Brock Lesnar and the 15 Scariest Physical Specimens in MMA History
Being successful in mixed martial arts is about a lot more than just being an imposing figure. You have to possess a number of skills if you want to be a great mixed martial arts fighter.
However, that doesn't mean that having an imposing physique is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it could work to your advantage. The more imposing you are, the more your opponent will have to gameplan to work around that.
This list will examine some of the scariest and most imposing physical specimens in the mixed martial arts world. These guys might not be the tallest or even the most successful fighters ever, but they were definitely something to see.
These 15 guys are the cream of the physical crop, if you will. They are the scariest, meanest, roughest and most dangerous looking fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
Without further ado, here is the list of scariest physical specimens in the history of MMA.
For the record, I wanted to put together a list comprised of intimidating guys relative to weight class. It would have been easy to put this list together with all heavyweights, but I wanted to be fair to "smaller" guys.
Brock Lesnar
1 of 15
Brock Lesnar is a genetic freak. He is 6’3” and 265 pounds and as big as he is, his most dangerous weapon is his speed. There are a lot of fans who absolutely hate Lesnar for whatever reason, but you can’t deny the physical talent that he has.
There are very few fighters in MMA today who can match him and his combination of speed, power and athleticism. He will need more than that to get back to the top of the heavyweight mountain.
One thing that can’t be denied is he is probably the scariest, most physically imposing fighter in UFC today.
Ken Shamrock
2 of 15
One thing that made Ken Shamrock so scary when he was fighting at a high level was the fact that he looked like he was about to snap and unleash hell on everyone in the arena on any given night.
He wasn’t the tallest man in the world, but he was one of the most dangerous men on the planet. He had a freakish physique that made him feared by a lot of men.
His ability inside the Octagon is what made him a Hall-of-Famer, but his imposing physique gave him a mental edge over his opponent.
Georges St-Pierre
3 of 15
Arguably the greatest welterweight in the history of mixed martial arts, Georges St-Pierre has one of the most imposing physiques of any fighter in any weight class.
There is a great SportsCenter commercial with St Louis Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols as a robot. That commercial could be redone with GSP in the role of the robot. He is so methodical and calculated as a fighter that it almost doesn’t seem fair.
There aren’t a lot of guys that you would classify as “scary” at 170 pounds, but GSP is definitely one of the most intimidating “small” fighters in the world. Although, given what Dana White is saying, GSP might not be staying at 170 pounds for much longer.
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Randy Couture
4 of 15
“The Natural” is one of the most important figures in UFC history. Couture was a key figure in making UFC the behemoth that it is today. He was one of the greatest pure wrestlers that the sport has ever seen.
He commanded respect with his performances and the fact that he was an intimidating presence inside the Octagon.
He was the first person to ever hold a title in two different weight classes, light heavyweight and heavyweight. He has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame thanks to his mountain of accomplishments inside the Octagon.
Alistair Overeem
5 of 15
The Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion might be the most dangerous heavyweight in MMA right now. His last eight victories have all come in the first round, including a 19 second knockout over Todd Duffee at K-1’s Dynamite!! 2010 show.
In addition to all his accomplishments in MMA, he is an accomplished kickboxer. In fact, he won the K-1 World Grand Prix in early December. Up next is a contest with Fabricio Werdum, likely to take place in April, in the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.
Mark Coleman
6 of 15
Another UFC Hall of Famer, Mark Coleman has one of the great physiques in MMA history. He is one of the pioneers of the ground-and-pound fighting style that is so underutilized today.
Coleman, 46, hasn’t fought since his loss to Randy Couture last February. In fact, he hasn’t found a promotion that wants to hire him, he was released by UFC following the Couture loss.
He is one of the most important figures in the history of MMA and one of the most physically imposing fighters of all time.
Mirko Cro Cop
7 of 15
Cro Cop is a kickboxer extraordinaire. He loves to use his legs to take out his opponents. In addition to his work with his legs, he is one crazy S.O.B. and that is what has made him a legend in mixed martial arts.
When Cro Cop was in his prime fighting in Pride, he was one of the most dominant fighters in the world. His presence on this list is because he was so physically imposing, not just with his legs but his whole body was a weapon.
Bob Sapp
8 of 15
Bob Sapp is unique. He is intimidating because he is so big. A lot of fighters are intimidating because they are dangerous as fighters. Sapp hasn’t mastered the art of MMA, but when you are 6’4” and probably 350 pounds, you don’t need a lot more than that.
He was an NFL player, being drafted in 1997. He only actually played in one game. When his NFL career didn’t work out, he went into pro wrestling. After a few years doing that, he went to Pride and has been doing MMA and kickboxing ever since.
His career record is nothing special, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is still one scary mofo.
Kimbo Slice
9 of 15
Kimbo Slice was basically a gimmick who was able to make it all the way to UFC and even fought on a pay-per-view before getting cut.
That said, he was still a scary looking dude. He had a rock-hard physique, plus the beard made him even more imposing. It worked fine when he was fighting dudes in alleys and posting those videos on YouTube, but in real MMA it didn’t work that well.
He’s going to compete in pro wrestling now, which might suit his skills a little better than MMA.
Tito Ortiz
10 of 15
Tito Ortiz is a lot like Ken Shamrock from the standpoint of they both seem a little insane. They both have that look like they might just rip someone’s head off at any moment.
He has fallen off quite a bit in the last few years and is in need of a win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March to save his job with UFC. He is 0-4-1 in his last five fights and this next fight could very well be his last with the company.
Shane Carwin
11 of 15
Shane Carwin is a scary dude. He won his first 12 fights, all in the first round. In his last fight, which was against Brock Lesnar, he had him on the ropes throughout the entire first round but eventually wore down and wasn’t able to finish him.
You could make a case that his performance against Lesnar gave Cain Velasquez the key to being able to get to Lesnar.
Carwin will make his return to the Octagon a little later on this year, after having surgery on his back.
Bobby Lashley
12 of 15
The former WWE superstar turned MMA fighter has one of the most imposing physiques in the history of MMA. There’s really not a lot to say about him and how imposing he actually is physically, other than to tell you to look at that ridiculous picture.
Don Frye
13 of 15
It’s all in the mustache. That’s what made Don Frye so intimidating as an MMA fighter. No one could look past that perfect Tom Selleck-esque mustache on his face.
That and his remarkable resemblance to video game character Mike Haggar.
Frye had one of the great physiques in the business in his heyday, and mustache or not, you can’t deny his presence inside the ring.
Kevin Randleman
14 of 15
Kevin Randleman is a scary looking dude. He wants to be locked inside a cage with any living thing and then proceed to rip their heart out.
The man’s nickname is “The Monster.” That should give you an idea of his fighting style. He was never a great, elite level fighter but he did have moments where he looked like he was one of the best in the world.
Herschel Walker
15 of 15
Herschel Walker is a freak of nature. He is 48 years old and competing in MMA. His second career fight will take place this Saturday against Scott Carson.
The former NFL running back is obviously in fantastic shape and could probably come back to the NFL and be better than a number of running backs in the league right now.
Originally people thought that he was just a gimmick wanting to get his name into the spotlight. Now, they can see that he is quite serious (and realistic) about his career in MMA.
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