The 15 Most Popular Fighters of 2011

2011 was the biggest year in UFC history. It saw new stars made, legends retire and fan favorites start to gain recognition.

From Brock Lesnar to Nick Diaz, every fighter on this list has a legion of fans that will follow them until the day they step away from the cage (or in some cases, they already have).

Some of these men are popular because of the way they fight, others due to their out-of-cage antics, and a couple are just generally likable people.

15. Dan Henderson

2011 was a year in which Dan Henderson won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, moved up in weight to defeat one of the greatest fighters of all time and then moved back to the UFC and gave us one of the best fights of all time.

Henderson’s fans have been calling for him to be mentioned in the "best of all time" conversation for years, but 2011 may have been the best year in Hendo’s career.

The win over Fedor Emelianenko was a huge feather in his cap, and he is now inching closer to a title shot against Jon Jones in 2012.

14. BJ Penn

Over the years, BJ Penn has gained millions of fans due to his fighting style and true fighter mentality.

Whether he is throwing vicious knees, using his superb boxing skills or showing off his top level jiu jitsu, Penn is an exciting fighter at all times, something that has earned him plenty of fans.

Penn had a rough 2011, fighting to a draw with Jon Fitch and getting dismantled by Nick Diaz, but after a brief retirement, he is set for a comeback in 2012, which is sure to please his fans.

13. Chael Sonnen

No one can get the fans to pay attention quite like Chael Sonnen.

Sure, half of the things that come out of his mouth are utterly insane, but that doesn’t make people love him any less.

Sonnen has gained a ton of fans in the past year due to his mouth alone, and if he gets his fight against Anderson Silva in Brazil, he’ll be one of the most hated people in the entire country.

Back in the USA, however, the fans will be much more divided, and plenty will celebrate if Sonnen gets the win.

12. Rampage Jackson

Rampage Jackson was not only one of the most popular fighters in 2011, but he is one of the most beloved fighters of all time.

While some fans are turned off by his tendency to make questionable decisions during interviews, there are dozens more that love him for the very same reason.

Throw in his vicious knockout power and incredible slams, and Rampage is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, both on the microphone and in the cage.

11. Mirko Cro Cop

One of the most popular fighters of all time, most expected 2011 to be the last in Mirko Cro Cop’s illustrious career, and fans were sure to show their support in all of his bouts.

Cro Cop fought twice in the UFC in 2011, losing both fights by knockout in the final round, but his fans were extremely supportive for the entirety of the fights.

After his UFC 137 loss to Roy Nelson, Cro Cop finally decided to hang up his gloves and retired from MMA after a historic 10-year career.

10. Nick Diaz

Love him or hate him, everyone has an opinion about Nick Diaz.

While he has his fair share of fans that dislike him, Diaz’s supporters are loud and proud and have turned him from a cult favorite into one of the most popular fighters in the sport.

Nick is the ultimate MMA bad boy, and his following is only continuing to grow as he gets put into high-profile fights.

9. Junior Dos Santos

Few fighters gained as many fans in 2011 as Junior Dos Santos.

"Cigano" came off as far more likable than Brock Lesnar on TUF 13, and his three-round beatdown of Shane Carwin in June made a lot of fans believe he had the tools to be a champion.

Dos Santos proved his fans right later on in the year when he took out Cain Velasquez to win the heavyweight title, and his contagious personality has plenty of fans jumping on the Cigano bandwagon.

8. Wanderlei Silva

While Wanderlei Silva didn’t headline any fight cards for the UFC in 2011, he continued to earn the biggest reception of the night whenever he fought.

Silva has a fanbase that is second to none, and you would be hard-pressed to find any MMA fans that dislike "The Axe Murderer."

Although rumors of his retirement have run rampant over the past few years, Silva has not given any suggestion that he wants to slow down. And as long as he wants to keep swinging for the fences, his fanbase will continue to love him.

7. Anderson Silva

The best fighter alive, Anderson Silva has gained a legion of fans due to his exciting fighting style and his dominant title run.

Most fighters have trouble gaining a fanbase when they speak little to no English, but Silva’s skills as a mixed martial artist have helped him overcome this with little difficulty.

With Chael Sonnen playing up his role as a villain in his current rivalry with Silva, Anderson is becoming the good guy by default and has a lot of new fans that just want him to beat the words out of Sonnen’s mouth.

6. Frankie Edgar

Going into his fight with Gray Maynard at UFC 125, most fans still thought of Edgar as an overachieving champion who had to earn his claim among the best in the sport.

After the brutal five-round war that followed, Edgar had shown the true heart of a champion and earned a ridiculous amount of fans in the process.

Edgar silenced the critics once again in the rematch with Maynard at UFC 136, where he finished the previously unbeaten "Bully," and after showing off his chin and resiliency once again, he is now a perennial fan favorite.

5. Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz has made a career being the bad guy, but 2011 featured a new fan-friendly version of Ortiz that fans seemed to eat up.

The crowd reaction for Ortiz was shocking after he submitted Ryan Bader at UFC 132, as the crowd went absolutely nuts for Tito picking up his first win in years.

Since that fight, Ortiz has worked toward becoming a fan favorite, even going as far as changing his nickname to "The People’s Champion."

Now, that is commitment to your fans.

4. Jon Jones

After a 2011 that could possibly have been the best year in history for a fighter, Jon Jones not only gained his first UFC title but also earned a huge rise in popularity.

Jones went from a fighter who hardcore fans were talking about to the fighter that everyone was obsessed with in just a few months time. And his wins over some of the best the light heavyweight division has to offer only strengthened his support.

With a potential grudge match with Rashad Evans on the horizon, Jones’ popularity will only continue to grow in 2012.

3. Urijah Faber

He hasn’t held a major title in years, but Urijah Faber is still the face of the lighter weight classes in MMA.

Faber is the face of Amp energy drink and is in those awesome K-Swiss commercials with Kenny Powers, making him one of the most marketable guys in the entire sport.

If he gets some UFC gold around his waist in 2012, there is no telling how popular he will become.

2. Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is one of the best mixed martial artists in the world, and he has a fanbase that is willing to support that claim until the end.

While GSP gets a lot of criticism for his lack of finishes as of late, he still consistently draws good PPV numbers and is one of the most liked and respected fighters in the sport.

With Brock Lesnar out of the picture, a lot of pressure is going to fall on GSP to be the new poster boy for the sport.

1. Brock Lesnar

It should come as no surprise that Brock Lesnar is atop this list, and it will be interesting to see how big of a fallout will unfold due to his retirement.

Lesnar only competed once in 2011, but his fight drew more interest from casual fans than pretty much all other events combined.

Throw in the insane media reaction when he was named a coach on TUF 13, and it’s really quite obvious as to who the driving force behind many MMA conversations was.