The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has always proven to be a fertile breeding ground for interesting, bizarre, oddball, and off-the-wall characters.
In this article, we’ll celebrate that fact by taking a closer look at 10 of the craziest, one-of-a-kind fighters ever to have set foot in the cage.
Charles ‘Krazy Horse’ Bennett
MMA veteran Charles Bennett undoubtedly owns one of the most fitting nicknames in MMA – ‘Krazy Horse.’
Outside of the cage, Bennett has a long criminal record, being arrested multiple times for everything from possessing and selling drugs to robbery and aggravated assault, but it’s his outrageous antics in the cage and ring that he’s best known for.
For instance, in ‘King Of The Cage,’ he once picked up an opponent, gave the ‘peace’ sign to a nearby camera, then proceeded to swing his opponent in the air and slam him into the cage – a unique move later named, ‘the helicopter slam.’
Meanwhile, in an infamous backstage incident during PRIDE Shockwave 2005, Bennett got into a fight with Cristiano Marcello and was choked out on camera, only to regain consciousness and then claim afterward that he KO’d Wanderlei Silva.
The latter incident wasn’t caught on tape and has been hotly disputed ever since, and years later Bennett joked that the still fuming Brazilian would never be able to get to him, because, “I’m a n**ger’ and I run real fast.”
Luke Cummo, former UFC fighter and passionate advocate against MMA, has returned to YouTube.
You might recall that last Cummo was in the MMA headlines, he was making crazy videos of himself chanting “Uh huh, Optimus. Uh huh, Optimus” over and over again as if he were trying to summon the Autobot into this world. Then the videos took a darker turn as the police started pursuing him for allegedly ditching court and sending his wife threatening emails.
All that nastiness seems to be over now, however. Cummo is back to making head-scratching videos. A perfect example: The above video, a pilot episode of a series seemingly invented by Cummo. It stars a dinosaur named “Mega” and a bulldozer/transformer named “Z-tech.” The duo protects future world leaders kind of like how the Terminator protects John Connor on Terminator 2.
Check out another episode of the show and another wild video after the jump.
You might recall that we heard of Cummo, he was making crazy videos of himself chanting “Uh huh, Optimus. Uh huh, Optimus” over and over again as if he were trying to summon the famed Autobot into our world. Then the videos took a darker turn as the police started pursuing him for allegedly sending his wife threatening emails.
All that nastiness seems to be over now, however. Cummo is back to making head-scratching videos. A perfect example: The above video, a pilot episode of a series seemingly invented by Cummo. It stars a dinosaur named “Mega” and a bulldozer/transformer named “Z-tech.” The duo protects future world leaders kind of like how the Terminator protects John Connor on Terminator 2.
Here’s another episode of the show:
Clearly, the best part about these videos is Cummo’s garb: Golden football shoulder pads and an Optimus prime mask.
He’s uploaded hundreds of videos since he went off YouTube late last year. He’s still continuing with his League of Champions promotion–a league that’s based on “sparring” as opposed to “fighting,” according to his numerous videos about it. To be honest, that’s not a terrible idea in an age where society is growing more conscious of brain damaged sustained by athletes. Unfortunately, Cummo’s execution of his ideas seem a little, well, too Luke Cummo. Also: he calls himself “Master Lukey Optimus Red Owl Cummo” now. Quite a nickname.
We’ll leave you with a video that perhaps has the most epic intro of any on his channel (which you suggest you check out, by the way, some of his rants make good points):
(Fast forward to 1:30 for his incredible entrance; and yes he’s still calling out Joe Rogan and even called out GSP.)
(UFC yearbook photo of the day: Alexander Gustafsson, tall kid. Click for full-size image. I especially like how the teacher is rocking an Armani Exchange t-shirt on picture day. #Sweden / Photo via Sherdog forums)
(UFC yearbook photo of the day: Alexander Gustafsson, tall kid. Click for full-size image. I especially like how the teacher is rocking an Armani Exchange t-shirt on picture day. #Sweden / Photo via Sherdog forums)
Their report claims that Cummo sent threatening emails to his ex-wife, which prompted the police to visit Cummo’s home in Valley Stream, NY.
However, videos on Luke Cummo’s YouTube channel tell a slightly different story, specifically a video he posted yesterday. First of all, he seems to believe that his ex-wife was threatened by his videos rather than any email he sent her. He made this claim on a phone call with a friend, after the New York Post broke the news. (Cummo asked his friend what the headline said, presumably referring to the Post article.) He also referenced the amount of cops that showed up to his house. In this same video, he offered to sell medicinal pot.
On November 4th, Cummo posted a more depressing video. He telephoned a deputy sheriff who informed Cummo that a warrant was out for his arrest and that he missed a court date (judgingfromhisothervideos, this wasn’t the first time he missed court). The video took a heart-wrenching turn when Cummo called his father, who tried to talk some sense into his son but to no avail.
Their report claims that Cummo sent threatening emails to his ex-wife, which prompted the police to visit Cummo’s home in Valley Stream, NY.
However, videos on Luke Cummo’s YouTube channel tell a slightly different story, specifically a video he posted yesterday. First of all, he seems to believe that his ex-wife was threatened by his videos rather than any email he sent her. He made this claim on a phone call with a friend, after the New York Post broke the news. (Cummo asked his friend what the headline said, presumably referring to the Post article.) He also referenced the amount of cops that showed up to his house. In this same video, he offered to sell medicinal pot.
On November 4th, Cummo posted a more depressing video. He telephoned a deputy sheriff who informed Cummo that a warrant was out for his arrest and that he missed a court date (judgingfromhisothervideos, this wasn’t the first time he missed court). The video took a heart-wrenching turn when Cummo called his father, who tried to talk some sense into his son but to no avail.
Of course, it’s understandable that Cummo is upset; his children were taken away from him. But, by the same token, he could have just gone to court. From the video where he calls the sheriff, as well as several of his other videos, it can be inferred that he refused to go through the local legal system because the courts don’t view vaccinating his children and feeding his children processed foods as criminal acts.
Regardless, it’s upsetting to see someone in this situation. He’s gone from a quirky, harmless weird to a desperate, scared weird. Hopefully things won’t go too badly for him but he seems intent on making his legal problems worse by evading the police and continuing to document his various refusals to cooperate with the law.
His most recent video, uploaded around 9:30 p.m. EST, is a short one depicting a man playing an acoustic guitar which then pans back to Cummo looking ominous. We’ll keep you updated on any developments.
“Whatever happened to that guy?” is a common question MMA fans ask about retired or forgotten fighters. Usually, the answer is boring and mundane — except when Luke Cummo is involved.
Cummo’s exploits outside the cage have gotten consistently more entertaining as time has gone on. One day he’s getting busted for a DWI, the next day he’s snorting urine. Now, he’s reforming (and hating) the sport of mixed martial arts.
“It’s called MMA but it’s very dangerous. Trust me. I’ve been there. It’s damaging — to children…As a parent, I would never recommend fighting for somebody’s baby,” Cummo said in a recent video on his YouTube channel that you can watch above. “It’s a mindless, stupid industry profiting from the spilled blood of the innocent, honest to god.”
Cummo took issue with MMA gloves and how they don’t protect people from knees and elbows, as well as the inherent violence in MMA.
“You have to put on gloves…but then you’re gonna kick and you’re gonna knee and you’re gonna elbow the other guy — somebody’s baby. There’s no padding on those things…and that’s another living being over there, a precious life. I feel for you as a soldier. I used to be one. You’re not a stupid beast. Nobody is. You’re not a programmable killing machine. You are, still, now and for all time, your parent’s baby to be cherished and nourished, not to kill or be killed. That’s old school, we’re cutting edge over here.”
“Whatever happened to that guy?” is a common question MMA fans ask about retired or forgotten fighters. Usually, the answer is boring and mundane — except when Luke Cummo is involved.
Cummo’s exploits outside the cage have gotten consistently more entertaining as time has gone on. One day he’s getting busted for a DWI, the next day he’s snorting urine. Now, he’s reforming (and hating) the sport of mixed martial arts.
“It’s called MMA but it’s very dangerous. Trust me. I’ve been there. It’s damaging — to children…As a parent, I would never recommend fighting for somebody’s baby,” Cummo said in a recent video on his YouTube channel that you can watch above. “It’s a mindless, stupid industry profiting from the spilled blood of the innocent, honest to god.”
Cummo took issue with MMA gloves and how they don’t protect people from knees and elbows, as well as the inherent violence in MMA.
“You have to put on gloves…but then you’re gonna kick and you’re gonna knee and you’re gonna elbow the other guy — somebody’s baby. There’s no padding on those things…and that’s another living being over there, a precious life. I feel for you as a soldier. I used to be one. You’re not a stupid beast. Nobody is. You’re not a programmable killing machine. You are, still, now and for all time, your parent’s baby to be cherished and nourished, not to kill or be killed. That’s old school, we’re cutting edge over here.”
He stated that we’re all someone’s child so often that I wonder if he was trying to reference “Grift of the Magi” — an episode of The Simpsons where a greedy company says all their profits are going to kids since we’re all someone’s kid. But given the sometimes-frantic tone of Cummo’s voice throughout his vlog, I doubt it.
Cummo continued about how he wanted to change MMA.
“It’s called Against the Cage and we are reforming the current system of martial arts practice to be more safe and enjoyable for all ages and experience levels because your practice over here…it could be fun, it could be really fun, seriously. But up to this moment you could’ve been locked in a cage, unfortunately, and taught that it’s OK to hurt someone else — or worse. But it’s not. You’re a living being and your life is worth far more, far, far more than what has been acceptable in the past in this promoted live-hard, die fast lifestyle. No. We’re going to live long and prosper, baby!”
Enter Cummo’s solution to the MMA killbot factory: A point-fighting martial arts tournament called League of Assassins — not the one from the comics (unless Luke Cummo is, in fact, Ra’s al Ghul and it’s been Lazarus, not piss, that he’s been snorting this whole time). Here’s what he had to say about it in another video:
“Getting punched in the head is not healthy, trust me. I did it for years and I’m messed up because of it. That’s why I’m telling you, it’s for everybody’s best interest. Don’t let those babies do MMA. If they are, if you’re dead set on practicing martial arts which I think could be a beautiful thing, what I do is called the League of Assassins…We don’t do knockouts, that’s silly. Why would you want to do that? Then it’s game over. Don’t break any bones, that’s not good either.
When we do our training in the league, we say it’s only one league, all one. And we’re doing it together; we don’t want to hurt anyone. We want to build up value. And every time you do a technique, you get more value and we can rank up. In this league, there’s some mythical beasts instead of belts. It’s a whole system.”
The belt-rank system based on animals sounds amazing. Do you reach the rank of T-Rex when you defeat Luke Rockhold? Did Snoop Dogg become Snoop Lion after running up his XP meter?
Cummo had lots of other stuff to say. The topics he covered were far too numerous and nebulous to cover at length here, but suffice it to say that he mentioned how counting wasn’t natural, how he drinks baking soda mixed with orange juice (the “cutting edge of science,” he called it) and how fighting “demineralized” him. Now that he’s got your attention, check out the rest of Luke Cummo’s fascinating videos right here.
After a few moments, it dawned on me: It was Ben Fowlkes. I’d recognize that dead stare anywhere.
I was informed when I called the tip line the fifth time that morning that they already had a suspect in custody. As I hung up the phone, it dawned on me that this probably happens a lot. I imagine that the week after an awards show or sporting event the FBI and police agencies around the globe probably field dozens of calls from concerned citizens who think that Ricky Gervais is the Pittsburgh purse snatcher or LeBron James is the dude who stole their kid’s bike.
After looking through hundreds of the shoddily thrown together composite sketches on the net, we found quite a few that look a lot like figures involved in the sport we love. Hopefully they all have alibis for the nights in question.
