Nick Diaz and the 27 Best Mean Mugs in MMA

The mean mug.

Urban Dictionary defines it as, "to stare someone down in a bad way. to ask someone if they wanna fight using eye contact."

In a sport where personality clashes are almost as essential to the game as strikes and grappling, the mean mug has become apart of almost every fighters' pre-fight arsenal.

However, only a few have truly mastered the art.

Here are the 25 best mean-muggers in MMA.

27. Thiago Alves

Former UFC welterweight top contender Thiago Alves is a decorated striker with some of the best Muay Thai in the game.

Knowing that he can stand and trade with virtually anyone, Alves is confident in his mean mug because he knows he can back it up.

26. Clay Guida

UFC lightweight and self-proclaimed wild man Clay Guida is one of the most intense fighters in the UFC.

Possessing cardio for days and a heart of a lion, Guida never backs down in the Octagon.

Even if his faced is bloodied and bruised, Guida will still sport a badass mean mug that would frighten little children.

25. Michael Bisping

One of the most hated fighters in all of MMA, Michael Bisping knows how to rile up emotions in both fans and his opponents.

Usually inciting bad blood with his choice of words, Bisping also has a mean mug that fuels tensions.

Just ask Jorge Rivera how much he liked Bisping's lovely smile.

24. Heath Herring

Former UFC and Pride heavyweight Heath Herring has always been a scary dude.

Herring was a solid contender in Pride and had a mean mug to boot.

Just don't get too close when he's staring you down.

23. Tito Ortiz

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has always been one of the bad boys in MMA.

The tough veteran from Huntington Beach knows how to use his mug to set opponents.

Always a fiery figure, Ortiz's staredown face is one of the most recognizable in the business. 

22. Pat Barry

One of the funniest guys in the sport, who knew that Pat Barry had a serious side?

Lighthearted outside the Octagon, Barry knows when it's time to get down to business.

Not afraid to get right into an opponent's face during a staredown, Barry can be one scary dude when he wants to be.

21. Anderson Silva

Usually stoic and calm, UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva does not often show his true anger.

However, some of his last few opponents have had some choice words for the champion, allowing the inner anger to emerge.

Pictured above with Vitor Belfort, Silva showed that his clowning days were done and that he can mean-mug as good as he fights.

20. Rashad Evans

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans has had his share of intense staredowns throughout his career.

Always prepared with witty repartee for his opponents, Evans can bring out the mean mug when he needs too.  Just look at his rivalries with Rampage Jackson and Jon Jones for examples.

19. Jon Fitch

Often criticized for his grinding, top-control style of fighting, Jon Fitch should get praise for his mean mug.

Usually sporting a grizzled beard and a menacing smile, Fitch exudes an eeriness that seems a little off when he enters the Octagon that puts opponents on edge.

It may just be me, but Fitch looks pretty scary in the cage.

18. Chuck Liddell

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell is one of the baddest men on the planet, owning a penetrating stare that gave challengers chills.

Not afraid to get up close and personal with his adversaries, Liddell has mean-mugged with the best of them, from Tito Oriz to Wanderlei Silva.

Liddell's intense staredowns were as frightening as his vicious overhand right, only further his legacy as a true baddass warrior.

17. Don Frye

A pioneer of the sport, Don Frye had no qualms getting into peoples' faces prior to a bout.

Literally putting his mustachioed face nose to nose with his opponents, Frye's mean mug was intense and meant to get the testosterone pumping.

The mustache alone would make me back down if I had to stand toe to toe with this legend.

16. Matt Mitrione

UFC heavyweight and Ultimate Fighter alum Matt Mitrione is a master at pushing peoples' buttons.

Showing a penchant for the antagonist role on the show, Mitrione has brought this aspect of his personality over to his career inside the Octagon, even inciting a feud with former champion Tito Ortiz.

A fighter who may be a little of his rocker, Mitrione's mean mug is another in-your-face style staredown that will get into any opponent's head.

15. Cheick Kongo

Cheick Kongo is your old-school, scary dude.

A monstrous heavyweight with a bodybuilder's physique, this UFC heavyweight has knockout power in his strikes and loads of intimidation behind his mean mugs.

Kongo is definitely one fighter you should think twice about before pissing him off.

14. Fedor Emelianenko

Widely regarded as the best fighter in MMA history, Fedor Emelianenko's staredowns are as intimidating as his legacy.

Not in your face, not abrasive by any means, Emelianenko's cold and intense mean mugs are a reflection of his personality.  He's calm, but ready to go to war.

Nothing is scary than a legend focused on taking your head off.

13. Vitor Belfort

Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort is feared for his fast hands but can go face to face in a mean-mugging staredown with anyone.

Bringing the same intensity to his mean mug as his does to his fights, Belfort puts foes on edge with is killer look.

12. Mirko Cro Cop

Pride legend and UFC heavyweight Mirko Cro Cop is always calm in the face of adversity.

A former special forces police officer in Croatia, Cro Cop has seen many more frightening things in his life than a 200-lb man waiting to punch him in the face in a cage.

His mean mug consists of a penetrating stare and an expressionless face, the calm before the storm that will surely ensue.

11. Naoya Ogawa

Not too many people know about this former Japanese MMA fighter, but the now-retired Naoya Ogawa had one of the most memorable staredowns in MMA history.

Taking on Masaaki Satake at Pride 11, Ogawa gave one of the most intense mean-mugging looks ever, going on to win the fight via submission.

Ogawa did not garner many accolades in his MMA career, but this mean mug alone should keep him in fight fans' minds for a long time.

10. Chris Leben

Chris Leben is one of the most insane-looking fighters in the UFC.

Sporting a myriad of tattoos along with odd-color choices for his hair, Leben's physical presence alone makes him a scary adversary.

Willing to take fights on short notice and beat his opponents to a pulp, Leben will mean-mug anybody as he knows that his chin can take it (unless that foe is Anderson Silva or Brian Stann).

9. Brock Lesnar

His mean-mugging has toned down since his days in the WWE, but former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar still remains an imposing figure in the sport.

His massive frame and the intense look in his eye make for a scary combination that would invoke fear into any man.

I for one would not want to get into a staredown with Lesnar.

8. Thiago Silva

UFC light-heavyweight Thiago Silva is a fantastic Muay Thai artist who prefers to let his hands and feet do the intimidating.

But when staring down an opponent prior to a match, Silva is more than willing to reciprocate a ferocious mean mug.

You know it's going down when he puts on those signature shades.

7. BJ Penn

Former two-time UFC champion BJ Penn has a great mean mug when he wants to break it out.

When he is fired up and ready to bang, you can just see the emotion on his face. 

His focus and energy exude through his mean-mug glare, an intimidating look to see if you're waiting for a beatdown on the opposite side of the Octagon.

6. Nate Diaz

The less controversial of the Diaz brothers, Nate Diaz definitely abides by the Stockton, bad-boy creed.

Using the same taunting techniques as his brother, Diaz uses his mean mug to get under his opponents' skins, trying to fire them up so that they make a mistake he can capitalize on.

Diaz shows that the mean mug can be more than just a pre-fight hype generator.

5. Keith Jardine

Keith Jardine will probably never grace the cover of GQ, but his ferocious facial expressions make him an intimidating presence in the cage.

"The Dean of Mean" has one of the most menacing looks in the sport and has no problem breaking out the mean mug from time to time.

Jardine is definitely one of the scariest-looking fighters in the game.

4. Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei Silva's mean mug is a classic.

Giving off the cold-killer look, Silva has had many legendary staredowns with some of the best in MMA history.

Throw in a few cuts and bruises and Silva's mean mug looks like it belongs in a horror movie.

3. Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez is always intense before and during his matches.

He always looks like he is going to jump his opponent right then and there as he poses with his hands held low and his face right in front of his foe.

Whether his mean mug is a contrived effort or not, it remains of the best in the sport.

2. Rampage Jackson

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson is one of the most imposing figures and personalities in the game.

Not only does he have great stand-up, but his mean mug is among the elite.

Jackson's intense staredowns with Wanderlei Silva were legendary and exemplified his now-often-forgotten serious side.

1. Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz and the mean mug are virtual synonymous in the MMA world.

Always seeming to be a little peeved, Diaz has had a long career to master the art of the mean mug, an accomplishment he has certainly obtained.

Set to face fellow mean-mugging aficionado BJ Penn this weekend, I for one cannot wait for what is sure to be an epic staredown.

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