SUMMARY
- UFC fighters are treated as celebrities around the world due to the growth of the promotion and the sport.
- Along with the celebrity status came rumors about their dating life.
UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world. As a sport, MMA is growing by leaps and bounds all around the world. Along with the fame for the sport, comes the fame for the athletes. UFC fighters are no less than celebrities now, globally.
Fans have always been invested in the personal lives of celebrities and UFC fighters and fans are not far away. Over the years, many UFC fighters have opened up about their personal lives but many have got to know about it through social media. Several wild rumors have spread on social media about UFC fighters’ dating lives and sometimes they have had to shut it down themselves. Let’s take a look at five wild dating rumors involving UFC fighters.
UFC featherweight fighter Diego Lopes reportedly dated Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney
Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to sports. She was a multisport athlete in her school days playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Moreover, she has also been involved in combat sports as she learned taekwondo at an early age. The Euphoria actress who also made her Marvel debut through Madame Web has trained with former UFC champion Ronda Rousey.
Lopes, on the other hand, is a featherweight fighter, who is a former LUX Fight League Featherweight Champion. He made his UFC debut in May 2023.
Diego Lopes and Sydney Sweeney reportedly dating
(Per TMZ) pic.twitter.com/axEGd9hamJ
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) February 25, 2024
Lopes and Sweeney are reportedly dating according to several X accounts. The rumor came out of nowhere and has no real links connecting to it. An MMA X account posted about it and got over 1 million views. Moreover, Sweeney was recently also linked with Dillon Danis. There was no truth to these rumors.
Was UFC fighter Alex Pereira dating Kendall Jenner?
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira also got caught in the rumor mill. He was linked with the famous American supermodel Kendall Jenner. The rumor began in early 2024 and subsided soon after.
UFC Fighter Alex Pereira and Kendall Jenner are reportedly dating
(per TMZ) pic.twitter.com/jta4VV7BDG
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) January 19, 2024
Pereira was going through an ugly breakup with his ex-partner Merle at the time. Moreover, Jenner had also reportedly become single after breaking up with Bad Bunny.
However, a link-up between the pair was always unlikely. Many fans were concerned about the language barrier considering that Pereira does not speak English. However, it was reported that Jenner spoke with Bad Bunny in Spanish. This, however, played no part as proof of their relationship. They never dated.
Colby Covington’s outrageous comments about Polyana Viana and her response
It is still unknown what made Colby Covington say what he said about Polyana Viana. Covington and Viana were said to be good friends and training partners. ‘Chaos’ claimed he was with Viana in 2021 when he was offered the fight against Leon Edwards.
He said, “There wasn’t much talks [about Leon Edwards fight]. I was busy b***s deep inside Polyana Viana. So to get me off the couch on three weeks’ notice to fight some Leon Scott guy [Leon Edwards], it was going to have to be a price tag. I wanted a little bit more than what was on my contract. I just wasn’t going to show up for a normal paycheck to fight that guy.”
This sparked a dating rumor between the fighters. It is unknown if they ever dated but Covington is known for his outrageous trash talk and this could have just been a part of it.
Moreover, Viana responded in Covington fashion in 2022. She took to X and wrote, “Colby wanted me to finger him in the a**, but I did not want to. So he got upset.”
Although this was clearly some banter between the two, Viana’s X account got suspended because of such language. However, her account was restored soon after.
UFC fighter Charles Oliveira shut down a rumor of him dating Ice Spice
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira was also a victim of the rumor mill. According to some X accounts, Oliveira was dating American rapper Ice Spice.
X user @beIsfy quoted popular MMA-based Instagram handle @fullviolence as the source, accompanied by the caption: “Ice spice & Charles Oliveira are reportedly dating (via @/fullviolence).”
Wat?
— Charles ‘DoBronxs’ Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) June 16, 2023
The post gained traction and was viewed by many. Oliveira was one of the viewers. He replied: “Wat?”
@Fullviolence also posted about it and wrote, “Via who??” indicating that the rumor did not originate from their account.
Former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou and Kim Kardashian’s dating rumor spread based on a fake quote
After Francis Ngannou made his boxing debut in October 2023, he earned a huge salary along with more fame. Fake quotes came along the fame and one of them involved Kim Kardashian.
According to a fake quote doing the rounds on social media, Kardashian said she was compatible with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. The alleged quote was, “I am compatible with former UFC boxer Francis Ngannou. I feel his energy within me. I think that one day, I will have the pleasure of visiting Cameroon.”
Kim Kardashian on Francis
Ngannou: “I am compatible with former UFC boxer Francis Ngannou, I feel his energy within me, I think that one day, I will have the pleasure of visiting Cameroon” 🫠 pic.twitter.com/dpRpAbt3Jn— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) November 24, 2023
It does not seem too difficult to decipher this as a fake quote. However, many on MMA social media were fooled by it and believed that something was brewing between Ngannou and Kardashian.