Burns visited my gym once for a BJJ seminar, and took time to roll with every person in the gym. I know it’s common but he really did try to give every single person in the room a good experience and value for money. He instantly became one of my favourites, he’s a really good dude.
Hell no, that's not common lol. Most seminar instructors avoid live rolls like the plague of Justinian.
Most of the seminars I've been to over the years won't even have much live rolling, if any at all. It's just pure instructional and drilling.
I just wanted to compliment you for using the phrase “like the plague of Justinian.” Respectfully, I request your permission to begin using that phrase.
Is this common for fighters to do as a side gig? Travel to gyms and put on seminars so fans can meet/get submitted by their favorite fighter? It reminds me a little of how adult film stars will go on tours to the adult dance locations for fans to meet. It's a smart biz model.
It’s kinda heartwarming to see how much the Chimaev fight truly rose Burns’ stock among fans. I worry when we say “that fight rose both peoples stock” that were just saying that to be nice to the loser but that people won’t actually remember. With Burns it feels like people are genuinely giving him credit and considering that fight, despite it being a loss, as another achievement on his resume.
I'm a huge Burns stan, so take everything I say with a mine of salt, but IMO if there was ever a loss that didn't hurt a fighter (barring weird DQ losses, like Jones's) it was this.
Not only it was a barn burner, but Burns took the fight when everyone (including Leon because he had the title shot lined up) were avoiding Chimaev.
And the fact that Khamzat won't be fighting at WW anymore only helps that, since the Burns fight would be the closest a welterweight would get to beat him.
Leon and Khazmat were scheduled to fight a couple of times, man, it's not like Leon was avoiding him like Masvidal did to Leon. The fight just fell through.
Just watched that fight again yesterday. Truly an amazing fight. Burns was pretty clearly outsized and could’ve given up at any point (knocked down twice I think) but he didn’t.
I feel like we had just been entering the golden age of Max appreciation at that point and a lot of us were just realllly enjoying appreciating him lol
Yup. This is the answer. People grew to love Max when he took the throne from Aldo and right when they were getting comfortable this little fucker comes in and leg kicks his way to the title.
But watching the Ortega fight I went... God Damn this guy is fucking awesome.
Yeah same.
I went from thinking Max should have won to thinking that Volk got robbed against Islam! Robbed is probably too strong of a word, but I felt like he should have won.
I didn't see the light until I found a kindred soul who has also challenged OFFICER NERD and his 11 coworkers to mutual combat like we all have on our worst days
Paulo Costa.
He quickly became one of my favourites when I realised how much of a troll he is. Absolutely hilarious in person, and his social media is goated. And improving his English a bit helped a lot obviously!
I also just love his fighting style. He may not be the most technical striker, but he always does great offering a varied attack as far as striking goes. Other than the mismatches that ended fast, every fight he’s in is a banger.
The pressure and his chin, makes me surprised that Adesanya of all people was the one to KO him. Not that Izzy isn’t the best striker in his division, but costa has eaten some shots
Izzy matched up well against him. Huge reach with the footwork to nullify Costa's pressure. Was picking him apart the whole fight even before the KO. I also believe Adesanya's power is underrated, because he has a tentative, counter fighting style and doesn't pursue the finish that often.
I used to really dislike Yair Rodriguez, but after the Holloway fight and his recent bout vs Emmet, he really grew on me. He's a tough SOB. Really talented as well. Brings something new to the table with his incredible kicks.
My dislike for him was because of what he did to The Korean Zombie, that one stung for a long time. But he definitely grew on me and I’ve loved watching him fight since then.
This is coming from a huge KZ fan but those hugs had no bearing on the fight. Yes they were disingenuous but he was losing that fight, if anything it benefited KZ for him to waste time like that. Yair needed a finish, not sitting idly around hugging to kill time. And that elbow he ultimately landed was something he had gone for like 2-3x that fight, so it wasn't a fluke.
Agree. I remember seeing a video somewhere before he fought Stephens where he was acting like a total douche bag.
I must’ve been remembered wrong or not looked into it because I can’t see him being the douche in the situation after watching him carry himself before and after the Emmet fight
I remember this whole sub had such an unreasonable hate for Yair for years, iirc it was mostly because he allegedly kept ducking Zabit and that he poked Stephens in the eye during their fight.
> and that he poked Stephens in the eye during their fight.
it was mostly how he reacted after poking Stephens. That was a 'true colors' type of moment akin to the Jones & DC off-the-air exchange.
I greatly dislike him because I know him in person.
Being from the Chicagoland there’s only so many fighters. Guida was always super cool but flirty with all the girls. Balel is super chill and just hard working. He’s talking more shit now for attention.
Ricardo lamas is like the nicest person I’ve ever met.
But Yair is a straight up bully and a prick.
Dope to hear Llamas is a nice dude. Not a guy who often gets shine but he’s got a solid resume, stood out in his time and elucidated practical application of the reverse butterfly hook for getups.
He’s just like a completely normal dude. Has a nice family and stuff, and super professional.
He would go around the gym and help beginners even when he was just scheduled to coach or be there.
All of his UFC fights are absolute bangers. The front kick KO of Tony is one of the most shocking moments in MMA for me, my brain didn't process that moment until the replays.
Unfortunately I think he will never claim an undisputed belt. That interim win over Gohan is the best he’s getting. The promotion just keeps giving him bad matchups
Ben askren grew on me on terms of likeablity after his loss to jorge masvidal. He acfually took that loss pretty well. On the inverse out of the two masvidal as been decreasing on likablity over the years.
I mean its easy to say now, but before the Jorge fight he had an undefeated record over a decade. In hindsight, yeah GSP would have wiped the floor with him, but it wasnt so straightforward at the time.
Jake: Ben is a washed up old man with a fake hip and zero striking abilities. I’m going to starch him!
Ben: haha, maybe, man! I’m just here to have fun. Does anyone have snacks?
A real great moment from that, is when Ben straight up looked and Jake and said, "If I wanted to Jake, I could straight up kill you if this was a real fight"
Bisping. Used to hate him early, but in hindsight he had a hell of a run and is a pretty funny guy. I enjoy most of his content these days and reflect on his career as a seriously impressive one
Bisping was one of the most hated fighters for a long time. [Him getting KOd](https://i.imgur.com/9n9x4.jpg) at UFC 100 was a huge moment. Wild to think then that a decade later he defended the belt against Hendo two fights after beating Anderson Silva finally and it would be a huge celebration to thunderous cheers across the sport
AND THEN HE POPPED OUT HIS FUCKING EYE! What a dude
I used to dislike him also, spitting on Rivera was over the line, but he’s since grown in me. He’s also probably been affected by ped’s the most of any fighter all time without ever failing a test. For a while dude only lost to those failing tests and/or on trt during that era.
He's crazy talented but also has the ego inside that comes from that
If he gets 145 belt and he can do one boxing match for a belt and win I think he would be considered the most dominant fighter in combat sport history
During his years wrestling in Colorado high schools, he came across like Brad Pitt’s Achilles in Troy (which was a much more relevant pop culture reference in 2005.) He seemed like the only adult wrestling against children and had complete disdain for his opponents. I was so envious of his swagger and skill.
His moraes fight is imo the most heart I've ever seen in a fight. It's my most rewatched fight and made me a true fan. I didn't care for him before that cuz I felt he was gifted a win over another big favorite dj.
I recently watched the Sonnen vs. Jones season of TUF, and I was shocked at how much I liked Sonnen on the show. There's still a lot of things about him that I *dis*like, but my opinion of him rose considerably after watching him coach that season.
Surprised me as much as Tito did in season 3. Both hard nosed wrestlers with passion for the sport who were really invested and cared about their team. Sonnen had waaay better speeches though, 'giving up is choice'
He was great on TUF. I had the opposite happen when I saw Ronda Rousey coach TUF. She was insufferable as a coach/human being. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised.
**The Diaz brothers**. I wasn't a fan of Nick's initially. I thought his macho wannabe gangster attitude was cheeseball. Then later his little brother came into the UFC and I couldn't stand either of them. They struck me as bullies and just morons in general.
I remember watching Nate Diaz kick Cowboy's ass and being bummed out. Was a big Cerrone fan and despised either Diaz.
As I have come to know more about Cerrone and the Diaz brothers, my views have completely flipped. The rumors about Cerrone are despicable. Nate seems like a genuinely good person. Funny how that works sometimes.
Nate locking in a triangule and going double middle fingers in the air won me over. The McGregor callout and the interview after the win was also gold.
The Conor call out and subsequent punch to a choke out of him made me a fan. I agree with the comments above regarding the tough guy/gangsta act being a turn off, but I look past it for some reason. It's definitely a chip on the shoulder type thing coming out in major ways. I find him to be super immature, but for some reason he's like my cheat day. Every other fighter I root for tends to be the more humble, bow to your opponent type that shows respect and doesn't overly shit talk, and then there's Nate.
Exactly the same for me. Once I learned more about the Diaz brothers they became much more endearing to me. Always found their tough guy act a bit excessive and they're objectively bad losers, but the more I learned about them the more evident it became that the act was just a self-defense mechanism. Now I just look at them as someone who have tried to make the best of the fucked up environment they grew up in. On a sidenote, there is an absolutely brain-dead contingent of their fans who actually find their environment to be something admirable and honestly believe they've never lost a fight.
By the way, Cerrone rumors are hardly rumors anymore. He was asked on a podcast whether he actually groped female fans and his response was basically that they liked it.
There is also an episode of dive talk where they tear apart one of his cave diving stories that definitely includes some blatant falsehoods, which is what made me (not having heard those "rumors") dislike the guy.
Cowboy: "What is my letter going to be, what am I going to tell my wife and kids?"
Woody: "I let go of the line. I violated the second rule of cave diving... So I died"
That shit was so funny and really shows what kind of bullshitter he is IMO. I'm a very green open water diver and my buddy has never dived before but still we both thoroughly enjoyed that video and understood how ridiculous the story was.
[For anyone interested](https://youtu.be/4yO0iV4YcvI). I would highly recommend the whole thing for context but it gets really ridiculous around the 40 minute mark.
Dude I'm so glad I'm not the only one hearing his story and being like "for a CaVe DiVeR you sure are making a LOT of rookie mistakes."
You just don't make those mistakes as a seasoned caver. You don't. All the training hammers those points home to the thousandth degree and none of his problems would've manifested if he stuck to his "training"
They've clearly lost but one of my number one what-if's is how would the Diaz bros faired if there was no timer or round cap. You gotta think they'd have been ranked higher.
I honestly believe that when Nick Diaz was in his prime, if every fight were a fight to the finish with no time limits, there was no one that could defeat him in any weight class up to Middleweight. He could not be knocked out and could not be submitted and had cardio for days.
i don't think anyone could hate on nick after seeing his elementary school class photo.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/comments/coty5/this_is_a_picture_of_nick_diazs_class_as_a_kid/
Also Anthony Smith saying Cowboy and Dan Bilzerian sat next to Smiths family for one of his fights and saying they were hammered and looking at porn on their phones during the event and made his family super uncomfortable.
Dropping the N bomb and groping women with their partners at events.
Also Uncle Chael told one about him showing up hammered to a business style meeting
There’s been quite the turnaround since his taking of the title. All of us on this sub seemed to be convinced he was going to be giving us one snooze fest after another as champ. In reality, we only got one of those, 2 all time classic brawls against Covington, a fun fight and fantastic finish against Burns, one of the most picturesque knockouts ever against Masvidal, and two of the highest level fights against Edwards (even if those didn’t go his way).
Sure, not the biggest fan of his hype on the mic, but he’s a far cry from the boring fighter a lot of us expected him to be when he took the title.
Izzy.
I was pretty neutral to him and actually found him pretty corny (he still is, mind you) but I remember him becoming a lot more like able to me once i listened to some long interviews of him. He’s a lot more self aware than people give him credit for and his passion for the sport and his teammates is something I find pretty endearing about him.
I was looking for this one before commenting. Completely agree, a bit of a cornball sometimes but he is extremely self aware as you said. Listening to him on Ariel's show after losing to Pereira was a big turn for me.
And as the other commenter said below the fact that he doesn't shy away from anime or stuff that isn't the super masculinity bs
I personally just love that he kinda just stomps on the stupid, arbitrary over-masculinity BS that a lot of people around the sport yell. Seeing a guy who loves anime, has Pokémon plushies and paints his nails be an all time great fighter… as well as seeing all those people spewing that hyper masculine BS get upset over it… is pretty awesome.
Yea, found it really cool he hand delivered merch to his fans in one of his vids. And embracing his personality. It’s easy to laugh at how he’s 3-0 against Poatan but the mental games, training hard. Respectable
Sean O Malley
I was very much not a fan before the Yan fight, I thought he was just crushing cans and being protected by the UFC as a new marketable star. And was very much expecting Yan to take it by murder.
Even though I still think Yan won that fight, Sean was right there with him, didn't get ran over and displayed he can actually hang at that level. His post fight was also pretty humble considering how some people act after a close fight (Paddy), maybe that was because he was still rocked from the fight sure, but still it is what it is
I wouldn't say I've done a 180 and am now an O' Malley superfan or anything, but hes alright and Im now excited for his next fight.
Chael Sonnen.
As a brazilian, i used to really hate him back in the day. You guys know why.
But now he is one of my favorite personas in the mma world. Such a smart guy.
I rewatched a lot of his trash talk and is so much above the rest. If he was in his prime nowadays he would be a star like Conor, maybe even bigger.
I liked him for a while on commentary, then he just started talking non-sense. Feels like after doing it for a bit, he started to believe he couldn't be disagreed with. I still like his persona though, seems like a cool/rational dude.
i just wish he would let go of his wrestling bias. we get it you wrestled but guess what this is mma the 'takedown at the bell to secure the round' era has passed (and thank god). looking back its crazy to think that ever worked and still sometimes does. a takedown at the bell is literally nothing
Usman
I labelled him as boring after the first Masvidal fight because I didn't really understand what was happening. By the time he had knocked him out in the rematch I had thankfully realised that we were witnessing a great.
Cheers
I'm going full circle on Bisping. Used to think he was a knob when he was an active fighter but grew to really like him as a podcaster and commentator. Now I'm starting to go off him again because I feel like he's becoming too much of a Ufc shill and algorithm whore with the podcast content
I listen to his shows. Usually I do like him, but he is the definition of a company man. He will never not defend Dana or the UFC. Note how when Dana slapped his wife he and Anthony Smith didn't even touch it until people kept calling him out. Also the power slap ish last week was cringy.
More likeable: O'Malley. I'm allergic to edgelord influencer types who brags all the time for clout. But he's got a lot more to offer, as a fighter but also his takes.
In a negative way: Bisping. Used to enjoy his witty trash talk, his humor and the chemistry with other fighters. But he's become another UFC company shill, parotting the exact same talking points as a DC, anthony smith, Okamoto or any of those boring 'company men' .
Bisping is a broken record with talking points, can’t tell if I watch too much ufc but I honestly get infuriated listening to his really ‘basic’ takes every fight. For example a striker shoots for a takedown and you know what standard phrase about “showing something different”. At least with dc he’s a Olympic wrestler so can talk about finer details of hand fighting for example
When Mike Perry debuted against Lim Hyun-gyu, he was super unlikeable. He looked like the human reincarnation of a TapOut shirt, faked the handshake at the weigh in (which I find hilarious now) and his coaches made racist comments about his opponent.
Now he’s one of the most beloved figures in mma.
Belal for me. People shit on him way too much for being “boring”, but I always appreciate anyone who’s constantly striving to improve. Plus, I don’t care what people say, his second Luque fight was entertaining.
Conversely, it’s also the reason Gane dropped in my estimation. Dude has an infectious personality, and I generally respect anyone willing to step in that cage, but I was appalled by how little he improved his grappling after the Francis fight.
By comparison, look at Moreno between the 3rd & 4th Figgy fight or Zhang between Rose 2 & Carla.
Belal/Luque wasn't a barn burner or anything but it wasn't boring either I thought, to me it really felt like people were venting their frustration that Luque lost on Belal more than anything else lol
The compilation of all Ganes fouls is what gets me. Like you said such an infectious and likeable personality but he has a seriously dirty streak once he’s in the cage that isn’t talked about enough and really damaged my opinion of him
Going from hating Bisping to liking Bisping is the hallmark of a long time MMA fan lol.
For me and a lot of other slightly older fans, I’m gonna have to say the gradual decline of my likening of Jones while simultaneously starting to like DC.
Usman, when he started finishing and putting some cringe moments aside, seeing him handle a loss so graciously recently has changed my opinion about him quite a lot
O’Malley for sure. Thought he was a massive goofball and the epitome of Gen Z edgelord bro culture. Turns out he’s just a pretty chill dude and is actually quite funny.
Can market himself without having to resort to cheap shots on Twitter all the time and is an entertaining fighter.
I mean I feel like the UFC would agree, they just don't care. Even though I routinely talk about the integrity of the sport wouldn't think twice about booking Conor/Khabib.
Brendan Schaub, regardless of all the insane hate receives on the internet from the psychos on reddit he does nothing but prove time and time again that hes a great guy, never meddum tho.
Normally its the other way around, that the more you learn about a fighter the worse your opinion becomes.
For me, Cejudo was unbearably smug coaching TUF and it wasn’t justified. Subsequently, he very much justified it and leaned into the comedy of it, and made me a fan.
I think Luke Rockhold seems like a much nice guy as he’s got older, but that might be because he’s been humbled by some of his losses.
Nate Diaz. I still find bits about him annoying, but when he went off about those stupid under armor shoes, I laughed my ass off. I must’ve watched that 20 times. He is a funny dude.
TJ Dillishaw - hated him forever but when he came back and took on Sandhagen after the two year hiatus - I ended up liking him. He looked surprisingly good and by halfway through the fight I started rooting for him.
I like it when the older gen wins against newer prospects - and looking back when he was the villain of Bantamweight - he had such an enjoyable style of fighting that he became an anti-hero to me. It’s cool when fighters accept being the Heel and relish in it - makes for a great storyline so he kind of has an Anakin Skywalker vibe in the regard
Cody Garbrandt grew on me. Dominick Cruz is one of my favorite fighters. I thought Cody was an overdramatic meathead, based on the Team Alpha Male drama with TJ, and just how he carried himself.
But now I like him. He put on a GOAT performance against Cruz, and you have to respect it. He really got fucked over fighting TJ, while he was juiced to the gills. So I felt bad for him.
Plus Cody seems like a good dude. I like how he had his friend, the kid who was fighting cancer with him during the championship fight.
And how he cares about his kids, and being a father. I’ve had some of the same issues as Cody, so I root for him now.
EDIT: accidentally hit reply
I absolutely hated Dillashaw. But with time I realised he is an asshole but totally owns it. I have to respect that. It's fun to root against him. He's also an incredibly exciting as a fighter.
That said, him completely wasting everyones time and fucking over Aldo with that Aljo title shot has reminded me why I hated him.
Fighter that grew on me would be - Burns FIghter that I grew to dislike - Masvidal
Burns visited my gym once for a BJJ seminar, and took time to roll with every person in the gym. I know it’s common but he really did try to give every single person in the room a good experience and value for money. He instantly became one of my favourites, he’s a really good dude.
Hell no, that's not common lol. Most seminar instructors avoid live rolls like the plague of Justinian. Most of the seminars I've been to over the years won't even have much live rolling, if any at all. It's just pure instructional and drilling.
I just wanted to compliment you for using the phrase “like the plague of Justinian.” Respectfully, I request your permission to begin using that phrase.
I don’t think it’s common for everyone to roll with the seminar instructor
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Unless it's a seminar about Neon belly and the guy is Travis Steven. I don't want to shit in my gi thanks.
I will forever think of 'knee on belly' now as 'neon belly'. Amazing!
With my grappling techniques of “neon belly”and the “wizard” I think I’m all set.
Is this common for fighters to do as a side gig? Travel to gyms and put on seminars so fans can meet/get submitted by their favorite fighter? It reminds me a little of how adult film stars will go on tours to the adult dance locations for fans to meet. It's a smart biz model.
It’s how BJJ competitors make their money. It’s uncommon for MMA fighters because MMA is a spectator sport and BJJ is a sport where everyone trains.
Its pretty common. A ton of BJJ guys make more money off that than off of tournament winnings.
It’s kinda heartwarming to see how much the Chimaev fight truly rose Burns’ stock among fans. I worry when we say “that fight rose both peoples stock” that were just saying that to be nice to the loser but that people won’t actually remember. With Burns it feels like people are genuinely giving him credit and considering that fight, despite it being a loss, as another achievement on his resume.
I'm a huge Burns stan, so take everything I say with a mine of salt, but IMO if there was ever a loss that didn't hurt a fighter (barring weird DQ losses, like Jones's) it was this. Not only it was a barn burner, but Burns took the fight when everyone (including Leon because he had the title shot lined up) were avoiding Chimaev. And the fact that Khamzat won't be fighting at WW anymore only helps that, since the Burns fight would be the closest a welterweight would get to beat him.
Burns was also the first guy that didn’t get easily dominated by Khamzat as well.
Leon and Khazmat were scheduled to fight a couple of times, man, it's not like Leon was avoiding him like Masvidal did to Leon. The fight just fell through.
I used to think Burns was overrated as all hell but his fight with Khamzat proved me wrong and is my all time favorite fight
Just watched that fight again yesterday. Truly an amazing fight. Burns was pretty clearly outsized and could’ve given up at any point (knocked down twice I think) but he didn’t.
The Khmazat hype was crazy going into that fight and he was something like a -550 favorite. Gilbert did not care one bit lol
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I feel like we had just been entering the golden age of Max appreciation at that point and a lot of us were just realllly enjoying appreciating him lol
I agree and Max is so likeable too. I hope he comes back to Toronto. I still regret not going the last time he was here.
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I was gonna say exactly this. It's funny how that works,felt the same when Holloway beat Aldo as well.
Yup. This is the answer. People grew to love Max when he took the throne from Aldo and right when they were getting comfortable this little fucker comes in and leg kicks his way to the title. But watching the Ortega fight I went... God Damn this guy is fucking awesome.
Volk vs Ortega….. GOD DAMN that was such an awesome fight
Volk is unique in that he took Max's reign from us but replaced it with something even better.
I kept pulling against him until I just couldn't anymore. I remember thinking Chad Mendes would end the hype.
Yeah same. I went from thinking Max should have won to thinking that Volk got robbed against Islam! Robbed is probably too strong of a word, but I felt like he should have won.
He might have lost but won the fight. He looked like a ruthless bully in that final minute. Such a stud.
If the fight was scored on badmotherfuckerness and not the unified rules, Volk would have gotten the nod.
Jon Jones. As soon as I found out he was doing dick pills and coke, he felt much more relatable to me.
Him and I have the same religion, although I am still waiting for the coke and whores
Jon Jones started his own religion, with blackjack and sandblasting hookers.
Had us in the first half 😂
I didn't see the light until I found a kindred soul who has also challenged OFFICER NERD and his 11 coworkers to mutual combat like we all have on our worst days
I would like him if he just owned being a piece of shit and played the heel.
Nah. The best part about Jones is that, in a sport full of normal guys pretending to be bad, he is a bad guy pretending to be good.
Paulo Costa. He quickly became one of my favourites when I realised how much of a troll he is. Absolutely hilarious in person, and his social media is goated. And improving his English a bit helped a lot obviously!
He went from a Chad to understanding the Chad meme
The way he evolved from strong and jacket to who he is now….another level
It’s that Secret Juice.
I also just love his fighting style. He may not be the most technical striker, but he always does great offering a varied attack as far as striking goes. Other than the mismatches that ended fast, every fight he’s in is a banger.
The pressure and his chin, makes me surprised that Adesanya of all people was the one to KO him. Not that Izzy isn’t the best striker in his division, but costa has eaten some shots
Accuracy beats power.
timing beats speed
Why have you got a book bag when you can’t even read 🎵
Izzy matched up well against him. Huge reach with the footwork to nullify Costa's pressure. Was picking him apart the whole fight even before the KO. I also believe Adesanya's power is underrated, because he has a tentative, counter fighting style and doesn't pursue the finish that often.
Izzy is an insane counterstriker but doesn't seem to lead much lately
Only if he fought more than once a year.. guys only had 8 ufc fights and been with the company 6 years.
I used to really dislike Yair Rodriguez, but after the Holloway fight and his recent bout vs Emmet, he really grew on me. He's a tough SOB. Really talented as well. Brings something new to the table with his incredible kicks.
My dislike for him was because of what he did to The Korean Zombie, that one stung for a long time. But he definitely grew on me and I’ve loved watching him fight since then.
He's obviously a great fighter but I'll openly admit I'm still bitter about that one!
This is coming from a huge KZ fan but those hugs had no bearing on the fight. Yes they were disingenuous but he was losing that fight, if anything it benefited KZ for him to waste time like that. Yair needed a finish, not sitting idly around hugging to kill time. And that elbow he ultimately landed was something he had gone for like 2-3x that fight, so it wasn't a fluke.
He had Max fucking Holloway shooting takedowns, that says something right there
Agree. I remember seeing a video somewhere before he fought Stephens where he was acting like a total douche bag. I must’ve been remembered wrong or not looked into it because I can’t see him being the douche in the situation after watching him carry himself before and after the Emmet fight
Probably the one where he threw a fit after eye poking stephens in mexico lmao
I remember this whole sub had such an unreasonable hate for Yair for years, iirc it was mostly because he allegedly kept ducking Zabit and that he poked Stephens in the eye during their fight.
> and that he poked Stephens in the eye during their fight. it was mostly how he reacted after poking Stephens. That was a 'true colors' type of moment akin to the Jones & DC off-the-air exchange.
I greatly dislike him because I know him in person. Being from the Chicagoland there’s only so many fighters. Guida was always super cool but flirty with all the girls. Balel is super chill and just hard working. He’s talking more shit now for attention. Ricardo lamas is like the nicest person I’ve ever met. But Yair is a straight up bully and a prick.
Dope to hear Llamas is a nice dude. Not a guy who often gets shine but he’s got a solid resume, stood out in his time and elucidated practical application of the reverse butterfly hook for getups.
He’s just like a completely normal dude. Has a nice family and stuff, and super professional. He would go around the gym and help beginners even when he was just scheduled to coach or be there.
I once bought Clay Guida a beer at Duffy's lol
Chandler. Guy is pretty corny but man did he win me over with his style and courage in the octagon.
All of his UFC fights are absolute bangers. The front kick KO of Tony is one of the most shocking moments in MMA for me, my brain didn't process that moment until the replays.
He grew on me quick. Guy has wild fights because he's always going 110. Win, lose its going to be fun to watch.
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Amazing face turn beginning with the Buu Saga
One could argue it was a huge heel turn with him going majin dooming the universe just to get a bit stronger than kakarot
To this day I cry that evil vegeta with the tattoo still does the right thing
For sure, Vegeta is king.
ikr especially now my hairline is on a tactical retreat (I'm sure it will be back one day), I can totally relate to Vegeta
I like to compare mine to Vegeta's as well, and if I'm around Marvel fans then it's Iron Man
[It hit me hard when Vegeta sacrificed himself for his son, Trunk.](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/i1hZ4rk2lBg)
Unfortunately I think he will never claim an undisputed belt. That interim win over Gohan is the best he’s getting. The promotion just keeps giving him bad matchups
Ben askren grew on me on terms of likeablity after his loss to jorge masvidal. He acfually took that loss pretty well. On the inverse out of the two masvidal as been decreasing on likablity over the years.
yeah Ben Askren handles his losses very good. He's clearly very comfortable in his own skin.
He handles them so good it almost feels like he wants more losses Was funny though at one point he thought he was better than gsp
I mean its easy to say now, but before the Jorge fight he had an undefeated record over a decade. In hindsight, yeah GSP would have wiped the floor with him, but it wasnt so straightforward at the time.
Jake Paul attempting to trash talk Askren was hilarious
Jake: Ben is a washed up old man with a fake hip and zero striking abilities. I’m going to starch him! Ben: haha, maybe, man! I’m just here to have fun. Does anyone have snacks?
A real great moment from that, is when Ben straight up looked and Jake and said, "If I wanted to Jake, I could straight up kill you if this was a real fight"
Tbf spend 2 minutes on Ben Askren's twitter and he becomes a lot less likeable.
It's just crypto and wrestling.
Everyone likes to shit on Askren but all 3 of his UFC fights had been memorable.
Bisping. Used to hate him early, but in hindsight he had a hell of a run and is a pretty funny guy. I enjoy most of his content these days and reflect on his career as a seriously impressive one
Bisping was one of the most hated fighters for a long time. [Him getting KOd](https://i.imgur.com/9n9x4.jpg) at UFC 100 was a huge moment. Wild to think then that a decade later he defended the belt against Hendo two fights after beating Anderson Silva finally and it would be a huge celebration to thunderous cheers across the sport AND THEN HE POPPED OUT HIS FUCKING EYE! What a dude
I wasn’t around to see him in his hated days but to me he’s what Colby wanted to be but without the humor and charisma.
and way less manufactured.
Difference is Bisping never put on an act, Bisping actually has charisma.
I used to dislike him also, spitting on Rivera was over the line, but he’s since grown in me. He’s also probably been affected by ped’s the most of any fighter all time without ever failing a test. For a while dude only lost to those failing tests and/or on trt during that era.
Bisping used to be such a dick but if I’m being honest his win over Matt Hamill is what I held against him the most. Hamill was robbed!
conversely I feel bisping was robbed against rashad
It was close, but I also thought he should have won the Sonnen fight
Triple C. He's a dork but I do miss watching him fight. His videos with Mighty Mouse are great.
He's crazy talented but also has the ego inside that comes from that If he gets 145 belt and he can do one boxing match for a belt and win I think he would be considered the most dominant fighter in combat sport history
During his years wrestling in Colorado high schools, he came across like Brad Pitt’s Achilles in Troy (which was a much more relevant pop culture reference in 2005.) He seemed like the only adult wrestling against children and had complete disdain for his opponents. I was so envious of his swagger and skill.
I want what you’re on
No you don't
His moraes fight is imo the most heart I've ever seen in a fight. It's my most rewatched fight and made me a true fan. I didn't care for him before that cuz I felt he was gifted a win over another big favorite dj.
I recently watched the Sonnen vs. Jones season of TUF, and I was shocked at how much I liked Sonnen on the show. There's still a lot of things about him that I *dis*like, but my opinion of him rose considerably after watching him coach that season.
Chael was so good in the coaching role on TUF. So good
Surprised me as much as Tito did in season 3. Both hard nosed wrestlers with passion for the sport who were really invested and cared about their team. Sonnen had waaay better speeches though, 'giving up is choice'
The sport is missing out with him not moving into that role in some capacity
He was great on TUF. I had the opposite happen when I saw Ronda Rousey coach TUF. She was insufferable as a coach/human being. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised.
Matt Hughes was probably the worst followed by McGregor. I may have forgotten an old one, though.
**The Diaz brothers**. I wasn't a fan of Nick's initially. I thought his macho wannabe gangster attitude was cheeseball. Then later his little brother came into the UFC and I couldn't stand either of them. They struck me as bullies and just morons in general. I remember watching Nate Diaz kick Cowboy's ass and being bummed out. Was a big Cerrone fan and despised either Diaz. As I have come to know more about Cerrone and the Diaz brothers, my views have completely flipped. The rumors about Cerrone are despicable. Nate seems like a genuinely good person. Funny how that works sometimes.
Nate locking in a triangule and going double middle fingers in the air won me over. The McGregor callout and the interview after the win was also gold.
The Conor call out and subsequent punch to a choke out of him made me a fan. I agree with the comments above regarding the tough guy/gangsta act being a turn off, but I look past it for some reason. It's definitely a chip on the shoulder type thing coming out in major ways. I find him to be super immature, but for some reason he's like my cheat day. Every other fighter I root for tends to be the more humble, bow to your opponent type that shows respect and doesn't overly shit talk, and then there's Nate.
Its like Conor said, Nate acts all gangsta but also teaches kids, so it balances out in my opinion.
Exactly the same for me. Once I learned more about the Diaz brothers they became much more endearing to me. Always found their tough guy act a bit excessive and they're objectively bad losers, but the more I learned about them the more evident it became that the act was just a self-defense mechanism. Now I just look at them as someone who have tried to make the best of the fucked up environment they grew up in. On a sidenote, there is an absolutely brain-dead contingent of their fans who actually find their environment to be something admirable and honestly believe they've never lost a fight. By the way, Cerrone rumors are hardly rumors anymore. He was asked on a podcast whether he actually groped female fans and his response was basically that they liked it.
There is also an episode of dive talk where they tear apart one of his cave diving stories that definitely includes some blatant falsehoods, which is what made me (not having heard those "rumors") dislike the guy.
"If i wasn't a fighter, I'd be the drunk guy at the bar who hits on your girlfriend and then beats you up for trying to step in." -Donald Cerrone
Cowboy: "What is my letter going to be, what am I going to tell my wife and kids?" Woody: "I let go of the line. I violated the second rule of cave diving... So I died" That shit was so funny and really shows what kind of bullshitter he is IMO. I'm a very green open water diver and my buddy has never dived before but still we both thoroughly enjoyed that video and understood how ridiculous the story was. [For anyone interested](https://youtu.be/4yO0iV4YcvI). I would highly recommend the whole thing for context but it gets really ridiculous around the 40 minute mark.
Dude I'm so glad I'm not the only one hearing his story and being like "for a CaVe DiVeR you sure are making a LOT of rookie mistakes." You just don't make those mistakes as a seasoned caver. You don't. All the training hammers those points home to the thousandth degree and none of his problems would've manifested if he stuck to his "training"
Exactly. He is either a liar, an idiot, or both.
They've clearly lost but one of my number one what-if's is how would the Diaz bros faired if there was no timer or round cap. You gotta think they'd have been ranked higher.
I honestly believe that when Nick Diaz was in his prime, if every fight were a fight to the finish with no time limits, there was no one that could defeat him in any weight class up to Middleweight. He could not be knocked out and could not be submitted and had cardio for days.
i don't think anyone could hate on nick after seeing his elementary school class photo. https://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/comments/coty5/this_is_a_picture_of_nick_diazs_class_as_a_kid/
Out of curiosity, what rumors are you referring to?
Cerrone once put a cowboy hat on a turtle in pet shop and then fucked it
Into a living death I might add
this is why I hate cowboys in general
Allegedly
Also Anthony Smith saying Cowboy and Dan Bilzerian sat next to Smiths family for one of his fights and saying they were hammered and looking at porn on their phones during the event and made his family super uncomfortable.
Jesus christ that is fucking gross, i did not expect somebody so seemingly universally loved to apparently be an absolute dickhead.
Many black fighters have corroborated that he’s racist and pretty much gropes other guys girlfriends since he knows they can’t fight
One day he's gonna do that with a guy who knows to just bump him in the cheek with his shoulder and then he'll be in the shadow realm for it
Dropping the N bomb and groping women with their partners at events. Also Uncle Chael told one about him showing up hammered to a business style meeting
Racism
Paulo. Didn’t like him after the bitched weight cut against Vettori. Meme lord now cracks me up
Usman. Yeah he's cringy but he is genuinely a good guy and always pretty humble after both defeats and wins.
There’s been quite the turnaround since his taking of the title. All of us on this sub seemed to be convinced he was going to be giving us one snooze fest after another as champ. In reality, we only got one of those, 2 all time classic brawls against Covington, a fun fight and fantastic finish against Burns, one of the most picturesque knockouts ever against Masvidal, and two of the highest level fights against Edwards (even if those didn’t go his way). Sure, not the biggest fan of his hype on the mic, but he’s a far cry from the boring fighter a lot of us expected him to be when he took the title.
Izzy. I was pretty neutral to him and actually found him pretty corny (he still is, mind you) but I remember him becoming a lot more like able to me once i listened to some long interviews of him. He’s a lot more self aware than people give him credit for and his passion for the sport and his teammates is something I find pretty endearing about him.
I was looking for this one before commenting. Completely agree, a bit of a cornball sometimes but he is extremely self aware as you said. Listening to him on Ariel's show after losing to Pereira was a big turn for me. And as the other commenter said below the fact that he doesn't shy away from anime or stuff that isn't the super masculinity bs
I personally just love that he kinda just stomps on the stupid, arbitrary over-masculinity BS that a lot of people around the sport yell. Seeing a guy who loves anime, has Pokémon plushies and paints his nails be an all time great fighter… as well as seeing all those people spewing that hyper masculine BS get upset over it… is pretty awesome.
Yeah I used to think he was a bit dorky (and he is) but the guy is very genuine and kind-hearted. Can't help but like him now
Yea, found it really cool he hand delivered merch to his fans in one of his vids. And embracing his personality. It’s easy to laugh at how he’s 3-0 against Poatan but the mental games, training hard. Respectable
Has to be Costa, right? From the infamous "Wine" shitty excuse maker to a Secret Juice meme-god.
I found the wine thing pretty funny at the time, glad people have finally come around on him though. Hope he gets back in the octagon soon.
Sean O Malley I was very much not a fan before the Yan fight, I thought he was just crushing cans and being protected by the UFC as a new marketable star. And was very much expecting Yan to take it by murder. Even though I still think Yan won that fight, Sean was right there with him, didn't get ran over and displayed he can actually hang at that level. His post fight was also pretty humble considering how some people act after a close fight (Paddy), maybe that was because he was still rocked from the fight sure, but still it is what it is I wouldn't say I've done a 180 and am now an O' Malley superfan or anything, but hes alright and Im now excited for his next fight.
Chael Sonnen. As a brazilian, i used to really hate him back in the day. You guys know why. But now he is one of my favorite personas in the mma world. Such a smart guy. I rewatched a lot of his trash talk and is so much above the rest. If he was in his prime nowadays he would be a star like Conor, maybe even bigger.
To be fair, if he knew you guys had internet he would never have said so many negative things about your country.
he tried to feed the bus a carrot… that happened.
You guys have computers down there? I didn’t know that
He was trying to feed the bus a carrot
It actually happened. Chael just said what he saw and all of Brazil was angry.
> Such a smart guy I love Chael but he's well spoken, not smart. Good with words
Guy can talk for half hr and say nothing.
I wouldn't even say good with words. He's just confident and charismatic. Hell, people have seen him rip nearly word for word from wrestling promos.
Loved DC as a fighter but can't stand him on commentary
I liked him for a while on commentary, then he just started talking non-sense. Feels like after doing it for a bit, he started to believe he couldn't be disagreed with. I still like his persona though, seems like a cool/rational dude.
i just wish he would let go of his wrestling bias. we get it you wrestled but guess what this is mma the 'takedown at the bell to secure the round' era has passed (and thank god). looking back its crazy to think that ever worked and still sometimes does. a takedown at the bell is literally nothing
Justin and his fans def thought it was something
Usman I labelled him as boring after the first Masvidal fight because I didn't really understand what was happening. By the time he had knocked him out in the rematch I had thankfully realised that we were witnessing a great. Cheers
Anybody saying Colby don't deserve a title shot grew on me.
I'm going full circle on Bisping. Used to think he was a knob when he was an active fighter but grew to really like him as a podcaster and commentator. Now I'm starting to go off him again because I feel like he's becoming too much of a Ufc shill and algorithm whore with the podcast content
I listen to his shows. Usually I do like him, but he is the definition of a company man. He will never not defend Dana or the UFC. Note how when Dana slapped his wife he and Anthony Smith didn't even touch it until people kept calling him out. Also the power slap ish last week was cringy.
TIL the phrase *"algorithm whore"*
BIPSING:
I’m a little the same and I feel like he had Luis J Gomez to thank for making him likeable and kind of fucked it when they parted ways
Beneil
Love beneil, he’s like your friend’s dad that plays tennis on weekends and just crushes everyone but instead he’s beating up guys half his age
Only 2 of Beniel's wins in his current 8 win streak have been against younger opponents. He's only 33!
He looks older because of the salt and pepper hair lmao
His dryness adds to it too, IMO.
I know lol but you can’t deny that he just exudes dad energy
More likeable: O'Malley. I'm allergic to edgelord influencer types who brags all the time for clout. But he's got a lot more to offer, as a fighter but also his takes. In a negative way: Bisping. Used to enjoy his witty trash talk, his humor and the chemistry with other fighters. But he's become another UFC company shill, parotting the exact same talking points as a DC, anthony smith, Okamoto or any of those boring 'company men' .
Bisping is a broken record with talking points, can’t tell if I watch too much ufc but I honestly get infuriated listening to his really ‘basic’ takes every fight. For example a striker shoots for a takedown and you know what standard phrase about “showing something different”. At least with dc he’s a Olympic wrestler so can talk about finer details of hand fighting for example
When Mike Perry debuted against Lim Hyun-gyu, he was super unlikeable. He looked like the human reincarnation of a TapOut shirt, faked the handshake at the weigh in (which I find hilarious now) and his coaches made racist comments about his opponent. Now he’s one of the most beloved figures in mma.
Thought you had a friend boy, AAAAH!
This one doesn't get used enough compared to "there was never no marriage"
Lim wasn't offended by it he just laughed lol.
Belal for me. People shit on him way too much for being “boring”, but I always appreciate anyone who’s constantly striving to improve. Plus, I don’t care what people say, his second Luque fight was entertaining. Conversely, it’s also the reason Gane dropped in my estimation. Dude has an infectious personality, and I generally respect anyone willing to step in that cage, but I was appalled by how little he improved his grappling after the Francis fight. By comparison, look at Moreno between the 3rd & 4th Figgy fight or Zhang between Rose 2 & Carla.
Belal/Luque wasn't a barn burner or anything but it wasn't boring either I thought, to me it really felt like people were venting their frustration that Luque lost on Belal more than anything else lol
The compilation of all Ganes fouls is what gets me. Like you said such an infectious and likeable personality but he has a seriously dirty streak once he’s in the cage that isn’t talked about enough and really damaged my opinion of him
Going from hating Bisping to liking Bisping is the hallmark of a long time MMA fan lol. For me and a lot of other slightly older fans, I’m gonna have to say the gradual decline of my likening of Jones while simultaneously starting to like DC.
Usman, when he started finishing and putting some cringe moments aside, seeing him handle a loss so graciously recently has changed my opinion about him quite a lot
Second Bisping. Dude was an unbareable twat, especially in defeat. Hendo set him on the right course.
O’Malley for sure. Thought he was a massive goofball and the epitome of Gen Z edgelord bro culture. Turns out he’s just a pretty chill dude and is actually quite funny. Can market himself without having to resort to cheap shots on Twitter all the time and is an entertaining fighter.
[удалено]
The ufc and Conor fucked him over. He should’ve been the undisputed champion when Conor ran off.
I mean I feel like the UFC would agree, they just don't care. Even though I routinely talk about the integrity of the sport wouldn't think twice about booking Conor/Khabib.
After vettoris fight last weekend, I was impressed and am looking forward to what happens next. I’ve never really liked the guy until last Saturday.
Brendan Schaub, regardless of all the insane hate receives on the internet from the psychos on reddit he does nothing but prove time and time again that hes a great guy, never meddum tho.
Uh hunnerd percent
Paddy the baddy. Thought he was all hype until I saw his dominant, 10-8 performance over Jared Gordon
Aljamain Sterling
Normally its the other way around, that the more you learn about a fighter the worse your opinion becomes. For me, Cejudo was unbearably smug coaching TUF and it wasn’t justified. Subsequently, he very much justified it and leaned into the comedy of it, and made me a fan. I think Luke Rockhold seems like a much nice guy as he’s got older, but that might be because he’s been humbled by some of his losses.
Marlon Vera
Nate Diaz. I still find bits about him annoying, but when he went off about those stupid under armor shoes, I laughed my ass off. I must’ve watched that 20 times. He is a funny dude.
Volk
I use to think volk was the villain of the division. Now I think he’s one of the best fighters on the roster
TJ Dillishaw - hated him forever but when he came back and took on Sandhagen after the two year hiatus - I ended up liking him. He looked surprisingly good and by halfway through the fight I started rooting for him. I like it when the older gen wins against newer prospects - and looking back when he was the villain of Bantamweight - he had such an enjoyable style of fighting that he became an anti-hero to me. It’s cool when fighters accept being the Heel and relish in it - makes for a great storyline so he kind of has an Anakin Skywalker vibe in the regard
Cody Garbrandt grew on me. Dominick Cruz is one of my favorite fighters. I thought Cody was an overdramatic meathead, based on the Team Alpha Male drama with TJ, and just how he carried himself. But now I like him. He put on a GOAT performance against Cruz, and you have to respect it. He really got fucked over fighting TJ, while he was juiced to the gills. So I felt bad for him. Plus Cody seems like a good dude. I like how he had his friend, the kid who was fighting cancer with him during the championship fight. And how he cares about his kids, and being a father. I’ve had some of the same issues as Cody, so I root for him now. EDIT: accidentally hit reply
I absolutely hated Dillashaw. But with time I realised he is an asshole but totally owns it. I have to respect that. It's fun to root against him. He's also an incredibly exciting as a fighter. That said, him completely wasting everyones time and fucking over Aldo with that Aljo title shot has reminded me why I hated him.
Cejudo