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While the fights that take place in the UFC’s octagon are not pre-determined like those in pro-wrestling, it’s safe to say that the promotion still sells itself, in many ways, by pitting heroes against villains – better known as 'heels'.
Over the years, we’ve seen numerous UFC fighters embrace a heel persona, but which of these bad guys did the best job of making the fans dislike them?
For this list, fighters like Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz – who were largely cheered despite their bad-boy antics – have been overlooked, meaning this list comprises fighters who looked for boos, and largely received them.
With that being said, here are the 10 biggest heels in UFC history – ranked.
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#10. Jon Jones – former UFC light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones initially began his UFC career as a massive fan favorite, particularly when he first climbed into contention and became the youngest champion in the promotion’s history. He did so by dethroning Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight title in 2011.
However, as soon as he won the belt, he was met with accusations of arrogance from a good chunk of the fanbase. Things only got worse from there for ‘Bones’.
When he became embroiled in a rivalry with former teammate Rashad Evans, who was essentially forced out of his own training camp due to the issue, it was hard not to root against Jones. When he was then accused of dodging Chael Sonnen in 2012, even by Dana White himself, it felt like his heel turn was complete.
Since then, Jones has earned the ire of fans by not only insulting seemingly good-natured opponents like Daniel Cormier, but also by testing positive for banned substances on multiple occasions. He's also been involved in a number of out-of-competition controversies, including a nasty hit-and-run incident in 2015.
Sure, ‘Bones’ is also so big of a star at this point that he does receive some cheers when he fights – and his fights have transcended MMA to become huge events – but at this point, it’s clear that he’s one of the most natural villains in UFC history.
#9. Tito Ortiz – former UFC light heavyweight champion
In a lot of ways, Tito Ortiz could be considered the precursor for Jon Jones. That's in the sense that at his peak, he was such a big star that he garnered plenty of cheers and his fights became huge events, even breaking into the mainstream before many other UFC stars did.
However, it’s also safe to say that ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was a total heel, even when he received cheers for defeating the likes of Evan Tanner and Vitor Belfort in entertaining fashion.
Ortiz was outspoken, arrogant, talked constant trash towards his opponents, and when he defeated them, he’d mock them by miming digging a grave to bury them inside the octagon. He even managed to be disrespectful towards his own light heavyweight title by often wearing it backwards.
While a lot of the time, it seemed that his heart was in the right place – Ortiz would often pay tribute to the US troops fighting overseas, for instance – it wasn’t hard to root against him in his legendary feuds with Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell.
Overall, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ never did anything too heinous during his tenure in the octagon, but for being the perfect foil for many of his opponents, he definitely belongs on a list of the promotion’s greatest heels.
#8. Jorge Masvidal – UFC welterweight contender
Previously renowned as a Miami street fighter before he took up MMA professionally in 2003, Jorge Masvidal always seemed to have a nasty edge of sorts. But when he arrived in the UFC in 2013, it didn’t really shine through.
Things changed for him in 2019, though. After returning from more than a year on the shelf, he emerged into his fight with Darren Till looking like a different man, literally.
Masvidal had grown out his hair and beard, and quickly became christened ‘Street Jesus’ by his online fans – a persona that the Floridian quickly embraced, claiming he’d be happy to “baptise people with his hands.”
When he went to London and knocked out local favorite Darren Till – and followed that by sucker-punching Leon Edwards backstage – his heel turn was complete.
Since then, Masvidal has openly welcomed a villainous image and his wins over Ben Askren and Nate Diaz, the latter for the inaugural “Bad Motherf*cker title,” were enough to turn him into one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
While his Scarface-inspired persona hasn’t helped him to win a title yet, he remains one of the bigger draws in the promotion. His antics outside of the octagon – most recently sucker-punching rival Colby Covington – seem to ensure that he’ll remain one of their bigger heels, too.
#7. Tank Abbott – former UFC heavyweight contender
The UFC’s early days were all based around traditional martial arts. While the likes of Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn quickly became stars, they were all largely respectful of one another.
The same could not be said for David ‘Tank’ Abbott, a street fighter from California who quickly became the promotion’s first true heel after debuting in the octagon in 1995.
Abbott knocked out his first two opponents in violent fashion, taunting both when they were down. While he came up short against the likes of Oleg Taktarov, Severn and Don Frye, the ferocity that he showed in dispatching lower-level foes quickly turned him into a must-see attraction.
More than that, though, Abbott’s trash talk immediately made him a fighter that fans loved to hate. He labeled Shamrock “slam-c*ck,” compared his loss to Severn to “being raped by Freddie Mercury,” and got into an altercation outside the octagon with referee John McCarthy that resulted in his suspension for some time.
Abbott never held a title in the promotion, nor did he beat any elite-level foes. However, his heel act made such an impact that he’s largely seen as a legend of the octagon on the level of more successful contemporaries like Frye and Mark Coleman, and it’s safe to say that he paved the way for future villains to succeed.
#6. Brock Lesnar – former UFC heavyweight champion
Brock Lesnar was never going to get a positive reception when he made his way into the UFC in 2008, purely because of the fact that he’d made his name in the world of pro-wrestling, becoming a multi-time WWE champion between 2002 and 2004.
However, few fans could’ve expected him to be so successful inside the octagon. Even fewer could’ve seen him becoming such an effective heel, particularly as he’d never come across as a master on the microphone during his WWE career.
‘The Beast Incarnate’ was booed in his debut fight with Frank Mir. From there, he immediately embraced his inner heel, taunting Heath Herring in disrespectful fashion after beating him before going off on an epic rant following his win over Mir in their rematch.
Lesnar not only slammed Mir, but also ranted against UFC sponsor Budweiser for “not paying him enough,” and ended by stating that he planned to get on top of his wife later that night.
It was a rant worthy of the world’s biggest bully and it immediately turned the former WWE champ into the biggest villain in the game.
Later, Lesnar was embraced as a fan favorite of sorts – largely due to his battle with diverticulitis – but it never felt natural for him. When he made an unexpected return to the octagon in 2016, he slipped right back into his villainous role, particularly when he tested positive for banned substances after his bout with Mark Hunt.
#5. Colby Covington – former interim UFC welterweight champion
Undoubtedly the most controversial heel in UFC history is former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington. Since his victory over Demian Maia in late 2017, ‘Chaos’ has made a name for himself with his abrasive brand of trash talk, often being accused of both racism and xenophobia.
Interestingly, if you believe Covington himself, he was on the verge of being cut by the promotion in 2017 despite being ranked at No.6 in the welterweight division. That was until he defeated Demian Maia in Brazil and then cut a highly offensive promo, labeling the country a dump and Brazilians “filthy animals.”
Almost overnight, ‘Chaos’ became the promotion’s top heel and he hasn’t really looked back. Since then, he’s pledged his allegiance to former US president Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, even visiting Trump in the White House after winning the interim title in 2018. He's also hurled racist insults at rival Kamaru Usman and even taken shots at the legendary Matt Hughes following a truck accident that nearly killed him.
Quite whether Covington is playing an act or whether he believes everything he says remains somewhat of a mystery; unlike his fellow famed trash talker Chael Sonnen, he’s never really hinted either way. However, he appeared to let the veil slip following his second loss to Usman in 2021.
Regardless, ‘Chaos’ is now greeted with boos in practically every arena he visits. While it’s hard to suggest that his heel persona is anything but questionable, it’s definitely made him into a bankable star for the promotion.
#4. T.J. Dillashaw – former UFC bantamweight champion
Once widely considered a fan favorite, circumstances conspired to turn T.J. Dillashaw into one of the UFC’s top heels. It’s a spot he’s widely embraced, as it now appears that he loves nothing more than to antagonise both his opponents and the fans.
Initially, Dillashaw’s bantamweight title win in 2014 was greeted with joy as the fans reveled in his awesome performance against Renan Barao and were equally thrilled when he defeated the Brazilian in a rematch.
However, when he left the popular Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male camp under a black cloud – being accused of being a “snake in the grass” by Conor McGregor – it wasn’t long before he began to be greeted with boos.
Dillashaw was firmly the villain in his bitter rivalry with former teammate Cody Garbrandt. The fact that he won both of their fights via knockout only added to the heat he now carried around with him.
When he decided to drop to 125lbs in an attempt to become a double champion – and to, apparently, kill off the flyweight division – fans even sided with the abrasive Henry Cejudo over him and largely rejoiced when he was defeated.
A positive test for the banned substance EPO following the Cejudo fight only added to his villainous reputation. While his return to action has been successful, it’s likely that few fans will side with him in his upcoming bout with reigning bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.
Essentially, Dillashaw has become a great heel in the sense that he’s taken the negative energy towards him by the fans – and embraced it to his full advantage.
#3. Josh Koscheck – former UFC welterweight contender
While he wasn’t actually the most naturally charismatic fighter on the microphone, it’s safe to say that in his prime, few UFC stars garnered the kind of heat that welterweight contender Josh Koscheck did. For a time, he was comfortably the most hated man in the promotion.
Koscheck rose to fame on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he was painted largely as an antagonist leading into his heated bout with Chris Leben.
The fact that the former NCAA wrestling champion won the fight in the dullest way possible – essentially by spamming takedowns – meant that when he arrived in the octagon properly, he was already widely seen as a major heel.
It was a role that Koscheck instantly embraced as he taunted the popular Diego Sanchez after breaking his undefeated streak. He then embroiled himself in a bitter feud with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre – probably the promotion’s most beloved fighter.
That feud, as well as Koscheck’s heat with the fans, culminated in his own coaching stint on TUF, as he tried every trick in the book to get into St-Pierre’s head, albeit unsuccessfully. He did, however, manage to antagonize the fans, who booed him out of seemingly every building he visited and fought in.
Koscheck was unsuccessful in his bout with GSP, suffering a badly broken eye socket in the process. However, even when he settled into a role as a grizzled veteran, something that had brought respect to former villains such as Tito Ortiz, he remained largely disliked by the fans.
If anything, the fact that seemingly nothing Koscheck did could ever earn him cheers was a testament to how great of a heel he’d been over the years.
#2. Chael Sonnen – former UFC middleweight contender
It’s safe to say that no list of the UFC’s greatest-ever heels would be complete without the self-proclaimed ‘bad guy’, former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen.
While ‘The American Gangster’ became widely respected and even beloved by many fans during his twilight years with the promotion thanks to two brilliant stints as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, at his peak, he embraced the role of villain like few others.
That wasn’t the case in his early years. During that time, Sonnen was a largely stoic wrestler who didn’t garner much of a reaction either way from the crowd. That changed, of course, when he began his famous rivalry with Anderson Silva in 2010.
Sonnen became the top contender to Silva’s title by beating the likes of Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt, but he set himself apart with his work on the microphone.
Verging closely to xenophobia, if not outright racism at points, Sonnen tore into ‘The Spider’ with the kind of wit that MMA fans had never really experienced before.
When he then came close to beating the Brazilian – only to fall at the last minute to a triangle choke – and followed that by testing positive for banned substances, it was hard not to see ‘The American Gangster’ as the greatest heel in the game.
In his later years, Sonnen remained rapier-sharp on the microphone, insulting the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz to great effect. While he did hint at times that his heel persona was all a clever act, it didn’t matter – he’d become a fighter who the fans loved to hate, making him a major superstar.
#1. Michael Bisping – former UFC middleweight champion
He might be widely respected and liked now, but it’s hard to dispute that, at his peak, Michael Bisping was probably the greatest heel in UFC history.
While the likes of Chael Sonnen and Colby Covington seemed to be playing characters, that certainly was never the case with ‘The Count’. Instead, Bisping was simply a brilliant antagonist, a master of not only getting under the skin of his opponents, but the skin of the fans, too.
Initially seen as a fan favorite, Bisping became a villain during his rivalry with Dan Henderson, a feud that saw the two men coach against one another on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The show painted Bisping as a great coach to his team of British fighters, but also as an abrasive, arrogant villain who couldn’t help but annoy Henderson and his team at every turn. ‘The Count’ was such an effective heel that when ‘Hendo’ knocked him out in their eventual fight, he immediately became a huge fan favorite.
From there, Bisping seemed more than happy to embrace his role as a villain. He infamously fouled Jorge Rivera and then spat on him after he finished him via TKO, was painted as a hypocrite and a bad winner during his second stint as a TUF coach, and talked a ridiculous amount of trash to build up his fights with opponents like Cung Le and Luke Rockhold.
Bisping’s act did appear to be tongue-in-cheek at times, particularly during his later years, when he had earned the grudging respect of the fans. However, there was no denying his effectiveness as a heel, and the boos he received at times, particularly in the US, were basically unmatched.
