Dana White, Chael Sonnen and the 25 Most Interesting Personalities in MMA

They don’t always drink beer.

Or maybe they do.

Either way, they are…the most interesting people in MMA.

Some are current fighters. Some are long retired. Some are highly respected. Some are highly loathsome. Some work their magic outside the cage. Some are not fighters but still work their magic inside a cage, in the sense that they are incarcerated.

One thing (maybe the only thing) they all have in common is that they are, in my opinion, interesting. I did this based more on personality and personal life than fighting style or accomplishments (sorry, Fedor).

Please enjoy.

Before You Even Ask…

Brock Lesnar is not on this list. 

I have nothing against him as a fighter or a person, and hope he is able to recover from his illness and return to success in the Octagon. But I just don’t find him excessively interesting.

Ooh, he’s got a sword tattoo! Ooh, he’s outdoorsy! Sorry, but I don’t see it.

Honorable Mentions

In no particular order:

• Wanderlei Silva
• Tom Atencio
• Roy Nelson
• The Tapout co-founders
• Amir Sadollah
• Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
• Tito Ortiz
• Nick and Nate Diaz
• Chuck Liddell
• War Machine
• Evan Tanner

25. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett

This longtime King of the Cage mainstay (also known as "Kid Khaos") was a decent fighter, but that wasn’t what won him attention.

He once fought Wanderlei Silva teammate Cristiano Marcello—backstage, after the fight was supposed to be over. Marcello choked him out and left him lying on the ground.

He also had a few brushes with the law. Nothing big. Just cocaine, and domestic assault and false imprisonment. But it wasn't all on the same day, though.

All we have to do now is find out how the “Horse” part got into his nickname.

A little credit where it's due: Bennett once allegedly said the grappling aspect of the sport was like “making love, it’s not real fighting.” 

True or not, you know he's not the only one who feels that way. Props to him for being one of the few willing to say it out loud.

24. Ikuhisa Minowa

Photo credit: Susumu's Gallery

The Minowaman! 

Whenever I say or type that, I think of Conan O’Brien’s old SNL character, Moleculo, the Molecular Man. I felt it was important for me to mention that.

The 5'9" Minowaman is famous for fighting—and defeating—larger opponents. Much larger opponents.

He has beaten the likes of Don Frye, Bob Sapp, Giant Silva, Sokoudjou and Hong Man Choi. And for his finale, he swallows not one, not two but FIVE burning torches. So you gotta stay for that.

Minowaman also has some unusual training methods, including workouts held in rivers. If I had to guess, I would imagine this helps him in some way with all those flying dropkicks he attempts in the cage.

And as if this all wasn't enough, he's apparently now on the university lecture circuit. The more young minds that can be molded by Minowaman, the better off we are as a species. (Thanks to commenter GoldenBoy for the tip.)

23. Chris Leben

"The Ultimate Fighter"'s original prankster overcomes long odds just by entering the cage, not to mention being successful there. 

Leben's story is fairly well known among fight fans. He never knew his father while growing up dirt poor in a tiny town outside of Portland. 

Constant battles with the bottle and other troubles with the law show that he's certainly no angel, but he doesn't come across as a bad guy, either—just one with issues, living day to day. And in the end, aren't we all?

22. Renato "Babalu" Sobral

The owner of one of the world's greatest mugshots may have some difficulty with impulse control.

Twice—against Brad Kohler, and again versus David Heath--he has continued attacking an opponent after the fight ended (in his favor).

He also has multiple arrests to his credit, including the one pictured, which came after he spit on a bouncer.

Overarching all of this, though, is the fact that Babalu, in a sport populated by scary-looking dudes, might be the scariest-looking dude of them all. He's got that "I've been drinking for 72 straight hours, and have absolutely nothing to lose" sort of look about him. 

And if you thought otherwise, let yourself be swayed by this mugshot photo, in which HE'S WEARING HIS OWN T-SHIRT.

21. Joe Silva

The man behind the curtain of the UFC's fight operations.

He makes the list not because of his wardrobe or rap sheet, but because, as the UFC’s lead matchmaker, he is in many ways the brains of the enterprise.

Though he probably doesn't make many decisions unilaterally, if you've ever wondered why or when or where so-and-so did or did not fight so-and-so, your first stop ought to be the desk of Joe Silva. 

Assuming you could find it. I wouldn't call him a hermit, but he doesn’t exactly seek the spotlight, either. You wonder what makes him tick.

20. Bas Rutten

Photo credit: Fan Nation

Three cheers...for El Guapo.

One of the great brawlers, storytellers and all-around popular guys in MMA history, Rutten is now a cottage industry unto himself. The Dutch fighter regularly shows up on various media platforms, and has his own line of instructional videos on how to win bar fights.

19. Clay Guida

Photo credit: Instant MMA

The Carpenter abides.

When he's not going crazy in the cage, Guida lives in a trailor and goes to Big Lebowski festivals. Despite his in-fight dervishness, he's as fun-loving as they come away from the scrum.

18. Dan Severn/Don Frye

Photo credit: FCF/Joel Gold

It’s a tie here, since they’re essentially the same entity. Have you ever seen these two in the same room at the same time? 

You have?  Welp...just another testament to its power.

If I had to pick who was more interesting, I’d probably have to go with the 99-17-7 Severn, especially given that he is STILL fighting at the age of 112. I don’t care if he's fighting baby chipmunks. Once again, he is 112 years old. 

He has another fight coming up tomorrow—literally (as of publication time). Seriously, it's Paul Vandale Promotions. If you're in Worcester, go check it out.

Why in the hell is he doing this?  Does he need the money that badly?  Is he even receiving money from these promotions?  Does he live like Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler,” dwelling in the memories of his years in the spotlight, when in the UFC's early days he fought in front of literally tens of people?

This man is fascinating to me.

17. Vitor Belfort

Belfort has had plenty of success in the cage, and plenty of tragedy outside it.

In 2004, Vitor's sister Priscila was mysteriously abducted, presumably so the kidnappers could collect a ransom from her famous brother. According to anecdotal accounts, Priscila was allegedly murdered in 2007.

Eventually, Belfort returned to the cage. A very devout and open Christian, he remains a formidable force. Though as arguably the first true phenom of his sport, he has never quite lived up to the expectations some held for him.

16. Bob Reilly

You may know him better as the New York state assemblyman who has, more or less singlehandedly, prevented MMA from being licensed in the Empire State.

Reilly regularly introduces anti-MMA legislation and distributes anti-MMA talking points in the statehouse. When Reilly recently heard that the UFC was buying accident insurance for fighters, he countered that the promotion should simply “do away with injuries” instead. You know. Like football did. 

He somehow manages to get all of this out with a straight face despite the fact that he fully and openly supports boxing, whose combatants sustain quite a few more blows to the head than those of MMA.

And if that isn’t interesting enough, Reilly also receives campaign funds from a hotel union that happens to be at odds with hotel owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who just happen to also own a little outfit called the UFC.

Even if there's no actual conflict of interest, Reilly should either return the funds or recuse himself from these proceedings, rather than wade knee-deep into (or lead, or cause) the debate. It's the reasonable thing to do. Then again, it seems this man wouldn't know reasonable if it Superman punched him over a table.

15. Lyoto Machida

The real-life karate kid! 

Machida grew up in a Japanese-Brazilian family, learning karate and jiu-jitsu at the feet of his father. They would ultimately develop one of the more unorthodox and captivating styles in the UFC today. 

So there's that. But also, he drinks his own urine.

They say it's very hydrating. Oh, OK. Well, if I might retort, and in the process paraphrase one Jules Winfield, drinking urine could give me wings, laser vision and Megan Fox, but I wouldn't know because I'm not gonna drink any filthy disgusting urine.

Still, let this be a lesson to all the kids out there. Want people to think you're interesting? Here's your pathway.

Honorable mention here to Luke Cummo, who also drinks his own urine.

14. Forrest Griffin

Maybe the ultimate “guy I’d like to have a beer with” on this list.

This two-time New York Times best-selling author is one of the funniest and most candid fighters in the sport's history. The former Georgia police officer has been known to both weep and storm out of the cage following losses, and put on memorable performances in victory.

13. Mirko Cro Cop

Photo credit: MMA Fix

One of the greatest fighters in MMA history doubles as both a Croation special forces police officer and a  member of Parliament there.

He is smart, unassuming and funny without making a big deal out of it. Seems like the kind of guy who's just as interested in talking (and the key word here is "talking") about politics as he is about fighting.

12. Jose Aldo

Plenty of fighters come from humble backgrounds, but Aldo was so poor growing up that eating every day wasn't a given. Once he began fighting, the job of keeping Aldo fed often fell to his trainers.

Aldo also has a large, rather angry-looking scar on his face. (Hence the nickname "Scarface.") He got that when, as a young boy, his sister threw him into a barbecue pit. Nice.

As one of the most renowned fighters in the world today, Aldo has a true rags-to-riches story.

11. Paulo Thiago

When the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace isn't trying to take off an arm or a leg in the Octagon, he's serving in what is essentially Brazil's equivalent of a SWAT team on steroids.

Known as BOPE, this elite unit specializes in urban warfare and high-risk situations involving, among other things, drugs, drug dealers, drug gangs and drug ghettoes. You get the idea.

I bet Thiago could tell a story or two.

10. Jeff Monson

I remember back in my school days, guys would draw that circle-A anarchy sign everywhere, often without much more than a passing notion of what it actually meant.

Well, Jeff Monson knows what it means. He’s an actual, practicing anarchist. (For the record, it's defined as a belief in the absence of government, as opposed to random upheaval or violence.)

He also wears his beliefs on his sleeve without getting excessively political about it. That’s pretty interesting in a society where politics (especially in the sports world) are either bottled up or barked out like a battle cry.

One example for Monson is his entrance song “Imagine,” John Lennon’s famous anti-war, anti-organized-religion ballad.

9. Viacheslav Datsik

Photo credit: Tapology

Where to start with this guy? “Interesting” is an understatement, that's for sure.

First of all, he has lost not once but twice by disqualification, a testament to his unorthodox, not-especially-rule-sensitive fighting style.

Second, he may or may not be a diagnosed schizophrenic.

Third, he is an unabashed neo-Nazi and racist.

Fourth, using only a blanket, he once escaped from a Russian psych ward, where he was being held as a result of the aforementioned possible schizophrenia.

What is he up to these days? Glad you asked. Despite not fighting (professionally) since 2006 and only amassing a 4-10 record, he’s still interested in getting back into the game, under the banner of his semi-adopted home country of Norway.

Problem is, Norway deported him in March.

If it doesn’t seem like the predictable career path for someone who knocked out Andrei Arlovski in his first professional fight, then, well, I would agree.

If you're interested in a full dose of the Datsik brand of crazy, check this out. But don't say I didn't warn you.

8. Diego Sanchez

All I have to say is one word. I’m not even sure it’s necessary, but here goes:

YES!

For someone who acts like a rabid dog (complete with spittle-flecking and everything) in a fight situation, he’s surprisingly big into religion and meditation and Tony Robbins and hyperbaric-chamber-sleeping.

What's more, apparently he used to be a pothead, until he became Christian and turned against it. But if I am reading the “tea” leaves correctly from a recent Twitter exchange with a certain Joe Rogan, he may be persuadable on that point. And more on that rapscallion Rogan later.

7. Tank Abbott

The craziest, brawlingest, drinkingest, drunkenest, punchingest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. And I hope you caught the period at the end of that sentence.

Abbott got himself in the news recently by calling out Brock Lesnar. If Lesnar had an ounce of the long view, he would sign on the dotted line.

What else would spike his popularity among hardcore fans like a charity showdown with Abbott?  And it wouldn't even be that expensive...you could pay Tank in Cuervo.

6. Georges St-Pierre

The target of bullies during his school years, GSP took up martial arts so that he could fight back. During the process, he discovered he was pretty good at it.

Now, he is the first- or second-best fighter on planet Earth.

These days, he is a poster boy for the UFC and more than one company, a highly sought-after interview, a mainstay on best-looking lists and so on. And yet, he maintains a humility that borders on (or, in part, is) shyness.

No matter how much counseling he gets, part of him will always have the downcast look of a kid who would rather be considered stupid than have to stand up in front of the class to prove otherwise.

And, of course, there are plenty of fighters–many of whom were bullies themselves in a former life–who sense this. So they pick on him. They imply that he's scared, or gay. They try to "get in his head." 

But then the fight comes around, and he destroys them all.

But he doesn't do it in the name of some vague kind of vengeance or catharsis. He does it with cold detachment.

Matt Serra's camp once tried to needle him by saying he wouldn't be down for a barfight. St-Pierre responded with something along the lines of "you're absolutely right...I would never do such a thing." Then he went into the cage and almost broke open Serra's rib cage with his knees.

It's proof positive that he picks the demons apart on his terms, not theirs.

At the end of the day, Georges St-Pierre is a pretty rare thing: a machine that bleeds warm, red blood.

5. Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Few fighters in the world today are half the showman of Mayhem Miller.

His interviews, nutty ring entrances, entertaining Twitter feed and excitable personality get him into this conversation. But what's really interesting here is that you can't really tell what is or isn't part of the act. 

4. Dana White

The UFC commissioner is one of a kind.

A divisive presence, the outspoken, gutter-mouthed leader of the leading MMA promotion on the planet often is the target of rough criticism on the Internet. Luckily for him, then, that he can dish it out as well as he can take it.

Opinions differ, and I don't know the guy, but at the end of the day, he seems like someone who really cares. About himself, sure, but also about other people, fighters and most especially the sport he has undeniably shepherded to new heights around the world.

3. Joe Rogan

Full disclosure: I used to hate this guy.

Remember him on the "new" Man Show with Doug Stanhope? Or when he was all smug on Fear Factor? Ugh.

Then I caught him doing a UFC broadcast and thought "oh, so that's what he's good at."

And admit it—he's good at it. He knows his stuff. He gets excited at the right times. He's a good foil for Mike Goldberg.  He can be a little overwound at times, and he's a bit of a company man, but overall, I think he's great at what he does.

What makes him even more interesting, though, is his fairly, eh, open embrace of the hedonistic lifestyle. Another round of women, wine and song for Joe Rogan, and I don't care what time it is.

He is an incredibly, almost jarringly outspoken advocate of illegal drug use, particularly pot (the aforementioned Sanchez exchange is a case in point). I could probably regale you with stories for a few hours here, but I think that's the Internet's job.   

2. Chael Sonnen

Welcome to the greatest one-man roller coaster ride in the history of mixed martial arts.

Up: Intelligent, talented fighter takes three of first four contests in the Octagon, gets title shot with Anderson Silva.

Down: Strange and ill-fated run for state legislature in native Oregon.

Up:  Has another sweet side job as a real estate agent.

Down: Launders money.

Up: Electrifies fans and Web with inflammatory and hilarious trash talk against Silva.

Up:  Beating Silva handily through four rounds of title fight.

Down: Forced to tap to a choke late in the final stanza.

Down:  Fails drug screen following loss, suspended until June.

Down:  Gets caught for aforementioned money laundering.

Up:  Only gets fine and probation in criminal court!

Down: Suspended indefinitely by California State Athletic Commission.

Down: Suspension upheld. Fight career may be over.

Up: I hear it's a good time to be in real estate.

1. "Lightning" Lee Murray

Wow.

I mean, good God.

Please remind me that if I ever see “Lightning” Lee Murray coming my way, I should just drop my dignity where it lies and run away as fast as my legs will carry me. Please also remind me to squeal like a girl as I do this, which might help the authorities locate me more quickly.

For you see, Murray is more than just a fighter. Last June, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail for masterminding a 2006 bank heist that netted ₤53 million (about $85 million U.S., by today’s standards). He is now serving his time in a Moroccan prison. In Morocco.

It must not be the Ritz-Carlton, because he once tried to escape by sneaking small saws into his cell and trying to cut the bars with them.

And that's to say nothing of the brawl with Tito Ortiz.

The tales go on and on. Just read this story and tell me if you don't think this guy deserves the top spot, hands down.