5 UFC stars who divided the opinion of the fans

#4. Brock Lesnar – former UFC heavyweight champion

Brock Lesnar's history with WWE ensured he divided the UFC's fanbase

When former WWE champion Brock Lesnar signed a deal with the UFC in late 2007, it was clear that he’d become a major star for the promotion. However, few observers could’ve realized quite how much ‘The Beast Incarnate’ would divide the opinion of UFC fans.

Upon his octagon debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81, it wasn’t difficult to tell that Lesnar was widely despised by UFC fans, most likely due to his previous tenure with WWE. He was widely booed in the fight and when Mir caught him in a kneebar and submitted him, he became an instant hero to UFC fans worldwide.

Lesnar remained a firm villain in the eyes of UFC fans for his next few fights, particularly when he was given a shot at the UFC heavyweight title that he arguably didn’t deserve.

That fight saw him knock out Randy Couture to claim the title. When he went on a wild rant after defending it against Mir in a rematch, he was cemented firmly in a similar spot that was once occupied by Mike Tyson - the villainous, uncontrollable destroyer.

However, when Lesnar was sidelined with diverticulitis and was then able to come back from the disease following a year on the shelf to beat the dangerous Shane Carwin, something changed.

Suddenly, the self-proclaimed “humble champion” was being widely cheered by UFC fans, something that’d never really happened before. Those cheers then turned into a mixed reaction for his fights with Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, blurring the lines just as other previous UFC stars had done.

When Lesnar returned to the UFC in 2016 following five years away, meanwhile, he was greeted as a returning hero, only for the fans to turn on him instantly after he tested positive for banned substances following the fight.

Whether UFC fans loved him or hated him remains debatable, but there’s no disputing that Lesnar’s larger-than-life personality made him a superstar during his time with the promotion.

---

#3. Colby Covington – UFC welterweight contender

Like Donald Trump, Colby Covington straddles the line between hero and villain

On the face of it, Colby Covington should be considered the biggest villain in the UFC today. A master antagonist, the once-soft-spoken welterweight contender has arguably sunken to new lows with some of his trash talk in recent years.

‘Chaos’ spewed xenophobic rants towards the country of Brazil and its fighters. He even edged worryingly closely to outright racism during his rivalries with current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former champ Tyron Woodley.

However, while plenty of fans have become accustomed to booing Covington out of the building, even outright interrupting UFC shows when he arrives in the crowd at times, we’ve also seen him garner plenty of cheers in his recent fights.

It’s not really that difficult to understand why, either. Thanks to his outward support for former U.S. President Donald Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ movement, Covington has been able to capitalize on the general divide in political opinion across the U.S. like no other UFC fighter.

Essentially, for as many people as there are that can’t stand Trump, there are equally many who adore him. The same can be said for Covington.

What’s more, based on his surprisingly respectful exchange with Usman after their recent fight at UFC 268, it’s hard not to believe that Covington simply adopted this antagonistic character in order to become a star. Like Chael Sonnen before him, a much different person lies below.

So while Covington has already divided the opinion of UFC fans thanks to his Trump-inspired character, a little tweaking could see him divide them even further, becoming a bigger star in the process, too.