If my thoroughly unscientific research is any indication, people who don’t watch a lot of MMA (and, believe it or not, there are a good amount of them) seem to have this perception that the fighters are all a bunch of barbaric, bloodthirsty, heavily tattooed, baby-eating, street-brawling cannibals.
Serious fans, of course, know better. Serious fans realize that, brutal though it undoubtedly is, most of the sport’s combatants take pains to follow the rules, respect their opponents, and show gratitude to the fans.
What’s more, serious fans derive more than a little entertainment from the unassuming physiques of some of the sport’s most revered practitioners (see: Penn, B.J.; Emelianenko, Fedor; Silva, Anderson).
It’s a far cry from the mohawks, show muscles and Satanic tattoos that decorate the cage fighters of the popular imagination. It’s just one of those common misconceptions. This slideshow will do nothing to dispel that misconception. These are the 25 most intimidating fighters active in the sport today. Fight style has little to do with it. So, for the most part, we’re keeping this one superficial.
Spread some irrational fear, ingrain some stereotypes, and share it with your friends.