Hype is a normal, necessary part of MMA and all sports. However, it can sometimes turn in on itself, creating a sort of autoimmune reaction. Then everything just goes nuts. Overexposure sets in and you’ve collapsed your own souffle.
Sometimes such levels of hype are justified (think: LeBron James). Sometimes they are not. That’s not the point, though. The point is that sometimes hype takes on a life of its own, and the subject of the hype enters that little hall of mirrors known as being famous for the sake of being famous.
Here are the five MMA fighters of the past decade who best exemplify the Kardashian approach to star making.