5 UFC Fighters Who Look Like They Don't Belong Inside a Cage

Usually when I write an article, an idea either falls into my head or I’m accepting an assignment from one of the bosses.

But I was reading some articles recently, and one of my fellow writers, Nick Caron, wrote an awesome piece about the Scariest Fighters in the UFC.

As I read slides about guys like Brock Lesnar and Quentin Jackson, I found myself thinking about the guys who looked the least like cage fighters.

For every Wanderlei Silva, who actually pulls off a nickname like “The Axe Murderer,” there is a guy like Rich Franklin, who was literally once a high school math teacher.

Obviously, there are more than just these five fighters, so if I missed a couple, feel free to leave them in the comments section. 

Rich Franklin

He could be your dad, your math teacher, or even your everyday Pet Detective.

What I’m trying to say is, Rich Franklin looks like a normal guy.

While a lot of the other guys on this list have a defining quality that makes them stand out, Franklin stands out because he doesn’t stand out, if that makes any sense at all.

He’s a former UFC champion, but the average fan would have to look pretty hard to recognize him walking down the street, which is the ultimate example of not looking like a cage fighter. 

Danny Downes

If Rich Franklin looks like a math teacher, Danny Downes looks like the obnoxious freshman in the front row of class.

The first time I saw Downes enter a cage, I immediately thought that someone needed to check his birth certificate.

Downes is an extremely entertaining fighter with a ton of heart, but it is pretty hard to make it through one of his fights without someone making a joke about his age, making him a perfect choice for this one.

Kenny Florian

Florian is one of the most successful fighters never to win a UFC belt, but he also looks like he should be selling real estate somewhere.

I never really thought about Florian being on this list until my girlfriend made a comment last weekend about how Florian just didn’t look like a fighter and that’s why he didn’t win.

Not exactly the best example, but it proves the point.

Roy Nelson

I’m going to try as hard as possible not to make any trailer park jokes here.

Obviously, Nelson doesn’t look like a fighter, and he doesn’t really want to, which makes him even more lovable.

He has the opposite physique you would expect from a fighter, he has the worst (or best) hair in MMA, depending on who you’re talking to, and he has a not-so-hidden love for Burger King.

Yep, seems to fit the bill.

Joe Lauzon

This dude is my nerd!

Joe Lauzon looks like he should be stuck in a basement somewhere making some sort of hologram phone, but instead he just designs his own iPod Apps and kicks ass on Saturdays a few times a year.

He actually is as smart as he looks, which might be the coolest thing I’ve ever written about a fighter.