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In the UFC, just like everywhere else, everyone’s a critic. No matter how skilled or how charismatic a fighter may be, they’re always going to come across detractors eventually.
However, there’s a difference between the occasional hater and fans doing a 180 on a fighter in droves. For a variety of reasons, some initially popular fighters incur the wrath of the UFC faithful.
From not quite living up to their expectations to talking out of turn, all manner of reasons both fair and unfair have popped up over the years. For UFC fighters, it has to be incredibly frustrating. Worse still, there’s always the fear that audiences will be less likely to tune in for the disliked athlete in question’s fights.
Unless of course one goes the way of Brock Lesnar and infuriates the UFC faithful so much they can’t look away.
Here are five famous UFC fighters who the fans turned on:
#5. Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier
‘DC’ found himself on the receiving end of jeers during his lengthy feud with Jon Jones. The former Olympian and Strikeforce king’s verbal burials of Jones’ various personal calamities between their two fights ultimately turned him heel in the eyes of many.
Despite his typically affable demeanor and exceptional, almost superhuman work ethic, Cormier had ticked off viewers. Why? It all starts with Jon Jones’ frank and rather depressing interview with Ariel Helwani in 2015. Discussing in detail his arrest, suspension and personal problems, Jones came across as a troubled but remorseful figure.
Cormier, meanwhile, had still not forgiven Jones for the lead-up to their original clash at UFC 182. Still live during a press conference, an oblivious Jones threatened to outright murder Cormier. In the lead up to both UFC 200 (where a failed drug test canceled Jones vs. Cormier II) and UFC 214, Cormier was pitiless in his verbal takedowns of ‘Bones’.
Jones, meanwhile, played it cool and, beyond an outrageous comment on his cocaine use during a press conference, kept most fans on side. Following Jones’ post-UFC 214 suspension, fans grew more sympathetic to ’DC’ again as he gradually made the move to heavyweight.
#4. Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold is one of the greatest grapplers in the history of the UFC (and Strikeforce) middleweight division. Despite having won middleweight gold in both promotions, Rockhold has a rocky reputation with audiences.
There are several reasons why the soon-to-return Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace is so polarizing. First and foremost, is his injury prone woes. While it’s incredibly unfair to ridicule someone for getting hurt, it plays into an issue Joe Rogan has brought up in the UFC a lot lately: weight cutting.
Luke Rockhold is a huge man, way past the light heavyweight mark of 205 lbs in his day-to-day life. His injury-prone struggles were, by his own admission, linked to the drastic, debilitating weight cuts he had to undergo to make 185 lbs.
When he moved up to the light heavyweight division, he was soundly dispatched by now-champion Jan Blachowicz. To his critics, this was confirmation he’d been using weight cuts to take on smaller fighters.
Regardless of how fair or unfair such a critique of the face of Polo Blue is, there is something else to consider. The likes of Chael Sonnen and Conor McGregor have won fans in droves for their comedic trash talk. However, there are others who simply aren’t much on the mic.
For Rockhold, his numerous odd remarks and antics during interviews have turned him into a bit of an internet meme. Most infamous of all was his bizarre samurai remark to Michael Bisping heading into their UFC 199 clash:
“You’re just an average bloke, I’m a f——-g samurai.”
Rather unsurprisingly, Bisping was met with a raucous ovation from the crowd when he upset Rockhold via first round KO.
#3. Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington
Arguably the most controversial figure in the UFC today, Colby Covington’s trash talk and general antics cut deep. Shameless, mean and brash, he has attracted the ire of fans, fighters and even Dana White himself in recent years.
Covington’s antics really kicked into high gear following his unanimous decision win over Demian Maia in October 2017. The former ATT standout insulted the São Paulo crowd and the nation of Brazil as a whole.
Later claiming that his controversial post-fight interview saved his career, Covington committed full time to his new persona. Happy to acknowledge himself as a “super villain” in the UFC, Covington has fallen out with his old ATT comrades.
While Covington does have his supporters (including former US President Donald Trump), he has also attracted enormous portions of heat for his behavior.
Set for a rematch with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 268, Covington could well hold up the division should he win. More than once now, he has threatened as much during tirades aimed at Dana White and the fighter pay scale.
Given how close he came to vanquishing Usman at UFC 245, the welterweight scene could well be in for a wild ride after UFC 268.
#2. Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey
‘The Baddest Woman on the Planet’ was a colossal UFC box office draw and mainstream crossover star. Winning fans over with her brazen trash talk and elite level grappling, Rousey was the face of women’s MMA for several years.
Cracks began to show, however, during her UFC 168 victory over Miesha Tate. After extracting the tap from ‘Cupcake’ in round three with her signature armbar, Rousey refused a handshake offer from her foe. Some jeers were audible in the aftermath and numerous fighting figures criticized her behavior as disrespectful.
However, the complete fall from grace for Rousey with UFC fans came after Holly Holm’s UFC 193 KO victory over her. Visibly devastated, Rousey found herself on the receiving end of heavy duty criticism for her boxing style. Even Joe Rogan, once an ardent supporter who believed she could defeat male fighters, admitted the hype train was over.
After a long lay-off to recover mentally from her first defeat, Rousey returned at UFC 207 to face Amanda Nunes. The boxing criticism returned after Rousey sustained a grim TKO defeat less than a minute into round one.
Once one of the biggest stars in the sport, Rousey bowed out after her second loss and later moved to WWE. Interestingly, while WWE fans initially treated her as a superstar babyface, they too began to turn on her in the latter months of her run there. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champ has more than once criticized the fan culture in the years since.
#1. Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor has gone from being almost universally loved to splitting UFC fans right down the middle. The UFC’s most famous fighter is in an odd situation right now where he’s never been richer and yet, has never been more unlucky in the octagon.
Since UFC 205, McGregor has won just once more in the UFC, a KO victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. At lightweight, McGregor ate a brutal loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov and two painful defeats against Dustin Poirier.
However, it’s not his slump that has incurred the wrath of fans - it’s his antics.
Following his round-ten TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, McGregor has been in the headlines for a series of bust-ups. Most infamous of all was his trolley-throwing assault on a tour bus housing Khabib Nurmagomedov in April 2018.
McGregor also punched a man who did not want to try his Proper No. 12 whiskey in a Dublin pub in April 2019. A series of other allegations and arrests have come McGregor’s way in recent years. Furthermore, his incredibly personal insults to ‘The Eagle’ leading up to UFC 229 and Dustin Poirier this year have netted him detractors.
McGregor’s once very witty trash talk with opponents has become increasingly harsh in recent years. The Irishman has mocked foes’ religions, relationships, families and nationalities in a bid to get under their skin. While the increasingly personal nature of his rivalries has helped pay-per-view buy rates, it has done him no favors come bell time.
Whether McGregor goes back to playing nice or doubles down on his extreme antics when he returns in 2022 is anyone’s guess.
