Movie stars know it. Ditto the debutantes. It’s one of maybe three things that make famous-for-nothing socialites famous. Yep. There’s nothing else like a great entrance.
Scoff all you want, but it means something in MMA, too. You can write it off as meaningless histrionics that have nothing to do with THE FIGHT, MAN, but doing so disregards the marketing (read: business) end of the game.
Throughout history, fighters and promotions have sought any means of distinguishing themselves from the faceless hoard. And yeah, of course in-cage success is the quickest and most effective means to that end. But it’s not the only one.
The great ring entrance is a bit of a dying art. And that’s a shame, because a great entrance not only helps a fighter market himself, it amps up the crowd in his favor.
Pride was the absolute master in this area. Yes, I am aware that promotion is defunct. But that happened in spite of the rabid fanbase it developed in large part through its unapologetic, and undeniably fun, sense of theater. Not to belabor the point, but if you’re one of those who think the UFC has nothing to learn from the promotion it “beat,” then I have some light reading assignments in the areas of history and business that I’d like to recommend to you.
All right. Diatribe complete. Here are the 15 fighters who, for various reasons, did it best when it came to ring entrances. One final caveat: This is about the total package; not just the songs. Songs are a separate list if you care to delve further.
Thanks for reading.