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#4. Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold
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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.
