Georges St. Pierre as Superman
After his destruction of arch-nemesis BJ Penn in last Saturday's super-fight, the man known as GSP has risen to the top of superhero status. He certainly has X-ray vision after seeing right through Penn and don’t tell me you couldn’t see St. Pierre running around the octagon while wearing a red cape.
Superman was vulnerable to the radioactive material Kryptonite and exposure to it nullified his powers. GSP’s well-known kryptonite has been his suspect chin and mental game, although his fans would dispute this.
Regardless, St. Pierre seams to have found the “lead to his kryptonite” which is a stifling takedown offensive. His takedowns allow him to avoid the stand up game when needed, thus protecting his chin.
Ironically, Superman was co-created by Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster. Another similarity GSP shares with Superman is the strong moral compass he seems to subscribe to.
Superman was often referred to less-than-flatteringly as “the big blue Boy Scout” by some of his fellow superheroes and I wouldn’t be surprised if fellow MMA fighters had some choice nicknames to describe GSP’s signature nice guy persona.
And then there is Clark Kent. As Kent, Superman lived among humans as a “mild-mannered reporter.” Other ways to describe Kent might include awkward, nervous, and always self-effacing.
In a different version of Clark, he was given a more aggressive personality and was made a top football player in high school. I see GSP as a combination of the two, epitomizing the idea of the “athletic dork.”
If there was another classic version of Superman in MMA, that would be Chuck Liddell. While he doesn’t draw as many comparisons to Superman as GSP does, Liddell was “The Man of Steel” no one could defeat for a long stretch in his career. Liddell found his kryptonite later in his career at the hands of Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans (maybe Greg "Lex Luthor" Jackson put it in their gloves).
B.J. Penn as The Penguin
Every superhero needs a villain. The same holds truth in the world of MMA. The Penguin is depicted as a short, obese man and is one of Batman’s greatest enemies.
While B.J. Penn isn’t the archenemy of our Batman Machida, they did fight each other once. Penn is not overly short, nor is he obese, but I will let you come to your own conclusions on his stature and conditioning.
Penguin was a mobster-type criminal who fancied himself a gentleman of crime and his nightclub business provided a cover for more low-key criminal activity, which Batman tolerated as a source of criminal underworld information.
If anyone tolerates B.J.’s antics, it’s Dana White. B.J. has had his run-ins with the law and is known for his mischievous, trash talking ways. No one will forget the blood licking.
As a kid, the Penguin possessed traits that make him an outcast in his rich, high society family and their rejection drove him to become a criminal. In keeping with his family’s tradition of wealth, the Penguin lives a life of crime, yet executes it with his own self-proclaimed class and style.
B.J. wasn’t rejected by his rich family, nor is he a full-blown criminal, but the undertones remain.
Some would go as far to call the Penguin a sociopath. I wouldn’t go that far with B.J., but some of his detractors might. Personally, I enjoy the role of the villain Penn plays and it has its place in MMA.
And lastly, like any good villain, they ultimately lose to the superhero and B.J. did a fine job losing to St. Pierre.
Brock Lesnar as The Incredible Hulk
If Brock Lesnar painted himself green and ran full force at you yelling like a raged monster, wouldn’t you think he resembled The Hulk just a little? Despite the clear physical comparison, Lesnar might resemble this superhero in more ways then one.
The Hulk was the emotional and impulsive alter ego of the withdrawn and reserved physicist Dr. Bruce Banner. The Hulk appears shortly after Banner was accidentally exposed to the blast of a test detonation of a gamma bomb he invented.
While Lesnar wasn’t exposed to any gamma rays, most think of him as a freak of nature. Bruce Banner lives in a constant state of panic, always wary that the monster inside him will erupt. Therefore he can’t form meaningful bonds with anyone.
When "The Next Big Thing" isn’t looking crazed inside the octagon, he is back in Minnesota perfecting his craft as if it were a science. To say that Lesnar becomes withdrawn and reserved would be a fair characterization.
Rumors are he doesn’t even own a cell phone or get on the Internet. He remains isolated at his gym where he creates the perfect monster to dominate the world of mixed martial arts.
Ironically, the Hulk’s creator - Marvel legend Stan Lee - said he was inspired by a combination of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein. Lesnar certainly seems to have two different personalities, one for the cage and for his private life and Lesnar quickly is turning himself into the Frankenstein of MMA.
Gina Carano as Wonder Woman or Catwoman
I will let you pick your favorite. Personally, I prefer the Wonder Woman costume but you can't go wrong either way. One thing is for sure: this All-American beauty has the talent and the look of a super hero. She can rescue me anyday!
I could go on and find more superhero counterparts for other MMA fighters but I don’t want to have all the fun. Hopefully, some of you can add to the list. Feel free to call out any discrepancies I may have made in labeling or add to the list of things that make these fighters like their superhero counterparts.
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Brian Oswald is a staff writer for Inside Fights. As always, he appreciates your support and you can contact him at brianc.oswald@gmail.com
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