Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and the 13 Most Hated Fighters in MMA History

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Even though the history of mixed martial arts is relatively short compared to other sports, it is now without its share of legendary characters that rub fans the wrong way for one reason or another.

These fighters, despite being hated by fans, develop a large amount of star power and become huge draws due to the fact that fans will pay for the possibility to see them get what they deserve in the Octagon.

Who are some of these fighters and why are they so hated? Read and find out, but keep in mind it's difficult to definitively rank exactly how hated someone is. Thus, the list isn't ranked per se, but generally goes from least hated amongst hated fighters to most hated.

Tito Ortiz

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Tito Ortiz was once one of the most hated UFC fighters back in his prime when he was feuding against Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell.

He definitely deserved the nickname "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" for his trash talk, and disrespectful antics (which most famously included wearing insulting T-shirts out to the cage) as well as is attitude towards UFC president Dana White.

However, since then, Ortiz has become a more popular character due to his victory over Ryan Bader; fans were happy to see a member of the old guard still prove he could hang with the next generation.

Tim Sylvia

It's perhaps too much to say that former UFC champion Tim Sylvia was one of the most hated men in MMA, but he certainly was one of the most disliked.

Former UFC champion Matt Serra once quipped in an interview that when he was booed by Canadian fans at UFC 83 he felt "what Tim Sylvia feels when he fights anywhere."

For whatever reason (possibly testing positive for steroids, possibly for just lacking that "it" look and charisma), Sylvia was just never all that popular.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko isn't hated by fans for any particular things that he has done, but rather for the reason that many proclaimed that he was the greatest of all-time and a large part of the community disagreed. This segment of the community only became larger when Emelianenko began losing.

Whenever Emelianenko's name is brought up on forum, about half of the people will deride him while the other half will defend him. While he may not be hated outright, he is certainly a figure that generates a lot of controversy and draws a lot of ire from fans.

Rashad Evans

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Until recently, Rashad Evans was not a popular figure in the UFC light heavyweight division, and for no discernible reason(s). Perhaps people were upset he beat Chuck Liddell? Maybe they were mad he taunted and beat fan favorite Forrest Griffin? Or maybe they just didn't like his attitude, demeanor, or swag?

Whatever the reason, Evans was a figure that fans didn't exactly respond positively to and they were glad to have a humiliating picture of him after he got knocked out by Lyoto Machida.

However, since current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones burst onto the scene, the hate towards Evans has been directed toward Jones, and Evans is starting to finally feel some love.

B.J. Penn

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With a legion of fans comes a legion of haters. This fact is true for Fedor Emelianenko and it's true for pretty much most of the fighters on this list.

B.J. Penn is touted as one of the all-time greats, but the fact of the matter is that a significant amount of fans think Penn is overrated as a fighter and is generally a cry baby and a whiner. They cite his reaction to Georges St-Pierre's greasing, and the whole TRT controversy with Nate Marquardt (which will be explained in the next slide) as proof.

In addition, they also criticize Penn for not always being motivated. Penn may not be the most hated man, but the unfortunate reality is that he certainly has some haters.

Nate Marquardt

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Who better to list next than B.J. Penn's recent Twitter rival and UFC cast-out Nate Marquardt.

Marquardt was fired from the UFC for failing to earn medical clearance for UFC on Versus 4. The whole issue centered on Marquardt's use of testosterone replacement therapy or TRT.

Penn lambasted Marquardt over twitter and the two got into a back and forth argument. Most recently, Marquardt smashed Penn in a B/R exclusive interview in which he said that Penn was a cry baby and a pothead.

Marquardt's recent antics as well as the circumstances of his UFC departure, and the fact that he has failed a drug test in the past have made him a villain amongst many UFC fans.

Anderson Silva

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Many people hated Anderson Silva after paying for UFC 90, UFC 97 and UFC 112 and seeing Silva "defend" his middleweight crown in some of the most infamously boring fights in MMA history.

Fortunately for Silva, his popularity has received a large increase due to the successful feud with Chael Sonnen and the amazing knockout victory over Vitor Belfort.

Nevertheless, Silva still has a lesion of haters as most UFC champions always will.

Dana White

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Dana White isn't a fighter, but not including him on this list might be criminal since, for some reason, misguided fans who owe the modern existence of their sport to him choose to hate the man.

Why is Dana White hated? Because he says what is on his mind and isn't restrained about it. He also consistently proves his critics wrong which tends to get under their skin a lot.

Georges St-Pierre

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UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is simultaneously one of the most popular and one of the most hated men in the sport of MMA.

St-Pierre actually started out as largely only popular; he was loved by all except his opponents.

However, this began to change when the champion began to change the fighting style that fit his nickname, "Rush," and allegedly began to fight more safely. St-Pierre is now labeled by many fans as a boring fighter because he doesn't finish fights. "He fights to not lose rather than win," they say.

This anti-GSP attitude has only become more prevalent since his decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 and should GSP win a "boring" decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 137, his transformation from hero to villain, "face" to "heel," will be complete.

Jon Fitch

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Unfortunately, the hard-working, hard-fighting Jon Fitch is hated by many fans. Fitch is 13-1-1 in the UFC and is 23-3-1 (1 NC) overall in his career. He is undefeated in his last seven fights and has only lost to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre during his time in the UFC.

Why then is Fitch still hated despite his success? The general consensus is that Fitch is the most boring fighter on the UFC roster and that he is the champion of the "lay and pray" tactic in which a fighter uses his wrestling to "lay" on an opponent and "pray" for a decision.

There are other issues at work when the hate of Jon Fitch is discussed but they have been previously written about in detail here and will therefore not be further covered.

Jon Jones

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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones is swiftly becoming a hated figure in the world of mixed martial arts.

Why? Much of the reason is probably due to the fact that a significant amount of fans feel that Jones' humble Christian shtick is merely a gimmick and that the true Jon Jones (an egotistic maniac) is slowly emerging.

An entire slideshow was dedicated to possible reasons why fans hate Jon Jones that explains the issue in greater detail.

Brock Lesnar

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This one is pretty obvious. People hated Brock Lesnar because he was formerly of the WWE, had a very brash, callous attitude and was given a title shot when he was only 2-1 in mixed martial arts.

The Lesnar hate has simmered down a bit since his most recent bout with diverticulitis, but he still is a fighter that fans make no bones about disliking.

Chael Sonnen

Who else could it be but good old "Uncle Chael?"

Chael Sonnen has talked more trash (although Sonnen himself would say it isn't trash talking, but rather the truth) than anyone in the history of the UFC and has made himself the most hated fighter of all-time by doing so.

At first, the smack talk was fine with people and they thought it was funny. However, as time went on people began to hate Sonnen for it. Some hated it because it was dishonorable, some hated it because it reminded them of fake, WWE-style promos. But what they all had in common was that they hated Sonnen and his trash talk.

Sonnen is also one of the few fighters (if not the only) to have had a lowlight video made of him rather than a highlight; he is hated that much.

So prolific is Sonnen's verbiage that it's difficult to pick just one video to show. So please, watch this video but then search his name in YouTube and enjoy.

Disagree with anything on the list? Please make your case in the comments below.

 

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