UFC 129: Georges St-Pierre and the Top Fan Favorite Fighters Competing in MMA
When UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre takes on Jake Shields at UFC 129 in front of 55,000 hometown fans in Toronto, Canada, it will be easy to see why he has become one of the most famous and respected figures in the sport.
There are several fighters who stand out above all the rest when it comes to establishing a fanbase that cannot be matched.
The greatest champions MMA has ever produced are a result of the ever-growing fanbase in the fastest growing sport, and it's a fighter's reputation inside and outside the ring that carries his fanbase to a whole other level.
Notable Mention: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
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Pride veteran and K1 kickboxer Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic's best days are behind him, yet he still maintains one of the largest and respected fanbases in MMA. You see it every time he fights in just how hyped up the crowd gets to see him fight.
With his lethal striking developed after years of competing in K1 and his highlight reel of head-kick knockouts, Cro Cop is one of the more intriguing fighters in the heavyweight division. He still has one fight left in him, and he plans on making it count.
Can the new blood of exciting kickboxers take over what Cro Cop leaves behind? Pat Barry is the closest thing to resembling Cro Cop inside the UFC, but he will never have the type of acclaim the fighter from Croatia did over his 10-year MMA career.
No. 10: Rich Franklin
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Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin has had an up-and-down career as of late, but he still remains one of the top middleweight and light-heavyweight fighters.
There aren't many fighters he hasn't fought at the top of two weight divisions. He has fought Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell.
To back up his broad record of fighting the best of the best, he also does it in exciting fashion. He had back-and-forth battles with many of his opponents and also had one of the best runs in the MW division after defeating Evan Tanner for the title.
His next opponent will be Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133, and if one thing is for certain, it's that neither of them wants to lose again. Expect a war come fight night.
No. 9: Jon Jones
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At 23, Jon Jones became the youngest UFC champion when he defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the light-heavyweight title.
He was a fast-rising star before that, but once he dominated Shogun after stopping crime earlier that day, he became one of the most popular and talked-about fighters in MMA.
With a 13-1 record and his only loss coming by way of disqualification, his "undefeated" status is what makes his "fan favorite" status even larger.
How long before people start jumping off the hype train of Jones? It's going to be a while before anyone does, and as long as he continues to win, he will continue to attract more fans.
Even if he does lose, his unorthodox and unique fighting style will always keep people interested in him. He still has a long career ahead of him.
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No. 8: Dan Henderson
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Dan Henderson surprised fans when he announced he was moving to Strikeforce, especially after coming off the 2009 "Knockout of the Year" versus Michael Bisping at UFC 100.
What he did was immediately attract many fans to the second-best organization in MMA and get them interested in seeing how the UFC fighters match up with Strikeforce fighters.
He lost his bout versus Jake Shields but rebounded to knock out Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante to win the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title.
The 40-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler still competes at the highest level and arguably put on one of the better performances of his career in his last fight.
If the rumors are true, he will be facing the legendary Russian fighter Fedor Emelianenko later this year. Anyone who calls themselves an MMA fan has to see that fight.
No. 7: Rampage Jackson
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So what makes Quinton "Rampage" Jackson so popular? Is it his outgoing, funny and sometimes serious personality? Maybe it's because he has some of the most dynamic knockout victories in MMA. Maybe it's because he had a major star role in last summer's hit movie The A-Team.
Whatever it is, Rampage has an incredible fanbase that loves to watch him fight, no matter the opponent. He is one of the toughest fighters to crack, and if you do, you are bound to get hit right back. Fans love this about him.
He is the type of fighter that likes to overpower his opponents. Power is his defense and his offense, and he is one of the very best at utilizing this.
Of his 31 victories, 14 have come by knockout, including devastating KOs over Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell and Kevin Randleman.
His next bout will be against Matt Hamill at UFC 130, and if there's one thing they have in common, they don't mind getting hit. Get ready to see a "Fight of the Night."
No. 6: Forrest Griffin
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Bloodied, bruised and sometimes broken, Forrest Griffin has had some of the most entertaining fights in the history of the sport.
His famous TUF 1 Finale fight with Stephan Bonnar is legendary for its significance to the sport and to the UFC. What made him such a fan favorite was his "regular guy" attitude.
"I never said I was that good. But there’s nobody in this sport at 205 you put me in with, and I won’t make it a fight. That’s just the way I am. I’m just a dog. I fight. Period. I’m not that technically good. I’m not that great. But I’m gonna fight and I’m in good shape. That’s it. That’s all you need.”
He's right, and he is one of the most popular fighters because of that.
No. 5: Wanderlei Silva
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Nobody loves to get a knockout more than Wanderlei Silva, and no fan loves to see a knockout by anyone more than the one called "The Axe Murderer."
His ruthless attack and aggressive fighting style are enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats at all times, even when there isn't anything happening. This is what defined his extensive career in Pride and in the UFC.
Silva hasn't been as aggressive as he used to be, which may be the mental approach he has taken to the sport since losing several times by knockout.
Still, fans love to see him fight. He brings it every time, and this alone is worth watching no matter if he is victorious.
He even made a drop to the middleweight division, where he beat Michael Bisping, a fighter nobody really likes, while raising his fan favorite status in the process.
No. 4: BJ Penn
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If there was one reason fans weren't torn by the draw that resulted in his last fight versus Jon Fitch, just look at the way the fans talk about each of them.
Fitch is regarded as one of the more boring fighters in the sport, while former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn is one of the more exciting and compelling of the two.
Some of the things that have drawn fans away is that they never know which Penn is going to show up. Will it be the focused and intimidating Penn that showed up to knock out Matt Hughes in 21 seconds and dominate Diego Sanchez? Or will it be the mellow and calm Penn who fought current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar?
In a career of ups and downs, Penn still holds a special spot in the MMA fanbase. He has continually fought the best for 10 years and is still capable of beating them.
No. 3: Georges St-Pierre
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UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre does get criticized, but it's all done behind a special amount of respect that people have for his dedication and fighting ability.
His current eight-fight win streak is one of the best in the sport and includes wins over BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck and Dan Hardy. The only one out of those four that he was able to finish was Penn, and fans want to see more of that.
People want to see him finish because they believe he can. They want to see him put on exciting fights because they know he can. They want to see him take risks, which many of the fighters on this list do.
Until St-Pierre's physical abilities begin to diminish, expect the same from the pound-for-pound star—to dominate many, if not all, of the opponents he steps into the octagon with.
His next fight versus Jake Shields will be a career-defining moment that takes place in front of 55,000 hometown fans ready to cheer on arguably the most popular athlete in Canada.
No. 2: Fedor Emelianenko
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There is quite possibly no fighter greater admired and respected than Fedor Emelianenko. His approach to fighting is one of the most appealing things about him, and you don't even see it because he doesn't show or say anything about it.
With an stone-like glare that shows no emotion, Emelianenko fights and defeats opponents who have advantages in size, speed and power.
After suffering back-to-back defeats against Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum, fans are more urgent than ever to see him get back into the Strikeforce cage.
He is rumored to face Dan Henderson on a future PPV event, which should be one of the best fights of the year.
No. 1: Randy Couture
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Randy Couture will be taking on Lyoto Machida at UFC 129, which may very well be his final moment inside the cage.
Even if someone isn't a fan of Randy Couture, they are probably a fan of what he has accomplished in the sport, and that's worth enough respect to put him at the No. 1 spot of fan favorite fighters.
When he can attract fans to watch him fight Mark Coleman and James Toney, who really didn't belong anywhere near him in the cage, that says something about him as a fighter and about how he appreciates the fans.
He probably knew deep down he had those fights won when he signed the dotted line, but he went through with them anyway because he knew fans wanted to see them no matter how much of a mismatch they were.
He took on the former heavyweight boxing champion because he knew fans had been debating MMA vs. boxing for quite some time, and this was a chance to prove who was right.
If his next fight is his last one, it's going to be interesting to see the reaction of the crowd after the fight, win or lose.
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