What makes sports entertainment different from real combat sports are the storylines. We root for a babyface, who goes up against a despicable, evil heel as the storyline plays out. This drama is what has captivated millions over the years to WWE and several other wrestling promotions.
It is no secret that UFC has incorporated multiple traits from professional wrestling to make the fights seem larger-than-life. This has led to fighters incorporating heelish tendencies and cutting heel promos to attract attention and sell tickets. Let’s jump to our countdown and meet the biggest heels in MMA.
#5 Conor McGregor
Remember the time when the professional wrestling world was up in arms against Conor McGregor after he said he could slap the heads off the entire WWE roster? Conor McGregor is one of the last remaining true heels in the world when professional wrestling heels like Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, and Kevin Owens get cheered.
He is immensely disrespectful to each of his opponents before a fight and actually garners heel heat so that people want to see him get knocked out. In this sense, he's not unlike Ric Flair, a man who sold many tickets because people wanted to see him beaten up.
Conor McGregor is not afraid to be politically incorrect and borderline racist against opponents such as Jose Aldo. He dares to say things that cannot be said in WWE’s sterile corporate environment these days.
Case in point, he told Aldo that he was going to die in Brazilian Portuguese at a press conference, and went on to call him a midget. Check out this video.
#4 Michael Bisping
When you’re just as vocal as McGregor is, but you throw insults in a polished British accent, it is that much worse. Michael Bisping knows exactly what to say, and how to say it to get under the skin of his opponents.
The British accent just grates on one's nerves like a knife piercing through the thickest skin. Unfortunately for his opponents, Bisping is a good fighter who can back up his insults inside the Octagon as well.
His controversial victory over Matt Hammill caused many to hate his guts immediately, as did his actions against Luke Rockhold who refused to shake his hand. Bisping would retort and call him a fa***t. Harsh words!
It doesn't help that Bisping is an analyst and gets to critique fights in his trademark cocky manner. Bisping is a man who is not afraid to speak his mind, and that makes him a real life heel in this age of political correctness.
#3 Yoel Romero
Trash talking and running down your opponents like McGregor and Bisping do are definitely two very integral component of heel warfare. Romero embodies the other end of being a heel.
Yoel Romero cheats! And how. In every fight of his, he finds a way to bend the rules and thereby avoid a loss or find a way to win. In this sense, he's much like a traditional WWE heel, that resorts to almost any means to score a victory.
At UFC 178, when Romero was fighting against Tim Kennedy and was really quite badly hurt at the end of the second round. He took extra time on the bench even after the bell rang, to recover and eventually pick up the win.
This has become a constant feature in his fights (even against Chris Weidman in UFC 205) as has cage grabbing of late. It doesn't help that Romero was also tested positive for a banned substance in the year 2016. He may just be the most hated man in MMA.
#2 Jon Jones
Many still regard Jones as one of the greatest fighters who ever lived.
Unfortunately, his personal life has been the focus of such controversy that Jones has become a heel in the eyes of the general public recently. There was a hit-and-run case in which Jones did not notice a red light and crashed into two other vehicles, including one that held a pregnant woman.
He fled the scene on foot and subsequently turned himself in, to be stripped of his Championship belt. This is not the first time that he has courted controversy either. Previously, Jones has been arrested for driving under the influence and also using homophobic slurs against a person on Instagram.
Even in the Octagon, he has courted trouble for using illegal elbows and also poking his opponents in their eyes. Jones is a heel in the truest sense!
#1 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey embarked on a streak that may never be replicated inside the Octagon ever again. With the fame came an inflated ego and a mean streak. It began when she flipped Miesha Tate the bird before their big fight.
It escalated when she refused to touch gloves with Holly Holm before their match, something the Cruiserweight heels on WWE television are constantly doing on 205 Live. Moreover, her media blackouts and retreats after her losses have made her a heel in the eyes of many fans worldwide.
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