10 MMA Fighters To Always Root Against

Flyin' Hawaiian by Analyst Written on March 16, 2009

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You're probably aware by now that BJ Penn isn't the most popular fighter among MMA fans.

Words such as "sore loser," "cry baby," and "f**k you" have been lobbed at BJ with alarming consistency over the past several weeks.

Depending on whom you ask, this criticism is either highly warranted, or highly unwarranted.

As a huge BJ Penn fan, I can admit that he has displayed some questionable sportsmanship in the past. No question.

But sportsmanship, if you think about it, is just like Einstein's theory of uniform motion, and also like the redneck couple who live down the road.

"It's all relative."

That being said, I have compiled a list of fighters who bring bad sportsmanship (and bad citizenship, for that matter) to a whole new level.

Relative to these royal douchebags, BJ looks like a saint, even on his worst day.

Here are 10 guys who you should always root against, under any and all circumstances. Your favorite fighter should be whoever happens to be fighting these guys.

Enjoy.

10. Melvin Guillard

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Guillard appeared to be turning his life around until he was arrested again for violating his probation.

He had previously been arrested for possession of a controlled substance, and was suspended by the NSAC in 2007 for cocaine use.

In the MMA world, Guillard is known for his cocky, brash personality.

He has attacked opponents before and after fights, and has talked openly about stalking his arch-rival Rich Clementi in their hometown of New Orleans.

9. The Diaz Brothers

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Have there ever been two fighters who flip the bird more often than the Diaz Brothers?

In Nate's win over Kurt Pellegrino, he actually flipped the DOUBLE bird. This was while he had Pellegrino locked in a triangle, mind you.

Every human being will stick up their middle finger at some point during their lifetime. But during a press conference? Inside the cage during a fight?

And as far as their interview skills go...let's just say that "motherf**ker" is the only word I've ever heard these guys use.

8. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett

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What is there to say about this guy?

Bennett has spent the majority of his life alternating between jail and probation.

His extensive criminal record includes the sale of cocaine, kidnapping, and strangling a pregnant woman.

Inside the ring, his behavior is nearly as appalling. He has been known, and even expected, to insult his opponents and referees.

His trademark move is to sit on the top turnbuckle, wait until his opponent rushes in, and then push-kick him in the face.

If you've never seen it, check out any Krazy Horse highlight on YouTube.

On top of that, Bennett also has an official submission loss on his record due to "exhaustion." Impressive.

7. Jon Koppenhaver

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Koppenhaver's thoughts on Evan Tanner's tragic death:

- "I believe it was a suicide. I guarantee you that he never made shit for money. He was depressed, guaranteed. He had nothing, dude. That could be the outcome for a lot of fighters, myself included."

Koppenhaver's thoughts on President Barack Obama:

- "F**k Obama. I hope someone smokes that f**ker."

Koppenhaver on why he legally changed his name to "War Machine":

- "I'm not gonna let some faggot ass fake wrestler steal MY name."

Apparently Koppenhaver has pissed off so many living people that he now has to resort to insulting the dead. On top of that, he wants our president to be assassinated and appears to be homophobic.

I won't even get into the fact that he's been arrested several times for assaulting civilians.

6. Rob Emerson

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In his early 20's, Emerson was the leader of a gang known as "The Lords of South County."

This gang, made up of affluent, upper class douchebags, drove around attacking innocent, unsuspecting kids.

One victim was nearly beaten to death by the so-called "Lords." For more information, search for the Fox 11 news report on YouTube.

Emerson was arrested again in 2007 for "unknown" reasons. I have a pretty good guess as to why.

5. Junie Browning

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This picture pretty much sums up all that is wrong with Junie Browning.

Whether he was throwing a glass at Shane Primm, attempting to drown Ryan Bader, or just crying hysterically for no apparent reason, alcohol was usually the source of the problem.

Okay, so there were also the temper-tantrums he threw during practice. And the time he jumped into the Octagon while Efrain Escudero was celebrating his win over Shane Nelson - a move Dana White said would have cost Junie his career if Keith Kizer hadn't been absent that day.

Luckily, Junie confessed that he has "some anger problems."

It's good he can admit that, because that's generally the hardest step.

Note: War Machine has recently begun training alongside Junie at Xtreme Couture. In an interview with MMA Fix, Junie referred to War Machine as a "cool guy," and someone he would hang out with outside the gym.

Oh, Jesus.

4. Renato "Babalu" Sobral

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Not only does this guy just look like an asshole, but as it turns out, he actually is one.

I'm sure you all remember Babalu's fight with David Heath at UFC 74. After bloodying his opponent for the better part of two rounds, Babalu sunk in a deep Anaconda Choke.

After Heath tapped, referee Steve Mazzagatti jumped in to intervene.

What did Babalu do next? He stared Mazzagatti dead in the eye, gritted his teeth, and choked Heath unconscious.

After the fight, Babalu admitted that he purposely held the choke in order to teach Heath a lesson.

"[Heath] has to learn respect," he said. "The crowd didn't like it, who cares?"

As a result, Babalu was fined $25,000 and booted from the UFC.

3. Gilbert Yvel

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The fact that Yvel hasn't been permanently banned from MMA is beyond me.

By far the dirtiest fighter the sport has ever seen, Yvel has been disqualified multiple times for biting and eye-gouging, among other things.

I can't say this for sure, but I believe that Yvel is also the only fighter to ever sucker punch a referee during a fight, and then kick him as he lay unconscious on the mat.

Yes, you read that correctly. Yvel KO'd his own referee. And then kicked him.

If you ask me, Yvel should be banned from the sport, and only be allowed one fight each year.

Against Fedor.

2. Melvin Costa

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Pay attention to the tattoo on Costa's chest. More specifically, pay attention to the circle.

Indeed, that is a Nazi Swastika.

This might be a "No Shit, Sherlock" statement, but Costa is a white supremacist.

He has been quoted as saying that he believes in Hitler's point of view, but "not down to a T."

Also, check out the tattoo on Costa's right elbow. For those of you who don't know, a spiderweb tattoo on the elbow indicates past jail time for the murder of an African American.

While I don't believe Costa has ever murdered anyone, he has spent close to two decades of his life in prison for what he describes as "a variety of reasons."

I'm not quite sure what the tattoo on his stomach reads, but to me, it appears to say "I Have A Small Penis." Your guess is as good as mine.

1. Ricco Rodriguez

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Of all the douchebags who made this list, Ricco Rodriguez takes the cake.

There is one story that explains everything you need to know about this man:

Years ago, Ricco and his then-girlfriend were involved in a serious car accident. The story is that he drove into an 18-wheeler, before spinning out of control and slamming into a wall.

At the time, Ricco was under the influence, and driving with a suspended license.

Here's where things get crazy.

The cops were on the way, and Ricco, thinking that his girlfriend was dead, placed her lifeless body in the driver's seat to make it appear as though she was driving.

Much to his surprise, she later regained consciousness and was able to tell the police what had happened.

You can't make this stuff up.

Amazingly, Ricco admits that he and his friends laugh whenever they tell this particular story.

Truly one of the sickest, most twisted individuals walking the face of the earth.

THE END

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I am not necessarily trying to change your opinion of BJ Penn as a fighter or as a human being. I can clearly see how he rubs people the wrong way, and even I have trouble defending him sometimes.

But how many of the men you just saw are criticized more often than BJ is? None of them.

And how many of them deserve to be? All of them.

The point of this slide show was to show you that, as I stated earlier, everything in life is relative.

Yes, BJ can be a pain in the ass. But relative to the guys on this list, does he really deserve all this hate?

For complaining about a little Vaseline? For postponing his next title defense a few extra weeks?

Come on, guys.

Take a look at the picture. That's Mr. Shinya Aoki, and he's feeling the love.

It's about time that someone, other than me, does the same.

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written on March 16, 2009 Rankings/List

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