Not every competitor feeds off the crowd and vice versa. But there are more than a few out there who do. Seeing as how MMA is a cold, hard, money-making business just like any other, personality goes a long way toward marketability, which in turn plays a role in determining who gets the choicest fights and the plum positions on the card.
That is probably why so many fighters and their camps choose to invest a little (or a lot) of their time and energy into the ring entrance. It’s not a necessity, of course, and won’t make a bad fighter good, but if it gets fans and matchmakers to take notice, then it can’t help but help.
Here are the 20 most memorably ring entrances in MMA history. Some rankings are based on a single walkout, while others recognize a full body of work. And keep in mind, this isn’t a popularity contest, so a screaming crowd doesn’t necessarily equal a great entrance. Ditto an entrance song, as that was covered in a previous list.
And finally, if you’re a fan of Pride, you’re gonna like this list…just saying.