5 UFC stars who divided the opinion of the fans
Like most sports these days, the UFC is full of heroes and villains in the eyes of the fans. While some fighters remain beloved, plenty of others receive boos whenever they enter the octagon. Naturally though, there are some exceptions.
Some of the UFC’s biggest stars have been able to straddle the line between being loved and hated, dividing the opinion of fans, often right down the middle.
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Those fighters often become bigger stars than the majority of their peers, largely because it’s hard not to be invested in them either way, whether fans want them to win or want them to lose.
With that in mind, here are five UFC stars who divided the opinion of the fans.
#5. Tito Ortiz – former UFC light heavyweight champion
When the Fertitta brothers, alongside their good friend Dana White, bought the UFC back in 2000, the promotion’s biggest star was undoubtedly Tito Ortiz. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion gave off the kind of star quality that was clearly lacking from the majority of the promotion’s roster at the time.
‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ not only possessed natural charisma, but he also carried himself like a rock star and was more than willing to talk trash in order to build up his fights.
However, while Ortiz was definitely bankable and headlined a number of crucial pay-per-views, some of which essentially kept the UFC afloat, it’d be hard to come to a conclusion over whether he was loved or hated by the fans even today.
The fight between Ortiz and Shamrock was unlike anything we had seen before. There was a build up. There was a rivalry, and there was an intrigue from people that had never watched before.
While ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was largely cheered during his famous feud with UFC legend Ken Shamrock, for instance, his behavior in-building that fight was totally villainous, as he clearly enjoyed playing the antagonist.
However, during his later rivalries with the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Forrest Griffin, the fans turned on him entirely, largely finding his character tired and instead, preferring the everyman qualities of his opponents. By his later days with the UFC, of course, Ortiz had gone full circle. His upset win over Ryan Bader in 2011 drew a huge positive crowd reaction, making it one of the more memorable moments of that year.
Essentially, Ortiz straddled the line between being loved and being hated by UFC fans throughout his tenure with the promotion. However, this straddling ensured he was never seen as anything but a major star, despite his decline in form in his later years.