MMA's 25 Most Marketable Fighters Today
The popularity of MMA has really exploded in the last few years. It is the most popular combat sport in this country regularly drawing huge Pay-Per-View numbers and bringing in legions of new fans every single day. With this popularity comes more marketing opportunities for the fighters of Mixed Martial Arts. Here are the 25 Most Marketable Fighters in the world today.
Cain Velasquez
1 of 25
The UFC Heavyweight Champion has made himself more money and more fame than he ever could have imagined with his victory over Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. Now, we just have to see where he goes from here.
Brock Lesnar
2 of 25
No one brings in a bigger audience in MMA than Brock Lesnar. He draws more on PPV than anyone else, he is the most polarizing fighter in MMA today. He has been on the cover of magazines and video games. Love him or hate him, Brock Lesnar is without a doubt the most marketable MMA fighter in the United States today.
Fabricio Werdum
3 of 25
Beating the man who is regarded as arguably the best heavyweight fighter in the world today has its perks. When Fabricio Werdum got Fedor Emelianenko to submit he became an instant sensation. His popularity has undoubtedly spiked since that upset in June.
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Fedor Emelianenko
4 of 25
Fedor went nearly ten years between losses and became thought of as the best heavyweight fighter in the world in the process. His star has possibly taken a little bit of a hit but there is no denying Fedor is one of the biggest MMA stars in the world.
Rashad Evans
5 of 25
He starred in a commercial for Microsoft where he claims "I'm A PC!" That alone makes him a fantastic marketing tool for MMA. Combine that with the fact that he is one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the world makes him that much better.
Quinton
6 of 25
Any man who attempts to fill the shoes of Mr. T deserves a lot more than just a mention as a marketable MMA fighter. Sadly, that's all that he can get here. Rampage is developing quite an acting resume to go along with his successful 11 year career in MMA. All this makes him one of the bigger crossover stars in combat sports today.
Anderson Silva
7 of 25
The Spider is a difficult one to quantify. No doubt he is one of the greatest fighters in the world today, but he is also one that doesn't ingratiate himself to the people. That said, anyone who carries the moniker of "The Best Pound For Pound Fighter In The World" can be marketed in some way, shape, or form.
Vitor Belfort
8 of 25
Vitor was in a Brazilian reality television series and stood next to his wife in Playboy, if that's not serious marketing then I don't know what is. He was supposed to get a shot against Anderson Silva this year but injuries and surgeries have delayed that for the future.
Georges St. Pierre
9 of 25
The biggest reason that MMA is as big as it is in Canada is because of GSP. He is arguably the most popular fighter in UFC today and the only fighter who can challenge Brock Lesnar as the fighter who is able to get the most people to pay and see.
Jake Shields
10 of 25
He's not great in terms of being able to sell a fight. However, there is something to be said for a guy with a lengthy winning streak and the ability to be able to sell that to people. Jake Shields is not the most dynamic fighter in the world but all he does is win and that counts for something,
Josh Koscheck
11 of 25
Josh Koscheck's game has really stepped up with this season of The Ultimate Fighter. He has become the best villain in the sports world and has made himself bigger and better in the process.
Frankie Edgar
12 of 25
He was seen as a fluke champion by some after his first victory over BJ Penn. After the second victory, no one is questioning the merits of Edgar any longer. His fight against Gray Maynard will be must watch UFC as Frankie looks to avenge his only professional loss and further establish himself as the best lightweight in UFC.
Gilbert Melendez
13 of 25
One of the best lightweight fighters in the MMA today, Gilbert Melendez is the undisputed Strikeforce lightweight champion and took part in one of the more memorable scenes in Strikeforce history. It was at the end of the Strikeforce: Nashville event on CBS where Jason Miller got in Jake Shields face demanding a rematch and causing a brawl to break out. Anytime anyone is involved in a scene like that it can be used as a marketing ploy by some really desperate marketing execs.
BJ Penn
14 of 25
BJ Penn has won UFC titles in two different weight classes. The list of people that have done that is very short, in fact the other guy to do it will get to later in the list.
Gray Maynard
15 of 25
If you win a fight in less than ten seconds you should be given your own television show because that is something impressive. Gray Maynard is one of the most dynamic and explosive fighters in the lightweight division of MMA. He gets his shot at the UFC lightweight championship on New Year's Day.
Jose Aldo Jr.
16 of 25
The UFC-WEC merger is going to make Jose Aldo an even bigger star than he already is just because of the scale of audience that this guy will reach now. He is one of the best fighters in the world right now and he is going to find the audience to match his talent level.
Randy Couture
17 of 25
"The Natural" is the first man to win two UFC championships in two different weight classes. One of the best in the history of the sport, he helped bring this sport into the mainstream.
Mauricio Rua
18 of 25
His unique and somewhat bizarre fighting style has made him one of the best fighters in the world. He attacks almost in a frantic way that his opponents don't know what hit them.
Lyoto Machida
19 of 25
I don't really know quite how you would market this kind of thing but Machida's got an interesting form of training that apparently his father taught him - urine therapy. The process of drinking your own urine. It's not clear if that makes you a great fighter but Machida must be on to something.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
20 of 25
Nogueira has one of the best nicknames in the sport, "Minotauro." He has a lot more going for him than that, obviously. He is one of the best fighters in the history of the sport and won heavyweight titles in both Pride and UFC, the only person who can say that.
Alistair Overeem
21 of 25
Alistair is overshadowed in Strikeforce because Fedor is there and he is going to get all the attention but that doesn't change Overeem's standing as one of the best heavyweights in the division. He has basically called out Fedor, wanting to challenge the legend. It will definitely be must watch MMA when Fedor and Overeem do step into the octagon together.
Frank Mir
22 of 25
Really a borderline addition to the list. The more and more Mir fights the more the shine is really coming off of him. He is looking older every time that he fights. He still might have a little something to give but he would have to show a lot.
Matt Hughes
23 of 25
Hughes is a born again Christian, which can open up his marketability. I am sure that self righteous religious people will argue against someone who beats people up for a living but to each their own. Matt Hughes holds the record for most wins in UFC with 18, he is up there in years but he still has a certain cache to him that makes him relevant in the MMA world.
Bob Sapp
24 of 25
Bob Sapp fell on hard times professionally losing three straight fights in 2009. However, he is still a sight to behold because of his size (nearly 340-350 lbs). Sapp is one of the most uniquely marketable fighters because of that size. He has been in movies, including The Longest Yard in 2005, and played in the NFL from 1997-2000. He might be more of an attraction than a fighter but he can still be marketed to the casual viewer because of his success outside of MMA.
Chuck Liddell
25 of 25
Hopefully, for the sake of the Chuck Liddell name and what that means he no longer fights. He was one of the most influential fighters in the history of UFC, he was a key figure in getting UFC into the mainstream. He is a UFC Hall of Famer who can still draw because of his name. One of the best in the history of UFC, Chuck Liddell was forever immortalized when a wax statue was made of him.
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