Isn't hating a good heel fantastic?
You appreciate them for all of the hard work they put in night in and night out, but at the end of the day, they're so good at their job that you just can't help but boo them. It's a tremendous cycle and it's one that has worked well for many professional wrestlers over the years. However, it's also worked for some MMA fighters too.
That's right. Whilst things may not be pre-determined in the world of the UFC, the personas they put on in order to sell pay per views can be quite fictional indeed. A lot of the so-called bad guys over there are genuinely not great people in real life.
However, the lines are very often blurred when fighters who claimed to hate each other for months on end then proceed to hug once their scheduled bout is over.
It makes alot of MMA fans come across as hypocrites when bashing WWE, but we digress. This list has been created with the sole purpose of appreciating just how hated these guys and girls were during their UFC tenures, with all of them possessing very different attributes and traits that don't exactly help them in their endeavours.
With that said, here are the five most hated fighters in UFC history.
#5 Josh Koscheck
Boy oh boy, do we fans love a good bad guy.
Josh Koscheck has lingered back and forth between highly talented and criminally overrated, but throughout that entire period, he's always maintained his cocky persona that has driven so many fighters towards wanting to knock his head off. Thankfully, quite a few of them have succeeded over the years.
The pinnacle of Josh's behaviour came during his season as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter when good old Kos did everything in his power to bully Georges St-Pierre and his team. Thankfully he failed, and the trajectory of both men since that point has been drastically different with GSP looking to reclaim his throne meanwhile Koscheck limps towards retirement.
Everyone loves the bad guy.
#4 Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen really missed his calling as a professional wrestler and that's just a fact. The guy gives off this kind of natural charisma that is pretty much impossible to manufacture, making him one of the most valuable assets that the UFC have ever possessed.
If you don't believe us, then just go back and ask fans how badly they wanted to see Anderson Silva knock him out.
Sonnen knew how to get under people's skin and it was because he was telling everyone how great he was, while still failing drug tests and not being able to become the Champion. Chael is by far one of the smartest men to have ever stepped inside of the Octagon, and as a result, the burning hatred a lot of fans have for him will rage on forever.
It's time for the Reem.
#3 Alistair Overeem
Nobody likes a cheater, and people like it even less when someone constantly pleads their innocence before finally being found out - just ask Lance Armstrong. Unfortunately, Alistair Overeem met the same fate during his UFC tenure and since then, the Dutchman has received a great deal of criticism for his attitude and general mentality towards the sport and the media.
A lot of people still like him but his perceived arrogance and usual excuses make him quite an irritating character at times, which is never what you want from a fighter. Sure he's had some great moments over the years, but those have been overshadowed by the many knockouts that put great big smiles on the faces of every single one of Alistair's haters.
This next chick doesn't give a damn about reputation.
#2 Ronda Rousey
People hated Ronda Rousey because of how good she was. Then, people hated her because of how overconfident she was. Finally, and most recently, people hate Ronda because of how petulant and high maintenance she came across, following her back to back losses at the hands of Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
Take your pick from any of the above regarding the main reason, as all three are pretty valid.
Rousey is the victim of her own success and her fall from grace has been a dramatic one, to say the least. Oh well, fans will just have to carry on loathing her. We conclude with a man who really doesn't give a monkey’s what people think.
#1 Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping is the UFC Middleweight Champion of the world. Do you really think the public's opinion matters to him?
Bisping has fought from the bottom all the way to the top and in the process has gained a reputation for being one of the most arrogant and smug characters to ever step foot inside the Octagon. So naturally, he's still a local hero to many Brits.
But there are even more that have turned on him along with the rest of the world, with many jokingly dubbing him the most hated man in America at one point. In time, people may well come to respect everything he's done in the sport, but at this present moment, Bisping is still making the headlines for being as controversial as ever before.
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