3 former UFC fighters whose popularity dwarfed their ability

In the UFC, superstardom often goes hand in hand with superhuman-like ability. That's because fighters who get the most attention are usually those who stand out due to their in-cage performances.

"The cream rises to the top," goes 'Macho Man' Randy Savage's popular slogan. That means a great individual cannot go unnoticed for too long, just as cream poured into coffee eventually emerges into the surface.

But that's not always the case. On rare occasions, fighters achieve superstar status in the UFC for reasons other than being elite-level mixed martial artists.

Here are three former UFC fighters whose fame didn't match their octagon ability:

#3 Kimbo Slice

Kimbo Slice [Photo courtesy: @kimboslice on Instagram]

Kimbo Slice is the single most popular underground streetfighter of all time. Needless to say, there was an extravagant amount of hype surrounding his arrival into the UFC in 2009.

Slice made his way into the world's largest MMA promotion by participating in the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. But before he made it into the UFC proper, eventual TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson exposed Slice as a fugazi.

Still, the UFC gave Kimbo an opportunity, booking him against Houston Alexander in the TUF 10 finale for his first official fight in the octagon. Kimbo earned an unimpressive unanimous decision after a grueling three rounds.

Despite Kimbo's underwhelming performance, his win earned him another UFC fight. He fought Matt Mitrione at UFC 213, where he suffered a brutal TKO in round two. Kimbo did not return to the octagon but continued his MMA career at Bellator until his untimely passing in 2016.

#2 CM Punk

When it comes to professional wrestling, CM Punk is exactly who he claims to be: the best in the world. But in MMA, it's a completely different story. CM Punk is the owner of what could possibly be the worst UFC career of all time.

At 38-years-old, CM Punk decided to try his hand at MMA when his passion for pro-wrestling flamed out in 2016. UFC president Dana White gladly welcomed him with open arms, knowing full well that Punk would bring in hundreds of thousands of WWE fans along with him.

Unfortunately, CM Punk's UFC debut was an utter disaster. He went face-to-face with up-and-comer Mickey Gall, who gave Punk the beating of a lifetime. The former pro-wrestler only landed one punch before Gall swarmed over him and made the WWE star tap out in the first round.

CM Punk was given a shot at redemption against media member-turned MMMA fighter Mike Jackson at UFC 225. However, Punk proved himself unworthy of fighting in the UFC once again, losing a lopsided decision after three rounds.

#1 Ronda Rousey

Put your forks and torches down, Ronda Rousey fans. Unlike Kimbo Slice and CM Punk, Rousey actually has a legitimate UFC resume with six wins under her belt. And no one could take that away from her.

On top of that, she rightfully deserves credit for opening doors to female MMA fighters as she's the reason the UFC created a women's division in the first place. When all is said and done, Rousey will go down as a trailblazer in women's sports.

With that said, Rousey's last two fights in the octagon proved she's a good fighter but not an all-time great. Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes exposed that Rousey still had a long way to go, especially in the striking department.

'Rowdy' has benefitted from a scarcity of talent in the UFC women's division in the early to mid-2010s. And frankly, she also enjoyed a little bit of help from UFC matchmakers as well. Ronda Rousey's career is the perfect example of being in the right place at the right time.

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Edited by Avinash Tewari