When Floyd Mayweather sucker-punched Victor Ortiz to earn a knockout victory earlier this month, the boxing world was sent into a tailspin.
It wasn’t that the undefeated (42-0) Mayweather wasn’t winning the fight, but it almost seemed as if he went out of his way to land the cheap shot. Worse yet, he was completely unapologetic about it after the fight.
Mayweather instantly became public enemy No. 1 in the boxing world, joining other fighters like the UFC’s Brock Lesnar, who have practically come right out and revealed themselves to be anti-heroes, even villains, in combat sports.
Being the “bad guy” isn’t always embraced by fans, but it’s something that has earned some of these fighters a lot of money. Perhaps even more money than they could have ever earned if they were more fan favorites.
Pro wrestling learned many years ago that while it is the “good guy” who the fans will rally behind, it is the “bad guy” who truly makes them their money by enticing fans to attend events, purchase pay-per-views and spend money on merchandise to support that “good guy.”
Certainly pro wrestling is different than real competition, but these concepts still remain true. Just ask yourself, “How many times have I cheered against someone more than I was really cheering for his opponent?” The answer may surprise you.
These fighters have not only accepted their role as “bad guys” in combat sports, which is why they have been named the 10 best villains in combat sports today.