Mixed Martial Arts can be both thrilling and torturous, but above all it can be unpredictable. If an underdog in a fight lands one good kick or one precise punch, it all could be over.
MMA has come such a long way, especially thanks to Dana White‘s sheer determination to make the sport as prestigious as it is today. The UFC brand constantly showcases some of the best MMA fighters around, and there is more good news for MMA fans in the USA. Betting in New Jersey has become increasingly accessible, and you can place wagers on the majority of UFC bouts these days.
As brutal as this sport may be in the octagon, there are certainly some ‘larger than life’ characters. These personalities combined with particular fighting styles makes certain fighters incredibly exciting to watch, as shown in our list right here.
One’s to Watch
1. Nate Diaz
Diaz combines an intriguing style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu alongside boxing. And he’s certainly been no stranger to some brutal battles in his time. He famously submitted ‘the notorious’ Conor McGregor back in 2016 after fighting him on just eleven days notice, which firmly stamped his arrival in the UFC. But more recently, Diaz has competed in a battle referred to as the BMF belt by Dana White – essentially a fight to determine whom the most lethal fighter in his weight division was.
Away from the cage Diaz has gained a significant fan following thanks to his no-care attitude, as well as his limited patience with intimidation tactics.
2. Conor ‘the notorious’ McGregor
Although he has been away from the UFC since his infamous bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor has probably been the most talked about athlete in the UFC in recent years. In fact, he has probably been one of the most talked about athletes on the planet, never mind just the UFC. His mind games and trash-talk has made him a global sensation over the years, and he has backed up his trash-talk on several occasions in the octagon. It’s all the more exciting that he plans to make a big return to the UFC very soon.
He hit the peak of his fame when he arranged a cross-sport fight with the boxing great, Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. Besides the staggeringly high paycheck for this fight, McGregor’s flamboyance and attitude during the build up was sensational to watch.
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
What can we say about a guy that is 28-0 in the UFC? While the record speaks for itself, this man’s composure in the octagon and sheer ruthlessness with his opponents make him a fantastic fighter to watch. He fights using a judo and wrestling combo, and he regularly bosses opponents by loading his body weight on top of them and simply crushing them into submission on occasion. He’s not the most charismatic fighter and he has little time for mind-games, but when he gets into the octagon he is absolutely formidable.
These guys have been around for a while now, so it is an exciting time to see who else will emerge in the UFC ranks in years to come. There are further surprises in store for upcoming UFC events however, as Dana White has recently confirmed.
