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From being derided as "human cockfighting" and banned in many places to having more than 300 million people around the globe under its spell, calling MMA a Cinderella story is an understatement.
Just like Der Fuhrer Dana White says, the universal appeal of mixed martial arts is undeniable - fighting isn't restricted by language, skin colour or borders. And its soaring growth has persuaded many elite competitors from other combat sports like kickboxing, wrestling and boxing, to jump ship.
Mixed martial arts has a bit of everything for everyone - bright lights, entrance songs and charismatic fighters for those who enjoy showmanship, ripped physiques that'll stop the ladies in their tracks and infinitesimal techniques that'll leave even geeks with their eyebrows raised. So it's no surprise to see a few famous faces at an MMA event. Stars have long been snapped at boxing spectacles, but as evidenced by many UFC events, they enjoy MMA just as much. That says a lot about a sport that's only 25 years old.
Here are 10 celebrities who are passionate mixed martial arts fans:
10. Robert Downey Jr.
If someone as phenomenally talented as Robert Downey Jr. thinks MMA is important enough to make time and buy tickets to attend, the sport must be getting it right. The man who played Charlie Chaplin, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes was cageside for UFC 120 and was clicked jumping out of his seat when Carlos Condit knocked out Dan Hardy.
And Downey's butt-kicking skills aren't restricted to the screen - he started training Wing Chun in 2005. That's the parent martial art of Jeet Kune Do, which was developed by none other than Bruce Lee.
9. Cindy Crawford
Like we said, MMA brings in ladies by the boatload and this one's a die-hard fan of the sport. Cindy Crawford, one of the most successful supermodels of all time, has been spotted in the crowd at multiple UFC events.
But having one of the most beautiful women in the world in the audience can be distraction, as MMA legend GSP found out in one of his fights with UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn. In an interview, GSP sad that at one point in the fight he had Penn up against the cage and was facing the crowd when he saw Cindy Crawford sitting there. GSP said that for a moment, all he could think about was her otherworldly beauty - a second later, he snapped back to reality.
If you want proof of how ardent a fan Cindy Crawford is, here's a video of her getting her, ahem, chest signed by UFC Hall of Famer and fellow Illinois native Matt Hughes after one of his victories:
8. Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is a giant in the world of combat sports so it is unsurprising that big parts of his legacy are found in MMA. From fine-tuning a power left hook to wearing tank tops with his name emblazoned and who could forget his immortal quote, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth", Iron Mike is idolized by MMA fighters the world over.
The youngest Heavyweight champion in boxing history is a big MMA fan and a friend of Dana White. But Tyson's participation in MMA goes beyond just attending fights - he has often given fighters tips on honing their boxing. In one interview, he gave his view on why he thinks MMA is better than boxing in one major aspect:
7. Snoop Dogg
That's right, Snoop Dogg is a big MMA fan and shares one particular trait with some big names like Donald Cerrone, Demian Maia and Jim Miller. What's that, you ask? Those three have the most number of UFC wins but have never claimed gold, much like Snoop, who has 17 Grammy nominations but no wins.
Now, that was no diss to the Doggfather, who has brought his commentating talents to the UFC. Snoop Dogg and UFC Hall of Famer Uriah Faber share the commentary desk for Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series and there were many who laughed at Snoop's rib-tickling narration. But on the flip side, many fighters thought that Snoop was making a mockery of fighting and demanded he be fired. UFC veteran Matt Brown even said he would punch the rap legend if he saw him. Take a listen:
6. Justin Beiber
Yes, it's true. Sorry fight fans, you share an interest with the Biebs and it isn't Selena Gomez. The Canadian pop sensation is a very close friend of Floyd Mayweather and even walked out with him for his epic clash with Manny Pacquiao in 2015. After all that hanging out, Mayweather's fighting spirit might have rubbed off on Bieber but certainly not his smarts.
After Nate Diaz beat Conor McGregor at UFC 196, Bieber went so far as to "critique Diaz's technique", but most epic part was the UFC star's response to it. In an interview with Megan Olivi, Diaz laughed at the thought of a Twitter beef with the likes of Bieber, considering he gets locked in a cage and punches trained killers for a living. Bieber himself later "squashed the beef" when he ran into Diaz at a nightclub.
5. Virat Kohli
We haven't seen pictures of Virat Kohli attending any MMA events, but that doesn't mean he isn't a fan of the sport. The Indian captain and batting maverick looks upto Conor McGregor, and tipped his hat to the Irish Superstar more than once on Twitter. After a huge win over England in 2016, Kohli tweeted McGregor's famous quot - "There's no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equal as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that is that. I am not talented, I am obsessed."
After his fight with Floyd Mayweather, Kohli was one of the many who applauded McGregor, saying, "To all those who said Conor McGregor won't even last 1 round, he went through 10!!!! A legend & an epitome of self belief. Hats off man."
Kohli's renown hasn't failed to reach the sport of MMA. In 2016, UFC legend Georges St. Pierre welcomed Kohli to the USA with this tweet: "Welcome to America Virat Kohli! Show me how you run the pitch and I’ll show you how to own the octagon".
Kohli's reply is as impeccably graceful as his batting: "Thank You for the welcome Georges St. Pierre. I would love to enter the octagon & learn a few things."
4. Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman is no stranger to combat spectacles, kicking ass or putting audiences' brains and hearts through the ringer. Be it breaking Dolph Ziggler's jaw or slicing through an army as Wolverine, Jackman has proven he is as much at ease as an action hero as in dramas like The Prestige, Les Miserables and Prisoners.
He's won millions of hearts around the world with his roles and now he can add those of fight fans as well. At UFC 205, Jackman was cageside and even gave Yoel Romero a standing ovation when the Cuban Missile marched outside the cage and saluted his fans. For his role in "Logan", Jackman trained with boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard to get in shape for his last run as the Wolverine.
3. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is not just a huge MMA fan, but a very impassioned one at that. She's been spotted at many UFC events and said she was "completely, completely, utterly obsessed" with the UFC, during an appearance on Conan. At UFC 209, the South African beauty actually flipped two birds at Marcin Tybura in between rounds of his bout with Luis Henrique. Was it because he grabbed the fence during the last few seconds of the round to stop a takedown, which goes a long way in scoring the round? Possible. Which means she's not just a regular, scream-till-hoarse-or-bloodlust-is-satisfied-whichever-comes-first fan, but an MMA geek! What? What was that? "Woman of my dreams"? Yes, we agree.
2. Leonardo Di Caprio
One of the greatest actors of our generation is an MMA fan. We could just leave it at that. When it comes to acting, it seems like there is no ceiling to what this virtuoso can do. Even playing an MMA fighter wouldn't be a problem, because he can apparently hold his own in a fight, according to his Inception co-star, Tom Hardy: "He's a big MMA fan, so we've been kicking each other. Kicking and elbowing each other. He keeps bruising me. He gives me as good as he gets."
Here are a few pics where Di Caprio's seen with legends Chuck Liddell and Georges St. Pierre:
Tom Hardy
Watching him in "Warrior", you could be forgiven for thinking Tom Hardy was a real MMA fighter. His trademark brooding intensity coupled with the amount of muscle he put on for the role made him look as frightening as a prime Chuck Liddell.
Tom Hardy is a huge fan of the sport and supporter English fighters, most notably, Jack McGann. He's made videos to wish well the Lightweight from Liverpool and for his next role as Spiderman's nemesis Venom, brought on English fighter Nathan "Mr. Bag & Tag" Jones to help him get into shape.
