Fired Up: Most Intense Fighters in MMA

Mixed martial arts is an intense profession. But that intensity is a profession unto itself. An art, if I may be so bold.

It's not something you take for granted. It comes with time. You work at it. You scream at strangers in the grocery store. You get into staring contests with cathedral gargoyles. You spend hours in front of the mirror, craning your neck tendons over and over, until you finally have the perfect crane. Those tendons need to protuberate, and they don't protuberate themselves.

These are MMA's 10 great wizards of the weigh-in. Intensity ain't easy, but these fighters make it look so.

Heroes? You be the judge. But yes, they are.

10. Thiago Silva

Division: Light heavyweight
Promotion: UFC

Sometimes you just let the picture do the talking. But as an added bonus, Thiago Silva is not only a long-respected veteran of UFC intensity conversations, he also takes care of business away from the cage.

When he's not listening to thrash metal, celebrating a win with his signature throat-slash or putting his finger in the face of a downed opponent while he (probably) threatens their family, Silva likes to burn down bathrooms with his urine stream. Have you ever tried to burn porcelain? Then you know what kind of intensity that sort of thing requires. Truly.

9. Doug Marshall

Division: Middleweight
Promotion: Bellator

The hard-hitting, iron-cross-tattoo-having Doug Marshall is on a serious streak in the Bellator cage. And each win comes with a complimentary side of eyeball-popping adrenaline before, during and after the contest.

8. Antonio Silva

Division: Heavyweight
Promotion: UFC

Antonio Silva is a giant. As such, he shouldn't feel the need to work so hard to intimidate people. But for whatever reason, he does. And he's good at it. 

The last person who failed to be intimidated by Silva was Alistair Overeem. And we all know how that turned out (see photo). 

7. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Division: Light heavyweight
Promotion: Bellator

One of the classic Gemini personalities in MMA history. A fun-loving (maybe too fun-loving, but that's another story) guy outside the cage, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson dials up a steely-eyed fury when it's time to go to work. Add in that signature chain and howl, and you've got a pretty intense dude.

6. Wanderlei Silva

Division: Middleweight/Light heavyweight
Promotion: UFC

Maybe the overall, all-time, pound-for-pound intensity king, Wanderlei Silva has lost a bit of his heat in recent years. He even smiles during weigh-ins and stuff now. But there's a large chunk of the legend's game that remains the same as it ever was. He'll always be (for better or worse) a relentless aggressor inside the cage and a delightfully zealous smack-talker outside of it. 

5. Pat Barry

Division: Heavyweight
Promotion: UFC

Being intense doesn't mean being malevolent. Pat Barry is as intense as they come, but still manages to be very personable. That's a pretty delicate balancing act. Probably why there's really only a few guys (maybe only one guy) who can truly pull it off.

4. Cristiane Santos

Division: Women's featherweight
Promotion: Invicta

Ronda Rousey is the pound-for-pound best fighter in women's MMA. But as long as Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is out there, she'll never be the scariest.

Cyborg stalks the cage and beats on her hapless opponents like they owe her money. Most recently, she did it to Marloes Coenen at Invicta 6 earlier in July.

3. Nick Diaz

Division: Welterweight
Promotion: UFC? 

As speculation continues about Nick Diaz's next fight, Nick Diaz continues to Nick Diaz. Earlier this week, the semi-retired welterweight no-showed an interview for the 457th consecutive time. No stats are currently kept on this, but that's almost definitely a record.

He may not be what you'd call a consummate professional, but no one takes the fighting part of the fight game more seriously than Nick Diaz. If he doesn't naturally have any personal enmity for his opponent, he'll make something up. He's the perfect example of a guy who needs to feel real hatred—maybe even fear—to fuel his fire. If only he'd start showing up for interviews. 

2. Reza Madadi

Division: Lightweight
Promotion: UFC

They don't call him "Mad Dog" because of his affinity for inexpensive wine. Sweden's Reza Madadi is an incredibly intense personality, screaming, glaring and mean-mugging like his fight check is secondary.

Though he has always come across as a mellow guy once the fight is finally over, unfortunately that may not be the case. In the spring, "Mad Dog" was arrested on suspicion of burglary and his career hangs in the balance of that case. Here's hoping he didn't really do it. I'd miss me some "Mad Dog."

1. Diego Sanchez

Division: Lightweight
Promotion: UFC

Bow down to the king. The frothing, screaming, barking, stevia-proselytizing, cross-brandishing Diego Sanchez simply cannot and will not be surpassed when it comes to intensity.

It's almost comical at this point. Actually, take the "almost" out of it. By the time he hits the Octagon, Sanchez seems ready to collapse in on himself, or spin out of his own body. Between the weigh-ins and the walkout, I don't know how he has any energy left to fight. I get vicariously tired just watching him. What's his secret? Must be the stevia. Or maybe it's the hyperbaric chamber. Or the Tony Robbins pep talks. Regardless, do I love Diego Sanchez and hope he never, ever changes? YES!