Don’t get me wrong—MMA is the greatest sport in the history of the world. It was great when the Greeks created it for the ancient Olympics, was great when the Gracies brought it to Brazil and is still great today all over the world. Fighting, for good or ill, has international appeal. It’s primal, instinctual, a natural inclination that has allowed mankind to survive over the centuries.
But MMA is not a perfect sport. Although it’s a long way from the hooliganism that plagued the European soccer scene not so many years ago, danger is brewing just below the surface at many MMA events. And, sometimes, when the elements align in just the wrong way, the kettle boils over.
These are five of those times, examples of MMA fans at their worst.