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UFC fighters are renowned for being some of the toughest and most dangerous individuals on the planet inside the octagon. However, some UFC stars don’t carry that dangerous persona with them outside of competition.
While the UFC has plenty of permanently combative stars like Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, there are also a number of fighters who have thoroughly nice and likable personalities.
While these nice fighters are perfectly capable of kicking ass inside the octagon, they’re also more likely to hug it out with a foe during a pre-fight staredown than they are to mean mug them.
With that considered, here are 5 current UFC fighters who have the most likable personalities.
#5 Stephen Thompson – Former UFC welterweight title challenger
Given that his background is in traditional martial arts – in kempo karate, to be more specific – it should hardly come as a surprise that Stephen Thompson is one of the most respectful fighters on the UFC roster.
‘Wonderboy’ has now been a UFC fighter for the better part of a decade, debuting with the promotion in early 2012. He’s got a total of 17 UFC fights under his belt.
The 38-year-old has fought major trash talkers such as Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal, as well as highly intense fighters such as Matt Brown and Jake Ellenberger. However, none of their antics have ever gotten under his skin.
Thompson seems to approach every fight in the same manner – with a smile on his face. He shakes hands with his opponents, never attempts to get in their faces during staredowns, and he’ll congratulate his opponent on their performance irrespective of the result.
Outside the octagon, Thompson’s nice-guy persona is clearly no act. Despite his UFC stardom – he’s headlined multiple events, including pay-per-views – he continues to teach karate to children. He acts as the head instructor of the children’s karate program at Simpsonville’s Upstate Karate.
Thompson’s nice-guy persona may well have cost him opportunities in the UFC, as more disrespectful fighters like Masvidal and Colby Covington have jumped ahead of him in the queue for title shots at times. However, it’s clear that ‘Wonderboy’ probably won’t – and can’t – change his likable persona for anyone.
#4 Stipe Miocic – Former UFC heavyweight champion
Before he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou at UFC 260, it was probably fair to label Stipe Miocic as the baddest man on the planet. After all, nobody defended the UFC heavyweight title on more occasions than his four successful defenses.
However, while Miocic comes across as a stone-cold killer when he’s inside the octagon, he’s clearly one of the nicest guys in the sport outside it.
Part of Miocic's likability is due to the fact that unlike many UFC fighters, particularly those successful enough to hold a title, the former heavyweight champion actually holds down a job away from the octagon.
Miocic works part-time as a firefighter and a paramedic in his home state of Ohio. He has stated on numerous occasions that he intends to become a full-time firefighter once his UFC career is over. Naturally, it’s very hard for any fan to dislike a fighter who essentially works to protect the public.
And while the former champion has found himself at loggerheads with the UFC itself at times, he practically never ends up in personal feuds with his opponents. Even his lengthy rivalry with Daniel Cormier always stayed cordial.
However, only a fool would mistake Miocic’s likable persona for weakness. He remains one of the most dangerous men on the UFC’s roster, bar none.
#3 Glover Teixeira – UFC light-heavyweight title contender
Traditionally, Brazilian fighters in the UFC tend to be intense, angry and more than willing to make things personal with their opponents. Even light-hearted fighters such as Anderson Silva and Ronaldo Souza could quickly get intense at times.
That’s what makes Glover Teixeira such an anomaly – and why he’s definitely one of the most likable fighters on the UFC’s roster right now.
Despite being more than capable of destroying a foe inside the octagon, it always seems like Teixeira is simply a guy doing a job that he loves rather than one who takes out frustration and anger on another human being.
We saw an example of this when he fought Anthony Smith – another renowned nice guy – in 2020. As the fight ticked into the later rounds, Teixeira began to dominate. After taking top position, he began to ruthlessly beat Smith down.
But unlike Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was renowned for telling his opponents that they ought to quit, Teixeira actually apologized to Smith for the punishment he was dishing out.
According to Teixeira, he felt bad as he knew Smith was hurting and told him:
“Hey man, I’m sorry, but it’s part of the job”.
Add in the fact that Teixeira is renowned for raising money for numerous charities outside of his career with the UFC and is known as a humble family man, and it’s easy to see why he’s so adored by the fans, despite not having what you’d call a bankable character.
#2 Roxanne Modafferi – Former UFC flyweight title contender
It stands to reason that any fighter with a nickname like ‘The Happy Warrior’ is probably going to be likable – unless the nickname is filled with sarcasm, of course. Thankfully, in the case of UFC flyweight contender Roxanne Modafferi, it’s entirely sincere.
A veteran of over 40 fights, 10 of them in the UFC, Modafferi has been around the sport of MMA forever and has fought a who’s who at both bantamweight and flyweight. And incredibly, it seems like no other fighter has a bad word to say about her.
Take her stint on the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter, for instance. While there was plenty of tension during the season, largely due to the coaching rivalry between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, it felt like both teams of fighters adored Modafferi, and for good reason.
Essentially, ‘The Happy Warrior’ is a self-confessed geek who is into Japanese culture, anime, Star Wars and Dragon Ball Z. She doesn’t see MMA as any kind of war and simply views it as a form of competition. This means she never needs to build up any dislike of her opponents in order to prepare herself for a fight.
In turn, this humble, happy-go-lucky persona means that it’s impossible for any fan to dislike her. In fact, most fans love her despite her struggles to compete with the flyweight division’s best fighters.
#1 Brandon Moreno – UFC flyweight champion
When Brandon Moreno defeated Deiveson Figueiredo to win the UFC flyweight title at UFC 263, many observers were surprised with the positive reaction he received from the fans.
After all, ‘The Assassin Baby’ has never received a huge push from the UFC as a potential star. In fact, his first stint with the promotion saw him cut from his contract after a pair of back-to-back losses to Sergio Pettis and Alexandre Pantoja.
However, Moreno simply has a likable charisma that ensures fans gravitate towards him. Most of his likability factor comes from his sheer enthusiasm.
The Mexican approaches every fight with the same straight-ahead style, never backing down from any opponent, and it’s hard for fans not to respect that.
In a lot of respects, it appears that Moreno has an almost childlike enthusiasm for fighting inside the octagon. This is a huge contrast when compared to some of his peers, who clearly treat every fight like a matter of life and death.
Add in the fact that ‘The Assassin Baby’ is a humble fighter who appreciates the opportunities he’s been given, and it’s very easy to see why he’s got one of the most loveable personas in the UFC today.
