Ben Saunders and the 5 Biggest Cult Favorites in MMA Right Now
Becoming a star and gaining a following isn't easy in mixed martial arts, and it isn't always based on pure skill. If skill was the only requirement to get fans to love you, people would be running into arenas during Demetrious Johnson's fights instead of out.
Certain fighters, though, have the ability to earn the hearts and minds of the MMA masses and attract a cult-like following. The phrase "Don't be scared, homie" is almost a cliche at this point, ever since Nick Diaz uttered the famous words in the EliteXC cage/Strikeforce cage.
Impromptu nicknames, catchphrases and other famous moments in time set a fighter apart in the minds of MMA fans, and once a guy has earned the fandom of the diehards, it's hard to lose it.
Chris Weidman emphatically put away Anderson Silva twice, and people still thought they were both flukes. Sometimes, fighters can establish themselves as so over with fans that nothing can stop their momentum.
Conor McGregor has had the fastest rise in UFC history next to Brock Lesnar, and a lot of it is due to his rabid Irish fanbase. He has proven himself to be a legitimate contender, but his fans preceded him.
Let us take a look at the five fighters with the biggest cult followings in mixed martial arts.
Honorable Mention: Joe Lauzon
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Few fighters incite a local MMA crowd like Joe Lauzon.
When he fights anywhere near New England, there is a sea of Lauzon walkout shirts in the crowd. He gets the people going!
It also doesn't hurt that he is the all-time post-fight bonus king in the UFC, passing Anderson Silva in his last fight.
He has one of the best resumes inside the Octagon of anyone to never fight for a title, and fans recognize that. His emphatic victories and back-and-forth brawls have set him apart in the minds of fans as a true warrior, and as long as his name is on the card, fans will come out to watch him throw down.
No. 5: Ben Saunders
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Despite not winning the show, Saunders was a standout on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter. He made a big name for himself when he stepped up on extremely short notice to face Jon Fitch at UFC 111 in 2010.
He migrated over to Bellator and was one of its most popular fighters during his 10-fight tenure with the promotion, due to his penchant for exciting fights and online presence. He stormed back to the UFC with a historic first-ever Omoplata submission win in August.
He takes on fellow UFC and Bellator veteran Joe Riggs at UFC on Fox 13, and it's one of the fights that hardcore MMA fans are looking forward to most on one of the year's most stacked UFC cards.
No. 4: Mark Hunt
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I scratch my head to try and think of a fighter whom MMA fans have yearned to see fight for the heavyweight title more than Mark Hunt.
The hashtag #RallyforHunt has taken on a life of its own over the past few years, long before he was actually scheduled to fight for the heavyweight title.
His walk-off knockouts inside the Octagon and his K-1 and Pride careers have made Hunt one of the most beloved heavyweights of all time.
He finally got his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight for UFC gold on short notice at UFC 180 in Mexico, and the cards were certainly stacked against the Super Samoan.
He came up short after eating a devastating flying knee from Fabricio Werdum, but fans will never forget his full-on war with Antonio Silva in Australia last year.
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No. 3: Conor McGregor
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Since he stormed onto the featherweight scene in 2013, Conor McGregor has become one of the UFC's biggest stars. Four fights into his UFC career, he is already in line for a title shot, and his name gets brought up in the same sentences as stadium shows and pay-per-view numbers.
He is a quote machine and a focal point of any event he attends.
He's slated to headline the UFC's next trip to Boston on January 18 against Dennis Siver. Should he emerge victorious, which most are predicting, he will most likely get a shot at the featherweight title.
No. 2: Anderson Silva
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Nothing gets hardcore mixed martial arts fans' blood pumping like the phrase "I back."
The greatest fighter of all time suffered his first UFC loss at UFC 162, when he clowned around for a half-second too long against Chris Weidman and woke up sans UFC middleweight title. His rematch with Weidman went even worse.
A gruesome leg break has kept the 39-year-old out of action for the past year.
The greatest MMA fighter of all time is set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in an epic matchup against fellow fan-favorite Nick Diaz at UFC 183 on January 31.
The Spider still gives most fans chills when he shows up on UFC programming, and his fight with Diaz is one of the most anticipated in recent memory.
No. 1: Nick Diaz
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Nobody talks as much trash inside the cage as Nick Diaz, and no one ever will. His mean mugging and smack talk have made him one of the most popular fighters in UFC history.
Despite being involved in a brawl that got MMA kicked off of network television, no-showing a press conference and losing a UFC title shot, fans love Nick Diaz.
He's 1-2 in his most recent UFC run, and he was given a welterweight title shot coming off of a loss.
His next fight is an almost unfathomable contest against Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 183, and no doubt fans will be coming in droves to witness Diaz come out of retirement.
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