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MMA's Most Dangerous Nice Guys: Don't Mistake Niceness for Weakness
October 29, 2010Don't Mistake Niceness for Weakness: The Most Dangerous Nice Guys in MMA
MMA and nice are not two words that readily go together. In a sport where two fighters pummel each other with a goal of forcing submission or knock out, nice guys should be a rarity. They could be mis-identified as a soft fighter.
But here are some fighters who show that you can be a nice guy outside the cage and a killer in it.
Forest Griffin
The Ultimate Fighter season 1 winner has a host of massive victories to his name including wins over Rampage, Tito and Shogun.
Griffin's clumsy and goofy attitude masks a very determined work-aholic fighter notorious for his insane cardio.
You may have a drink and a laugh with Forest outside the cage but inside be prepared to have to slug your heart out.
Big Nog
Run over by a truck at a young age, few have a more determined survival instinct then Big Nog. The Jiu Jitsu fighter has always shown tremendous heart to tackle life’s challenges and always comes out triumphant.
The Brazilian fighter is a humble person who never resorts to bad-mouthing his opponent.
Take his respectful demeanour as a sign of weakness and Big Nog will rip your arm out of the socket or put you to sleep with a choke!
Nate Marquardt
An all-around fighter, Nate the Great is considered a nice guy, humble after fights and always respectful towards fighters. His sportsmanship has been called into question with his last fight but it turned out to be a false accusation which Nate gracefully accepted.
Nate is devout to his religion and always praises Jesus for his wins in the post fight interviews.
Call him a bible boy and be prepared to get your ass kicked in various painful ways.
Cain Velasquez
The Latino fighter was the next big thing in the UFC heavyweight division before the hulking Brock Lesnar took that mantle by storming into the UFC. Cain never moaned and continued his steady climb up the ladder before he meet Brock at UFC 121. Cain tore through Brock with ease and became the Heavyweight Champ.
His blue collar approach endears him to fans and his recent success has added to his popularity.
Joke about his Mexican heritage and be prepared to be slammed down and pounded out.
Shane Carwin
The hulking 265-pound beast, Shane Carwin, is a humble fighter who is soft-spoken and continues to work in engineering, cracking peoples skulls as a sort of sick side hobby.
A popular twitter account, Carwin replies to nearly all messages, even the troll attempts! This shows a down to earth attitude and good report with his fans.
Mistake his soft voice as a weakness and prepare to have your face reconstructed after he plants you with a right hand in the face.
Rich Franklin
A former math teacher, you know something is wrong with the guy when he abandons that safe job to chase a career that involves broken limbs and brain injuries. A tactical fighter who employs a good stand-up game mixed with underrated wrestling, "Ace" is a tough fight for anybody at 185 or 205.
Franklin has been in there with the best, including Anderson Silva, Belfort, Wanderlei, Chuck Liddel and Dan Hendo.
Mistake his Jim Carrey-like face as weakness and be prepared for a straight left and a broken nose.
Anderson Silva
He loves Big Macs, dancing like Michael Jackson and looks like your run of the mill person. But Anderson is far from run of the mill. In terms of ability, Silva is one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet.
A humble champion, his nice guy attitude took a bit of a hit against Maia. But for the most part, the Brazilian striker is a respectful warrior who bows to his opponent after every fight and always thanks the fans for coming to the show.
Laugh at his Micheal Jackson impression but be prepared to get an accurate hook to the chin and a subsequent concussion.
Wanderlei Silva
“These people are not my fans, they are my friends.”
The axe murderer is one of the most beloved fighters to ever step into the octagon. His down to earth attitude and willingness to go that extra mile with his fans hides a savage fighter who only knows one way….Forward!
Take his soft side outside the cage as weakness, and be prepared to be savaged with Muay Thai knee’s.
Randy Couture
Captain America may be approaching half a century living on this planet, but he continues to pound heads in time and time again. Although recent reports suggest he may be done with MMA, Randy can still hang with a lot of the Top 10 fighters in the Light Heavyweight division.
Respectful of his opponents and always willing to train other fighters, Randy is a well-liked multi-division UFC Champion and a great ambassador for the sport of MMA..
Perceive the wrinkles on his forehead as a sign of weakness and be prepared to be ground and pounded to oblivion.
GSP
A dominant UFC Welterweight Champion, GSP is without a shadow of a doubt the nicest guy in MMA today. Bullied when he was younger, GSP slowly turned his anger towards training in mixed martial arts and has become one of the scariest and most skillful MMA fighters around.
Humble and respectful of his opponents, GSP even decided not to break Dan Hardy’s arm and released a deep kimura mid fight as to not injure the opponent.
Laugh at his accent at your peril. GSP will beat you standing up and on the ground!