A fighter can’t choose their nickname; it’s one of those things that’s given to a fighter. Like a ceremonial gift from a coach of peer, a nickname means something.
Or in some cases, it’s simply an inside joke within the gym, like Junior dos Santos being called “Cigano” because of his long hair.
Sometimes, a fighter’s nickname even becomes bigger than the fighter themselves. That’s the case with the people on this list. They were not the first or the last person to have these nicknames, but the people on this list will always be associated with them.