UFC Fighters: Who Has The Best Entrance?

I would like to come clean about watching UFC fights.  I look forward to the fighter entrances and the entrance music as much as the actual fights.  I don’t think I’m alone with that admission.

It usually goes like this.  It’s Saturday night.  Most UFC fans, like myself, are with their friends watching the UFC event at an apartment or house or at a local bar.  The room is packed.  The beer and the adrenaline are flowing.

On the television screen you see the crowd start to cheer.  The fighters are shown.  The music starts to blare.  The fighters move closer and closer to the octagon trailed by their family members, trainers, and teammates.

In the mean time, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are spouting off the fighting styles and strengths of each and saying phrases they should patent , like “this guy defines cage fighter” or “he’s got that look in his eyes.”

Bruce Buffer then formally introduces the fighters to the audience, the fighters stare each other down while being told basic rules to keep in mind, they typically touch gloves, and then it’s on.

In the UFC there are so many unique entrances that it is hard to pick favorites. 

It all starts with the gear.  Some guys wear actual martial arts gear like the karate uniforms worn by Georges St. Pierre and Lyoto Machida. 

Some wear props like Heath Herring, who wears a black leather coat and a cowboy hat, or Sokoudjou who wears a large mask that covers his entire face.

On the other hand, some fighters keep it simple and wear a t-shirt showing their sponsors or team name along with their fighting shorts, but they have really great music.

Personally, I like it when the fighters come out in the standard t-shirt and shorts, but pick a great song that gets them, the arena, and the millions watching across the country amped and anxious for the fight.

I have listed a few of my favorite entrances below.  What are some of your favorites and why?

-          Chuck Liddell

He’s usually wearing his Affliction t-shirt.  He’s bouncing around.  DMX’s song “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot (intro)” starts blaring.  The song starts off slow, the beat drops, and Liddell comes charging out.  The crowd goes crazy for arguably the most recognizable face in the UFC ever. 

-          Georges St. Pierre

I can never understand a word coming from any of his songs, but the beats are good, and seeing him quickly make his way to the cage is exciting enough.   Sans Pression’s “Numero Uno” is one of my favorites.  He most recently used it for his fight in Montreal, Canada against Matt Serra.

-          Quinton Jackson

His entrance is great simply because the song he uses (PAK’s “Rampage”) repeats his nickname over and over again.  He comes out with a huge chain around his neck.  He will then repeatedly stop on his way out to howl at the moon a few times before finally entering the ring.

-          Wanderlei Silva

Silva always comes out looking like a psycho on a mission.   I loved the song choice prior to his super fight against Chuck Liddell, which was Darude’s “Sandstorm.”  This is an upbeat club song that keeps a furious pace until fighter introductions and essentially symbolizes his non-stop, pressing forward fighting style.

-          B.J. Penn

His entrances are slow and calm.  He wastes no energy before his fights like a great fighter should.  He comes out to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Hawai’i ’78.”  This is a very slow native Hawaiian song.  I don’t typically like the slow songs, however, this is an exception.  Penn symbolizes talent, hard work, and he embodies an entire culture of people with regards to the native Hawaiians who look to him as a hero.