Rampage Jackson and the 10 Most Charismatic Fighters in MMA Today

Fighters love to fight and fighters love to be the center of attention, and some do it much better than others. Being inside the cage can bring out some primal, animal instincts in a fighter, and being in front of a camera can sometimes bring out much, much more.

It's not just about the fight and the skill in today's mixed martial arts world, it's also about the brand. If you have a certain style and brand yourself properly, opportunities will come: write a book, do a movie or make some big bucks endorsing a sports drink.

Show some charisma and you will be followed. When you are followed, you are more likely to stay relevant in this sport; of course, nothing matters if you suck in the cage!

Some guys bring the absolute alter ego, some guys reach for a persona and wing it fairly well and some are just plain born with it. There is no doubt that it has become a huge part of being successful in the MMA game.

Here is my list of The 10 Most Charismatic Fighters In MMA Today.

10. Rich "Ace" Franklin

Rich "Ace" Franklin is one of the first faces that the UFC was built on in the early 2000s. He was marketed as the anti-bar-room brawler stereotype and as the former math teacher turned fighter and fight technician.

He was also the guy-next-door persona who grew the sport and gave it some IQ, and he did it with his own style.

Outside the ring he is always the face and sought after interview, and he is an honest and intelligent commentator of the sport.

His nickname "Ace" is due to his resemblance to actor Jim Carrey and Franklin himself had his acting debut in Cyborg Soldier, where he starred as an escaped cyborg soldier opposite Tiffani Thiessen.

Nice.

9. Matt "The Terror" Serra

Matt Serra is a true New York bad ass. He is a long-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and one tough dude. A true terror inside the ring, outside the ring he carries that big apple charisma of beautiful and brash, and if you add to it that he is an Italian-American through and through, you can kinda get the picture.

While playing up the machismo at times in his interviews, we saw a different charisma in his stint as a coach opposite Matt Hughes on TUF 6, where an ability to tell it like it is and show compassion in his coaching gained him new fans everywhere.

Catch an interview with Serra or ask his opinion, and you'll get the straight goods delivered in a way that makes you want to like the guy. Which is good, because you don't want to get on the bad side of an Italian New Yorker with a black belt.

8. Brock Lesnar

You can't have the type of career and resume that Brock Lesnar has had and not know how to step to the mic at the drop of a dime and deliver the goods. He was originally on full display each week in the WWE, and then went on to a walk-on tryout with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Multi-talented in many ways.

Lesnar has carried pay-per-views and weekly programs with his physical ability and his acting and has also appeared in several video games as well as countless magazine articles. His charisma is raw but evident, and his size is a demanding presence as well.

Lesnar can be polarizing, that charisma turned dark in his famous performance after his revenge over Frank Mir. But he has that unpredictable factor that makes him a figure to follow.

7. Randy "The Natural" Couture

Randy Couture is widely credited with being the charisma that brought the UFC to a broader, more mainstream fanbase and skyrocketed the sport to levels above and beyond. Chuck was knocking people out and Randy was smiling, giving solid analytical interviews, and shaking people's hands all across North America, as well as kicking ass.

The nickname comes for a reason and is not exclusive to Randy's ability to handle the combat.

The Natural has been a commentator, co-host, reality show contestant and stand-in actor. He has even appeared in three movies in his career to date. He does it all with a very real and genuine personality, and a charisma that you would expect of a stereotypical American hero.

6. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn

BJ Penn is a love him or hate him type of character when the lights of the UFC camera are rolling in his face. He is also one of the first mixed martial artists to have his own website video diary, where he does a lot of good things for people in his native Hawaii and all over the world.

He can come off as arrogant at times in his many appearances in character, and with his skill and fighting history he has only a bit of a reason to boast. His in-the-cage resume is second to none and his out-of-the-cage following is legendary in growing this sport.

Whether it is the licking the bloody gloves and slapping his own face or UFC Prime Time leading up to his rematch of GSP or his video with Enson Enoue promoting relief for Japan, BJ Penn has a large following based on his skill and charisma inside the ring and out.

5. "The California Kid" Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber has a following in the MMA world the likes of Justin Bieber in the real world. He is the sweetheart baby face the woman and girls all around the world love and the guys, well, if you're jealous, then tell him to his face because I don't like your chances.

Faber does have that innocent boy smile and wave, all the while being a beast inside the cage. He has done commentating before, and countless interviews and appearances where his personality really rubs off.

He still has a few years left of mixed martial arts fighting, and no doubt wants to climb back to the title once again, but Faber has the type of charisma that the UFC can use in different ways to promote the sport around the world.

4. Jason "Mayhem" Miller

What really needs to be said about the character that is Jason "Mayhem" Miller? We have seen the interviews, the entrances, the reality show and the in-ring brawl and all have given prudence to the Mayhem alter ego of Miller.

Sometimes you don't know which is actually truly him and which is actually the bizarre character that he likes to portray, but one thing is for sure, Jason Miller knows how to be relevant outside of the ring and somewhat in it in the MMA world.

Charisma is a tough thing to define and Miller is a perfect example of that, we will now see how good his game is as he is finally signed to fight in big leagues and will get Bisping in his first match up. Of course we will get to see him on full display on the TUF 14 reality show leading up to the fight as well, and that will surely show the spectacle that Mayhem truly is.

3. Forrest Griffin

Once again, charisma comes in all shapes and sizes folks as Forrest Griffin is another personality that brings a following in MMA today. From his work ethic and self degrading humour on the original Ultimate Fighter, to his now bestselling novel work and travels around the world, Griffin has become a fan favorite.

Griffin has grown into and developed his star quality unlike any other in mixed martial arts. He has sculpted his niche wisely and now needs to get back to his roots.

He has a solid blue collar game in the cage, and he also has that type of following in his fanbase as well. He has also been a coach on the same reality show that made his career and has also appeared in various television cameos as well.

2. Jon "Bones" Jones

Jon "Bones" Jones is the new kid in town so his charisma resume is not as prominent as others on this list, but Jones has clearly shown he is wise beyond his years in more ways than one so far in his career.

He knows how to work the microphone and camera with the best of them, and he is already a mainstay on the appearance circuit for the UFC, as the brass realize that he has natural star charisma that makes people feel at ease in his presence.

His in-the-cage game is unorthodox and threatening, and his out-of-cage game is genuine and polished, and he can only get better with practice.

Red carpets beware.

1. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Is having charisma synonymous with having a screw loose? No offence, Rampage. Quinton Jackson has entertained us with his ways through many avenues in his career. My memory goes back to him being one of the first and best interviews when he was back in his Pride days.

From the howl at the moon to the outbursts of instability, Rampage has a quality that is similar to a wreck where you just gotta take a peak as you go by almost every time, good or bad.

Jackson has been on TUF twice, has been co-host of WWE Raw and of course, played B. A. Baracus in the feature film The A Team that was released just last year. He has a real acting resume to go along with his alter ego mixed martial arts persona, and his interviews are growing more and more interesting by the day.

He grabs the top billing in this list.

All Material for this article was referenced at www.wikipedia.org

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report MMA (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net).
 

Catch him on Twitter @wakafightermma