Fan Opinon: Top 10 Personalities in MMA

Mixed Martial Arts is awesome. Period. From the mind-blowing Knockouts, to the cunning Submissions, it is the best combat sport sport in the world. But another thing that makes MMA so great is the fighters. MMA is different from other sports; we love it so much because it shows you the true colors of the human spirit. Guys who can get away with technical imperfection and still win fights, it’s beautiful to watch. We see these fighters put everything on the line for our entertainment and for that we thank you Mixed Martial Artists. But I’m going to take the time to thank some of my favorite personalities

10. Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz is a interesting character to say the least. Although some may say he’s a dumb thug, this guy is one of the interesting fighters in the sport. From his in fight taunts, to his “gangster” attitude, You can say whatever you want about Diaz but you cannot argue that he is a excellent fighter and very entertaining to watch/hear about. In and outside of the ring Diaz brings it with an “im the shit” attitude, and quite frankly I love every second of it.

”See, if people are gonna hate just cause I say the word mother fucker, then fuck them, I don't have time to worry about marketing and shit, in my last fight my hair looked like shit cause all I did was train...”- Nick Diaz

9. Renzo Gracie

Although he is not the most spectacular Mixed Martial Artists Renzo Gracie is a character. I’ve seen this nut job get his arm broken in what he called his favorite fight. I’ve seen this crazy bastard spit on his opponent in a fight. I’ve seen this loose cannon step on the back of a dudes head after he submitted him. I used so many different versions of crazy because…. well Renzo Gracie is fucking crazy when he is inside the cage. He is a very respectful guy outside of his bouts, but he turns into a straight jackass when he’s fighting you. And as a fan, I don’t condone it if you have a MMA skill set like his, but I sure do love it.

“I was doing this(BJJ) when BJ was in his father’s nut sack”- Renzo Gracie (on BJ Penn)

8. Fedor Emelianenko

If you love Mixed Martial Arts, you love Fedor Emelianenko. This guy eats, breathes, and shits Mixed Martial Arts. His list of achievements is impressive and I’ve never once seen him in a boring fight. But this is not the countdown for best fighter, because if so he wouldn’t be 8, it’s Fedor’s calm and conductive demeanor that earns Fedor this spot on my countdown. Fedor doesn’t say more than a few words usually, and he never talks about how talented he is. I find this absolutely amazing for a guy who went 10+ years without losing. And as a fan you have no choice but to respect a guy who is an undersized HW great, and doesn’t even toot his own horn. Not even just a little bit!

"One has to die in training..." - Fedor Emelianenko

7. Clay Guida

Clay Guida is a extremely exciting fighter and I believe it’s his personality (and of course hard training) that contribute to that in your face style. Guida is a little animal, a man who should not have been born in this day and age. He would have been much more at home as a caveman fu*king wrestling alligators and dinosaurs.  He’s so laid back and chills when he outside the cage and he pour his heart and soul into his fight when he is inside the cage. He’s just your average Joe with a endless gas tank who loves to fight exciting. He also lets out huge burps in the middle of fights. What is there not to love?

“There's no time to get tired in there. I'm having too much fun. I've got no time to get tired. Fifteen minutes? If you can't last 15 minutes, or 25 minutes, which is what I'm hoping to be doing in the future, you're in the wrong sport. Go find something else.” – Clay Guida

6. Muhammad Lawal

Although he is relatively new to the sport of MMA, “King Mo” is never shy to say a few words about his greatness… or walk into his bouts with 5-6 girls behind him. He is a very cocky and arrogant fighter, he believes in his skills so strongly that he will say anything about any one of his opponents… and he’ll believe every word of it. He has a great mental game and is pretty entertaining to listen to and watch. I’m not a big fan of King Mo as a fighter, but I really do love that he realizes his place as a entertainer and I’m glad he is bringing Personas back into MMA, it’s great for the fans King Mo I don’t care what anybody says.

“Going into every fight, I feel like both a champion and a challenger because I challenge myself in training, but I'm always champion in my mind.”- Muhammad Lawal

5. Josh Koscheck

Call him cocky, call him a dick. Call him whatever you want but Koscheck is one damn good entertainer. I’m actually a big fan of Koscheck and I think he has some of the funniest trash talk in the game, and most importantly he can back it up. Koscheck says what’s on his mind and he seriously doesn’t give a fu*k if you like it or not. He’s said it himself, he doesn’t even give a shit Dana White thinks of him. He wins and he likes to talk about it. It’s not Annoying false confidence like Tito Ortiz, it’s more like a “I’m a bad mother fu*ker and I’m going to talk some shit after I kick your ass” kind of confidence. He reminds me of the Stone Cold Steve Austin of MMA.

"Hi Frenchy, I am sure ur missing me??? Hope u are working on that stand up?? :) see you in DEC! Xoxo ur daddy KOS" - Josh Koscheck on GSP.

4. Rich Franklin

Rich Franklin was a math teacher before he was a fighter; I don’t know how the fu*k that happens and I don’t care. This is the nicest guy in MMA, it doesn’t matter if he wins or looses, he is always respectful. Franklin is such a  nice dude and not one fighter has been able to muster up any trash talk towards him; even if they did they would just make themselves look like an asshole. The fans love Franklin and other fighters love Franklin. He fights for the fans entertainment and has our best interest at heart. There’s not much else to say, except for some odd reason I route for him every time he’s in the octagon, No matter who he is fighting.

“It wasn't a dominant performance because it went to a decision. I'm very displeased with myself.” – Rich Franklin on a Decision win.

3. Quinton Jackson

As cliché as it may look, Rampage is one of the best personalities in MMA. He’s like a big fu*king kid that teases you on the playground, then viciously slams you on the ground before howling at you in front of all your friends. He talks more shit then anybody in the game and we all know he backs it up but when he talks shit its absolutely hilarious. His hands are insulated with fu*king nuclear warheads, so naturally he knocks people out, but my favorite thing about rampage is more often then not, he doesn’t disappoint with those knockouts. He alone can get you hyped for any fight, there doesn’t even need to be a second party comment, rampage can literally sell a fight with a camera, a microphone, and a few badass black dude remarks. Even if the A-Team was the worst piece of cinematic garbage to ever be screened, Rampage is still, and always will be the man.

"When I win the pride belt, I'm going to do everything with the pride belt. When I'm playing video games, I will play with the Pride belt. When I'm taking a shit, I am gonna take it with the Pride belt. When I'm fucking, Im gonna fuck with the Pride belt!” – Rampage Jackson on what he would do if he won the Pride belt.

2. Wanderlei Silva

The fact that he isn’t number 1 is hard for me to swallow. That should show you how much the fans love this guy. There has never been a fighter like him, he was so dominant in pride and he wasn’t even fighting for himself. He fights every single fight for his fans, he does it all for us. Win or Lose, if we cheer him on, he is happy. I think that is absolutely amazing and it’s a quality not a lot of fighters have. He is also a super nice guy and has a great sense of humor, but he was one of the most vicious and ruthless fighters. When he fights, he’s a fu*king psycho.  His balance between winning fights and being entertaining is second to none, and I don’t think we will find a fighter that will be able to do things the way he did for a very long time.

"All I guarantee is Violence" – Wanderlei Silva

1. Mirko Filipovic

If I could hang out with one fighter in the world, it would be Mirko Filipovic. He is the master at the art of silent badass. He doesn’t make emotions with his face whatsoever and when he talks he says some of the most badass shit ever. His attitude just meshes perfectly with his fighting style and his success certainly didn’t hurt. And I’ve seen interviews and documentaries where he has said some funny stuff. I picked Mirko because he is every one of the traits of the fighters above. He has attitude, He’s humble, fan favorite, successful fighter, exciting fighter, and a great sense of Humor. Aside from being one of the most famous and exciting fighters to ever grace MMA, Mirko Filipovic is one cool ass dude. I mean I don’t know what else to say if you didn’t fall in love with Mirko when he said “Right leg hospital, Left leg Cemetery” then I don’t know what to tell you. So I salute you Mr. Filipovic, you are the man.

“I don’t know if I will win the UFC belt… but I will die trying.” – Mirko Filipovic



Photos: ESPN MMA