Becoming a star and gaining a following isn’t easy in mixed martial arts, and it isn’t always based on pure skill. If skill was the only requirement to get fans to love you, people would be running into arenas during Demetrious Johnson’s fights instead of out.
Certain fighters, though, have the ability to earn the hearts and minds of the MMA masses and attract a cult-like following. The phrase “Don’t be scared, homie” is almost a cliche at this point, ever since Nick Diaz uttered the famous words in the EliteXC cage/Strikeforce cage.
Impromptu nicknames, catchphrases and other famous moments in time set a fighter apart in the minds of MMA fans, and once a guy has earned the fandom of the diehards, it’s hard to lose it.
Chris Weidman emphatically put away Anderson Silva twice, and people still thought they were both flukes. Sometimes, fighters can establish themselves as so over with fans that nothing can stop their momentum.
Conor McGregor has had the fastest rise in UFC history next to Brock Lesnar, and a lot of it is due to his rabid Irish fanbase. He has proven himself to be a legitimate contender, but his fans preceded him.
Let us take a look at the five fighters with the biggest cult followings in mixed martial arts.