Georges St-Pierre and the 8 Best Role Models in MMA Today

It’s not easy to be a role model in a sport where your primary job is to take advantage of the weaknesses of your opponent, sometimes including beating him or her to a bloody pulp. This type of violence is generally viewed negatively by the main stream which has taken its fair share of jabs at the sport of mixed martial arts throughout the years.

However there are competitors and ambassadors for the sport who have broken the perceived mold of being beer-chugging thugs who have anger problems. It’s not an easy thing to do, but these people have taken it upon themselves to not only place themselves on a level of physical superiority, but also conduct themselves in a way that would attract positive attention to the sport.

Sure, there will always be the Nick Diaz’s and Brock Lesnar’s of the world who sometimes make questionable decisions outside the cage, so these MMA role models will have to continue to do their job while hoping that their actions rub off on others if they hope to change the way that MMA is perceived in the mainstream media.

With so much emphasis always being placed on the negatives in sports and the world in general, I thought it would nice to take a look at the good guys of MMA. So in this slideshow, we’ll examine eight MMA role models who should be viewed as examples of how both physical and mental preparedness come together to create some of the best athletes and all of professional sports. 

Cain Velasquez

The now former UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, shot himself into the spotlight when he defeated the biggest star in the sport, Brock Lesnar, at UFC 121. Though he has since lost his title to Junior dos Santos, Velasquez remains one of the best role models in the sport.

Velasquez is an American citizen, but his Mexican heritage is very evident in everything that he does. He became the first Mexican heavyweight champion in major combat sports history by defeating Lesnar and is fluent in both Spanish and English which has truly helped him to become a cultural icon in both countries.

Even though he isn’t the champion anymore, Velasquez has shown that being proud of your heritage is nothing to be ashamed of and that even smaller fighters like him can overcome huge obstacles if their determination is great enough.

Benson Henderson

Often we hear athletes praise their religion when they are victorious in their sport, but it is a rare thing to see someone go out of his way to thank Jesus after a loss. Benson Henderson did just that after he lost his WEC lightweight title in 2010, following an unbelievable performance from Anthony “Showtime” Pettis that included the now infamous “Showtime Kick.”

Although disappointed to lose his title, Henderson did not let the loss get him down. His positive attitude is not what will be remembered most that night, but it has gone a long way in keeping him at the top of the game.

Henderson is now set to be perhaps the next challenger for the UFC lightweight championship as he has gone undefeated since that fight with Pettis, proving that even a historical loss like that one does not have to be what defines your career.

Randy Couture

He isn’t an official fighter anymore, but Randy Couture has truly done it all in MMA and continues to give back to the sport that helped to make him into a star.

The reasons that Couture is a great role model could go on for pages and pages, but suffice to say, he is truly one of a kind. Even at the age of 48, Couture could still step into the cage right not and likely be both a top 10 heavyweight and a top 10 light heavyweight. He was and is that good, and is the only fighter in major MMA history to hold championships in both weight classes.

Couture now helps give back to the community by training the next generation of competitors. His legendary game-planning will do wonders for those who have the opportunity to work with this UFC Hall of Famer.

Gina Carano

It would be difficult for me not to include one of the true superstars of mixed martial arts and the only female who has truly made it into mainstream publicity, Gina Carano.

Carano held the position of being widely considered as the most talented and dominant female fighter on the planet for quite some time. Her dominance over the division was every bit as amazing as she is beautiful.

Though she eventually lost that position on the top of the women’s MMA rankings when she fought Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, Carano remains by far the biggest draw among the fairer gender in the sport.

Her beauty and brawn have shown women that just because you are gorgeous doesn’t mean that you can’t kick ass. 

Anderson Silva

Brazil has a history in MMA that dates back all the way to UFC 1 and even long prior to that. The country that brought us Brazilian jiu-jitsu has now become a hot-bed for some of the most well-rounded and entertaining fighters in the world.

The best of which, without question, is UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

He has worked so hard over the years in crafting his skill that literally no one in the world has an answer for him. Even perhaps the best MMA-wrestler in the sport today, Chael Sonnen, was unable to put Silva away after four rounds of dominating him.

Some view Silva’s confident demeanor to be almost too cocky to be considered as a role model. But put down that giant glass of Haterade that you’re drinking and really think about why he’s doing that. The truth is that this world-class athlete is now so much better than everyone else that he can really enjoy himself while also being the best of the best at what he does.

Fedor Emelianenko

From borderline-cocky to perhaps the most unemotional fighter in the history of the sport, Fedor Emelianenko follows up Anderson Silva on this list of MMA’s best role models.

He may not be the top heavyweight in the world anymore, but Fedor Emelianenko’s humble actions and complete respect for every single one of his opponents, the fans and everyone involved in the sport is unmatched.

Fedor has earned the reputation of being almost robotic in competition as even while he is delivering or receiving a tremendous beating, he still has the same exact, stone-cold, emotionless expression on his face. Then when the fight is over, he thanks his opponent and continues on with his day.

MMA needs more guys like Fedor when it comes to the way that they carry themselves in competition. 

Junior Dos Santos

The brand new UFC heavyweight champion of the world, Junior dos Santos, might have the most amazing rags-to-riches story of anyone in the sport today.

The Brazilian’s upbringing and challenges as a child were highlighted in the previews for his most recent fight at UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. dos Santos. His rise from a very poor family into becoming a fighter, then becoming a champion in the UFC is nothing short of inspirational for anyone who has gone through a tough time in his or her life.

Dos Santos isn’t the biggest and he isn’t the most experienced, but he is the best in the world today within the heavyweight division. 

Georges St-Pierre

It seems crazy to think this, but current UFC welterweight champion and arguable pound-for-pound king in the sport Georges St-Pierre started his life of martial arts all the way back at the age of seven when he began learning karate.

But his reasons for picking up karate were not because he wanted to fight. Instead, it was because he was regularly bullied by other children who would steal from him. Determined not to be bullied any longer, St-Pierre quickly grew a love for karate which would later develop into a love for other martial arts.

As St-Pierre states in this interview with HEAVY’s Megan Olivi, it is up to he and the other fighters to change the perceptions about mixed martial artists so that everyone else begins to view them as legitimate world-class athletes, just like football players, baseball players, or Olympians.

“We want to be considered true professional athletes, so we should act like professional athletes,” St-Pierre said on the UFC on FOX red carpet.

Now that he’s recovering from the injury that knocked him out of the main event at UFC 137, St-Pierre’s focus has shifted back to a similar situation to the one that got him involved in martial arts in the first place. He’ll have his chance to take out a perceived bully in Nick Diaz when the two battle on Super Bowl weekend in 2012 in what is expected to be another huge moment for the sport.