Chael Sonnen and the 25 Most Hated Fighters in MMA History

The sport of MMA has seen the rise of fighters who could make an arena erupt with cheers. It's also seen quite a few fighters that simply make fans grind their teeth and wish for the days of throwing vegetables at hated superstars.

Fighters are people who spend the majority of their lives inside a gym, so when they have the opportunity to speak their minds, some often go too far in many fans' eyes. The fighters are expected to "sell" their fight to fans which generally means saying some overly-critical statements about their upcoming bout.

Even if some fighters can avoid saying the wrong things, their competitive nature often leads to getting on fans' bad sides. We all know that one guy who throws elbows all day long in a pick-up game of basketball and then calls a foul or traveling on the last play of the game. MMA is no different.

Whether the fighters on this list have made us dislike them for their mouths or their performances, there's no denying these fighters are some of the most hated competitors of all time.

Jason Miller

At first glance, one would believe Jason "Mayhem" Miller to be one of the more popular fighters in the game today. But take another look at the fan response following his bout with Michael Bisping and you'll see many people really don't care for him.

Perhaps it's the fact he's so prominent in MMA despite the fact he doesn't hold a win over a notable opponent in recent memory. Or maybe it's due to his outlandish behavior that's very loud and obnoxious that turns people off.

Whatever their reason, it's clear that MMA fans have grown tired of the Bully Beatdown host being promoted down their throats, like was for his initial bout with Bisping.

Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz will go down as one of the best light heavyweight champions in UFC history, but his run at the top will also be one of the reasons fans will continue to dislike Ortiz.

Ortiz was heavily criticized for "avoiding" a confrontation with Chuck Liddell, a fighter many fans considered to be better than Ortiz. When the two finally did meet, Ortiz was soundly beaten in each fight.

Other than his rivalry with fan-favorite Liddell, Ortiz gained the disdain of fans for his rivalry with Dana White and his disrespect towards Ken Shamrock and the Lion's Den when Ortiz made his UFC debut.

Kalib Starnes

The hatred of Kalib Starnes has turned into a comical series of jokes that revolve around Starnes' performance at UFC 83. In the bout, Starnes ran away from Nate Quarry for nearly all 15 minutes of their match.

But the hate of Starnes began even earlier when he competed on The Ultimate Fighter. Starnes was seen taking it easy following his fights and generally failed to grasp the "team" concept of the sport.

As if his attitude wasn't enough, Starnes quit in his final fight on the show due to a "broken rib" and "not being able to breathe" yet was able to complete sentences with ease.

Jon Jones

Jon Jones' ascension to the top of the light heavyweight ladder was accomplished in a single year. As Jones climbed to the top of the division he gained a ton of hatred from fans.

The main reason fans dislike Jones is due to his perceived "cocky" attitude. The incident with Greg Jackson telling Jones to check on Lyoto Machida to "get some fans" didn't help his public image either.

I would attribute the hatred of Jones to not only his attitude but the fact that he has dismantled a number of fan-favorite fighters.

Junie Browning

Junie Browning somehow turned a show meant to promote young, up-and-coming fighters into a self-destruction on national television.

A perfect example of Browning's behavior in creating a stir with MMA fans is when after he won a fight, instead of simply moving on and being happy he won, Browning had to make a headline or two.

Browning, seeking new ways to top his previous troubles, was the focus of a man hunt that ended in Thailand.

Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans may be enjoying a recent surge in popularity due to his rivalry with Jon Jones but make no mistake about it, fans have been hating on Evans for years.

Evans didn't do himself any favors in the eyes of fans by getting on the bad side of Matt Hughes during his time on The Ultimate Fighter by being cocky. Evans' popularity dropped to an all-time low with his vicious KO of fan favorite Chuck Liddell which was preceded by a victory over another fan favorite, Forrest Griffin.

The man has been ranked in the top-five of the 205 pound division for years but a "safe" fighting style combined with his victories over fan favorites have made Evans hear the boo birds on numerous occasions.

Frank Mir

Frank Mir is one of the most accomplished heavyweight grapplers to step foot inside the Octagon, but is also one of the most hated.

The hatred of Mir stems mainly from the fact that his mouth tends to write checks his a** can't cash.

Mir is one of the best hype-men in the company but often says some outlandish things that make fans point and laugh at him, like the fact he believes he hits harder than Junior dos Santos.

Oh and did you know Mir is the modern day equivalent to Batman?

Ken Shamrock

One of the most respected (and feared) competitors of the early UFC days, Ken Shamrock has seen his fan popularity plummet into the ground in recent years.

His first run of trouble came when Shamrock coached on The Ultimate Fighter opposite of Tito Ortiz. Shamrock was believed to be the fan-favorite entering the season but would switch roles with the bad boy Ortiz.

Shamrock's trouble with fans continued when he tested positive for steroids and was banned from the sport for a year.

His sad decline has lessened the hate of Shamrock but he still remains one of the most hated fighters in MMA history.

Paul Daley

Paul Daley immediately went on to everyone's s*** list when he sucker-punched Josh Koscheck following their bout at UFC 113.

Before and since the Koscheck incident, Daley has continued to make it easy for fans to hate him due to his arrogant attitude. As if his antics in and out of the cage weren't bad enough, Daley also has quite a history of making weight.

Being cocky is fine but when it goes over the line and becomes unprofessional it's a surefire way to make fans truly hate you.

Matt Hughes

Matt Hughes was one of the most dominant welterweight champions in MMA history but quickly gained the ire of fans by his appearances on The Ultimate Fighter.

Hughes turned a number of fans off by overbearing religious beliefs that seemed to be pushed onto his fighters and fight fans.

Politics and religion tend to be conversations people avoid by the water cooler, and that holds true in the MMA world as well.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko is one of, if not the best heavyweight fighter of all time, but that hasn't stopped MMA fans from drinking the haterade.

Emelianenko has had his accomplishments tainted for years by fans who believe the Russian fighter fought a handful of cans outside the realm of the UFC. His three losses in Strikeforce only added to the debate about Emelianenko's career.

Regardless of your stance on Emelianenko, you can't deny the fact he is one of the greatest fighters of all time. But I'm sure most of you out there will be all too eager to deny that claim.

Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch has been near the top of the welterweight rankings for years, yet that hasn't equated to popularity with fans.

The root of fan hatred for Fitch stems from his boring, grinding style that has seen the AKA fighter go without a finish since 2007. Even if fans can get past Fitch's fighting style, his outspokenness about wanting a rematch with Georges St-Pierre has put off many fight fans.

It seems Dana White has avoided crossing the bridge of awarding Fitch a rematch after the fighter was floored by the much more exciting Johny Hendricks.

Joe Son

Joe Son's MMA career is remembered best for his ability to take repeated shots to the groin as if he were wearing a chastity belt. Although an annoying figure in the early days of the sport, fans really don't hate him that much for his MMA career.

No, the hatred of Son emerges after the details of his recent legal troubles emerged. You can read the full details here but they're not for the weak-at-heart.

Fight fans can forgive a fighter's legal issues but there's a line where the support stops and Son clearly crossed that line.

Nate Marquardt

Nate Marquardt typically comes across as a fairly nice guy when he speaks. It's not his mouth that has made fans despise the former UFC contender, it is his actions.

Guilty of numerous "dirty" tactics in his fight with Thales Leites, Marquardt was labeled with the "dirty fighter" name. That bout, combined with his numerous steroid issues have made Marquardt less than popular with the fans.

His debacle at the UFC on Versus 4 event was the icing on the cake and Marquardt was given his walking papers.

Muhammed Lawal

Muhammed Lawal is a first ballot MMA hall-of-famer who can defeat anyone on any given night. Or at least that's what "King Mo" would like you to believe.

Never short on confidence, Lawal has been a walking media sound byte since entering MMA. His best achievement thus far was winning the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title in a rather uninspiring performance against Gegard Mousasi.

Fans were turned off to the former Strikeforce champion with his continuous Twitter wars with "Rampage" Jackson and even more so now that Lawal tested positive for steroids.

BJ Penn

Nobody can deny that BJ Penn will go down as one of the best, if not the best lightweight in MMA history. Although a fierce competitor inside the Octagon, fans' dislike the of legend is due to his attitude outside of it.

Being perceived as a cry baby following his losses against Georges St-Piere and his lack of commitment to the sport, Penn has received a lot of flack through his career.

Penn could've been one of the UFC's most popular stars but instead became a polarizing figure to many fight fans.

Quinton Jackson

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has seen himself go from one of the most popular fighters in the UFC to being genuinely hated by a fair share of fans now.

The antics with female reporters were in bad taste and his road rage definitely didn't do him any favors in the eyes of fans. But there are two particular things that have made fans dislike Rampage these days.

When Rampage pulled out of his scheduled bout with Rashad Evans to film the A-Team, it immediately discredited what we were watching on The Ultimate Fighter. Eventually fans moved on and forgave Rampage as he came back after his "retirement."

His latest run of complaints has effectively made Rampage one of the most polarizing fighters in the UFC right now.

Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz certainly got his swagger from his older brother and has used it to make fans despise him throughout his career.

Most of the disdain for Diaz stems from his attitude that mirrors his brother.

The only problem is his brother has at least accomplished something of note in MMA while Diaz's only accomplishment to date is winning The Ultimate Fighter after Manny Gamburyan injured himself.

Diaz seems to be on his way to earning the respect of fans after impressive showings against an over-the-hill Takanori Gomi and his bout with Donald Cerrone, fights which will finally give some merit to his trash talking style.

Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping just has a knack for getting under people's skin. Bisping gained notoriety in the UFC for being brash and coaching opposite Team USA and Dan Henderson on The Ultimate Fighter, which did little for his popularity as well.

Although disliked by many, the real hate began to spew from fans following his bout with Jorge Rivera at UFC 127. Although a lot of trash talk occurred in the lead up to the fight, Bisping's actions lost nearly any fans he had at the time.

Recently, it seems as if Bisping has tried to get the fans back on his side. He has quite a ways to go before anyone cheers for him, but his showing against Chael Sonnen definitely helped gain him a bit of respect from fans.

Josh Koscheck

Josh Koscheck entered the spotlight of the UFC while competing on The Ultimate Fighter season one. Koscheck immediately became the bad guy of the show while repeatedly finding any way possible to annoy Chris Leben.

His bad boy antics didn't stop following the show, as Koscheck has taken his villainous image and used it to become one of the top stars in the UFC's welterweight division.

Koscheck has shown no signs of letting go of being the bad guy as he continues to bash AKA at any opportunity he gets. Some fans like Kos due to the fact he gives you a "real" perspective, but most just can't stand "Fraggle."

Nick Diaz

One of the most polarizing figures in MMA, fans either love Nick Diaz or love to hate him.

His attitude in and out of the cage has made Diaz a lot of enemies during his career. Never one to shy away from taunting his opponent, Diaz does his best to make his opponents fight his fight.

Besides his personality, Diaz has gained a lot of haters due to his drug related issues and his involvement in some of the craziest post-fight antics following his bout with KJ Noons and the infamous "Nashville Brawl."

And who could forget Diaz being a part of the first-ever MMA match inside a hospital with Joe Riggs?

Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia remains one of the most accomplished UFC heavyweights of all-time, yet is still one of the most hated men in MMA history.

When someone attempts to explain Sylvia's MMA credentials they're immediately ridiculed with two responses. The first being Sylvia's embarrassing run since leaving the UFC and other being the lack of depth in the heavyweight division in the UFC during his reign at the top.

Sylvia's decline has been one of the saddest in the history of the sport but only gets worse as fans love to make "Big Tim" the brunt of any joke.

Kimbo Slice

When Kimbo Slice entered MMA, he did so with a ton of backlash from MMA fans. A long time YouTube sensation, Slice made a name for himself in MMA under the Elite XC banner and entered the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter.

It was bad enough that Slice had literally zero skills in MMA besides heavy hands when he entered the sport, but the hatred of him reached new heights as Spike TV decided to do the "bait and switch" tactic each week with Slice while he was on TUF.

An uneventful win over Houston Alexander combined with an embarrassing showing against Matt Mitrione sent Slice into a boxing career of facing guys half his weight.

Brock Lesnar

The hatred of Brock Lesnar came about as a result of a number of issues. The most obvious one was the fact Lesnar made a name for himself as a professional wrestler in the WWE. Fans disliked Lesnar for his WWE career so much that they often forgot he was actually an accomplished amateur wrestler.

Lesnar began to get the ire of MMA fans by being awarded a UFC title shot in just his fourth professional MMA bout. After defeating his rival Frank Mir at UFC 100, Lesnar entered a post-fight rampage that has yet to be matched in the Octagon.

His haters have continuously called Lesnar a novelty who was simply good due to his mammoth size, and couldn't have been happier seeing the former champion lose in embarrassing fashion twice on his way to retirement.

Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen has become one of the most hated men in MMA in a little under two years. Prior to his bout with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, Sonnen was just another great wrestler that was dominating the middleweight competition.

His bout with Silva changed all that. After defeating Nate Marquardt, Sonnen went into hype-overdrive mode and had quite a few things to say about the current middleweight champion. Most fans credit UFC 117's high buy-rate to Sonnen's pre-fight talk.

Sonnen has made even more fans hate him for his continued disrespect towards Silva even after losing their first match. The ire between these two UFC stars will finally come to head when Silva-Sonnen II goes down in Brazil. That is, if Sonnen can make it in and out of the country unscathed.