April 2023, Nate Diaz was caught in a street altercation with internet personality and Logan Paul look-alike Rodney Peterson on Bourbon Street, New Orleans.
The incident occurred after a celebrity boxing event and escalated when Peterson confronted Diaz.
What ensued was captured on video, showing Diaz employing a guillotine choke on Peterson, rendering him unconscious and sagging to the ground in the middle of the renowned street.
Despite the aggressive nature of the encounter, Diaz faced no legal repercussions.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office dismissed the second-degree battery charge against him, citing self-defense.
Overall
This have been 13 MMA/UFC fighter street fights that were caught on camera.
There have been many other infamous street fights involving MMA and UFC fighters but they weren’t caught on camera and therefore haven’t been included.
As this article is in chronological order, new UFC fighter street fights caught on camera may be included in the future.
