3 UFC fighters famous for having short fuses
The sport of MMA and the UFC promotion are filled with a myriad of eccentric individuals who’ve got no qualms in expressing their emotions freely and assertively. The UFC, being the world’s premier MMA organization today, boasts many top-tier fighters who are known for their unique and entertaining personas.
One of the most common themes in the UFC is aggression. Discipline, respect, and other such virtues are the lifeblood of MMA. However, there’s something about aggression, anger, and violence that tends to appeal to the primal instincts of fight fans worldwide.
We take a look at a few notable UFC fighters who are known for having short fuses. These are the angry entertainers that the MMA world loves to cheer for:
#3 Marvin Vettori has lately risen to prominence in the UFC as ‘Angry’ Marvin
Going by the moniker ‘The Italian Dream’, Marvin Vettori is a 27-year-old MMA stalwart who, as his nickname suggests, hails from Italy. Vettori made his professional MMA debut in 2012 and has competed in the UFC since 2016. He’s currently on the cusp of becoming Italy’s first-ever UFC world champion.
Since a split decision loss against Israel Adesanya in 2018, Vettori has amassed an impressive five-fight win streak. As of this writing, Vettori is just hours away from facing Adesanya in their highly anticipated rematch, this time around with the UFC middleweight title on the line.
Prior to his upcoming UFC 263 fight against Adesanya, Marvin Vettori beat middleweights such as Karl Roberson and Kevin Holland whilst steadily gaining notoriety as a rather passionate fighter. He ended up earning a new nickname for himself, ‘Angry’ Marvin, something that MMA legend and analyst Chael Sonnen has often lightheartedly referenced while speaking about Vettori.
Vettori has recently shown that he isn’t afraid of expressing his emotions, as evidenced by his angry rants against Roberson and Holland before he faced and dominantly defeated them.
#2 UFC legend Nick Diaz is a master at turning anger into motivation
The older Diaz brother, Nick Diaz, is often referred to by MMA fans as the original BMF champion. Before Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal rose to superstardom in the combat sports realm, it was Nick Diaz who ruled the MMA world with his aggressive fighting style and fearlessness. Be it inside the octagon or outside a professional combat sports environment, Nick Diaz has always been a real one.
Generally, anger tends to negatively impact a fighter’s performance. Most fighters tend to have an adrenaline dump due to this emotion, which ends up costing them the fight as well as their pride. This isn’t the case with Stockton MMA legend Nick Diaz, who is known to be a master at turning anger into motivation.
While Diaz has managed to master the art of channeling one’s anger positively, he’s often been criticized for his anger issues. Diaz’s detractors claim that his short fuse and aggressive outbursts bring chaos and unwarranted violence, adversely affecting the image of the sport of MMA.
The infamous 2010 Nashville brawl from his Strikeforce days, as well as other instances of him engaging in street fights, are cited as examples of Diaz’s anger issues. Diaz is also known for his tendency to confront his MMA rivals outside the cage.
Be it Nick Diaz’s hospital brawl with Joe Riggs after their fight, his altercation with Braulio Estima after UFC 158, or some of his other fights outside professional combat sports competition. Diaz has never been shy of fighting anyone, anytime, anywhere.
#1 Conor McGregor is a Zen master inside the octagon but is known for having a temper outside his fights
Conor McGregor is a bona fide legend in the combat sports world. ‘Notorious’ has often spoken about the significance of his mental fortitude in his overall MMA skill-set, emphasizing that he is indeed a Zen master during fights.
That said, McGregor is notorious (no pun intended) for wearing his heart on his sleeve in his everyday life. McGregor’s never been one to shy away from displaying his emotions.
His angry rants during press conferences, the UFC 223 bus attack in Brooklyn, the infamous brawl with an elderly gentleman at a pub in Dublin, and other such instances serve as a reminder of McGregor's temper.
If one does end up irking McGregor, the MMA megastar’s terrifying combat skills would likely be on full display. McGregor’s anger has often earned his widespread criticism, such as when he shoved MMA referee Marc Goddard and slapped a commission official at Bellator 187 in 2017.
All this said, one ought to note that none of the three aforementioned UFC fighters have let their purported anger issues escalate into anything serious as of yet.