The Diaz Brothers and the 10 Fighters We'll Always Pay to See

In this economy, being a fight fan is expensive. Dropping $45 to $55 dollars on a pay-per-view is quite the investment when it costs more than that to fill up your gas tank.

Nothing is more disappointing than a night of fights that fails to deliver. So it's understandable when fight fans decide to hold off on buying a pay-per-view if there's not a fight that jumps off the paper. That's why we as fans gravitate toward fighters like the Diaz brothers.

Whether you are a fan of Nick or Nate Diaz or not, chances are your tuning into watch them. Their zany antics and aggressive fight style are a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee and can't-miss television. For that, we are grateful.

Here are 10 other fighters who we will always pay to see.

Wanderlei Silva

Wandy's best days may be behind him, but he will always be a fan favorite for his ultra-aggressive style. In his prime, Wanderlei was the embodiment of ferocity, constantly attacking until there was nothing left in front of him to attack, usually to violent results.

Silva's best days were in PRIDE, and he is now a shell of himself, but he still brings it every time he steps in the Octagon. His battle with Chuck Lidell is one of the greatest fights in UFC history.

Despite showing considerable decline in his skills and chin, Silva was able to win his last fight in a wildly entertaining fight with kickboxing specialist Cung Le.

This served as a reminder that any fight Silva is involved in is sure to entertain, making any card with Wanderlei a must-watch event.

Shogun Rua

Once upon a time, I was undecided on buying a pay-per-view featuring Shogun. Money was tight and Saturday was going be a pretty busy day so I planned on skipping the event and just waiting to catch the action on Unleashed.

I caved and bought the card. What I witnessed was one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua exemplified why a Shogun fight is always a good investment. It was easily one of the greatest fights in UFC history.

Much like Wanderlei Silva, Shogun made a name for himself in PRIDE and scored his fair share of brutal finishes in the Japanese rules organization.

While Shogun is no longer allowed to stomp people into submission, he still stalks his opponents with routine violence and even though he has found himself on the losing end of some fights recently, he remains one of the most viewer-friendly fighters.

Roy Nelson

Unlike most of the people on this list, Roy Nelson is not and never will be dominant. In fact, in his current division, he has failed to beat any top-tier opponents thrown at him.

However, Nelson's personality and ability to walk through punishment make him a fighter who we will always pay to see. Before cutting about 20 pounds in his last two fights, Nelson was most known for being "the fat guy that beat Kimbo Slice." Now, he's known as the man who would keep coming forward after taking an aluminum baseball bat to the head.

Whether it's Nelson's humorous personality, rotund figure or iron will, he's always going to be in a scrap, and whether he's being a human punching bag for three rounds or showing off his powerful overhand right, he's guaranteed to put on a show and give a good sound byte after the fight.

Junior dos Santos

What's not to like about Junior dos Santos?

His friendly demeanor (he's like a big kid) won him a lot of fans when he was featured as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, and he's got a fan-friendly style to go with it. The young heavyweight champion is sure to be a mainstay in the division for years to come.

A brutal boxer, dos Santos matches vicious uppercuts with great takedown defense to ensure an exciting fight everytime out. His matchup with Alistair Overeem should be one of the best matchups of the year, and everyone loves a big heavyweight with knockout power.

As dos Santos' profile grows larger as a fan favorite, he could soon become one of the UFC's biggest draws, and he deserves that distinction as you don't want to miss a JDS fight.

Dan Henderson

Many fighters become less watchable as they become older (watching Chuck Liddell turn into "Glass Joe" was just painful), but Henderson has found a way to become even better and more watchable with age.

Whether he's pulling off a quick comeback against Fedor Emelianenko or battering Shogun Rua in one of the five greatest fights of all time, Henderson is a bigger draw than ever.

Watching Henderson trying to land his famed "H-Bomb" is so entertaining that many have opined for him to get the next crack at reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

At 41 years old, Henderson has fought some of the biggest names in the sport and always puts on a great show. As a competitor in the heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight division Henderson is one of the true legends of the sport that we will always pay to see.

Jon Fitch

I kid, I kid. Despite all of his success, viewer-friendly Jon Fitch is not.

Jose Aldo

In a sport where parity generally rules, dominance is hard to come by. That's what makes Aldo a great draw.

Jose Aldo has dominated the featherweight division stretching back to his dominant title run in the WEC before the weight class migrated to the UFC.

At 25 years old, he's one of the UFC's brightest young stars, and his dominance should continue as he possesses the dynamic striking and strong jiu-jitsu to be a threat to finish his fights at any time.

MMA fans love an explosive knockout and knockouts like this one against Cub Swanson are the reason that Aldo is near the top of most pound-for-pound lists, and Aldo is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

Anthony Pettis

Another WEC transplant, Pettis put himself on everyone's radar in his final WEC fight with the "Showtime Kick." An explosive striker, Pettis brings the kind of excitement that really resonates with fans.

Pettis should be a fixture for years to come as he is one of only two men to have defeated current lightweight champion Benson Henderson. Pettis most recent knockout victory over Joe Lauzon was his second victory.

Pettis is the kind of human highlight reel that fans love and a guaranteed exciting fight on any card he's involved in.

Anderson Silva

We tune in to every Anderson Silva fight for the same reason, we wouldn't want to miss any Michael Jordan playoff game or why our eyes are glued to the television anytime a pitcher takes a perfect game past the sixth inning. We want to witness greatness.

Silva doesn't have the constant pressing attack of the Diaz brothers or Wanderlei Silva, but he is no less entertaining to watch. With an undefeated record in the UFC and the most title defenses in the history of the organization, Silva is the most dominant fighter we've seen to date.

Whether he's bobbing and weaving and making Forrest Griffin look like a novice or violently front kicking Vitor Belfort in the face, we want to see just what he's going to do next. Silva's striking is something that has yet to be matched and captivates fans around the world.

When Anderson Silva fights, we don't want to miss it; we will pay to see him fight until he decides to hang up the gloves for good.

Jon Jones

Love him or hate him, you will watch him.

Jon Jones' quick ascension to the top of his division is unlike anything we have ever seen in the sport of MMA. Whether it is warranted or not, he has also collected his fair share of naysayers along the way making him one of the most polarizing fighters in the sport.

Regardless of whether or not you think he is "fake" or more flash than substance, we watch him for the same reason we never want to miss an Anderson Silva fight—we are witnessing greatness.

Jones' flashy assault captures the imagination as he pulls off moves that we have never seen and its debatable if anyone else could pull them off. Every Jones' fight seems to come with one moment that leaves fans saying "What did he just do?!"

Many people would love to see Jones fail, but the fact of the matter is he will be one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC for years to come.

Chael Sonnen

Want to start a debate/incite a riot?

Say anything about Chael Sonnen. No one in the sport causes more divisiveness among fans than Chael P. Sonnen. His bout with reigning middleweight champion may be the most hotly debated fight in the sport's history, and the rematch promises to be one of the greatest fights in the history of the organization.

Whether you despise Sonnen for his loudmouth, history of PEDs or his WWE-like antics or you love his ability to promote fights and relentless grinding style chances are, you are paying to see him fight.

Sonnen's aggressive relentless wrestling attack makes him a handful for any opponent, but his penchant for getting caught in submissions could be his downfall at any point. The result is a fight that has his fans clamoring for more ground-and-pound and his detractors just waiting for his opponent to throw up a triangle.

If Sonnen's grappling heavy style doesn't suit you, he can always be counted on for a classic Sonnen post-fight interview.

The Diaz Brothers

Confusing, brash, honest, real and tough.

These are all words that have been thrown around to describe the Nick and Nate Diaz. The best word for the duo though is entertaining.

All crazy antics aside, the Diaz brothers aggressive boxing, heavy-style, blistering pace make them among the most entertaining fighters in the UFC. If their opponent doesn't oblige? Then comes the taunts.

No pair of fighters is better at getting into their opponents' head than the Diaz brothers (just ask Donald Cerrone).

Fans love unpredictability, and the boys from Stockton certainly have that market cornered. Fans will always pay to see either of these two fight.