Media Which fighter made you a fan of MMA?

[C0NCH3TO]

HOYCE in the 90’s. Then stopped watching mma from 98 to 2004. TUF got me hooked again thanks to Couture and Liddell.

 

[RockyLockridge]

 

[Hima Hamrash]

It's not some specific fighter, I noticed MMA in late 2018 since the Khabib/Conor rivalry breakout, then I watched some MMA Highlights of "when muscles don't matter in a fight" then I read about MMA Fighters on Wikipedia, then in 2019, I was watching the results cause back then I didn't know where to watch the sport so I was seeing just the results on Wikipedia and everything and see the events that's gonna happen, then in mid 2019 in June, I saw Rozenstruik KO over Crowder that got me amazed, then the FN/JDS Poster (didn't watch the event tho) then the Jones vs Santos event is where it got me interested in MMA, and ofc the fight that stole the show the Masvidal/Askren KO, then I became a fan since then and I started to watch the sport regularly, and then UFC 241 when Stipe got the title back, then Khabib defending his title against Poirier, and then Glover's career comeback.

Conclusion: I think Jorge Masvidal is the one that got me watching the sport as I became interested in it in 2019.

Look at the sportsman of Jorge, checking on his victim whom KO'd viciously lol.

 

[VAfan]

GSP. i was watching already by the time he showed up but he really increased my interest. he had like a michael jordan thing going on in the beginning, like a man among boys, way faster, way better, just running dudes over.

 

[JKS]

 

[Escabar]

Ken Shamrock

Yeap same from him staring watching ufc then pride at that point I was hooked.

 

[Kertol]

Always been a fan but Machida got me hooked.

 

[Elvis.]

I already liked it , but seeing Sakuraba brought me to another level

 

[AFewDollarsMore]

Shogun is the only correct answer

Imagine saying that soon this trembling, flexing little dude who got shogun chuckling was going to be king of ufc and worth $200 million.

 

[fightfan70]

fedor.

that was must see tv back in the day.

 

[Brigfa2]

My first favorite who mixed different arts was Bruce Lee, not only did he punch and kick, he also did some grappling moves on Samo Hung in Enter the Dragon.
This was in the 70s. Hmmm, He is not using regular Kung Fu like many other contemporaries, very interesting i thought.

I got hooked to MA in the 70s and 80s(mainly due to Bruce) and started mixing arts myself and started training Wing Tsun for handtechniques and Tae Kwon Do for kickingtechniques.

Then i got hooked on Muay Thai , Wushu and Xin Na lil later in the 80s

During the K-1 era my favorites were Crocop (damn, that guy could really kick!) and Andy Hug, honorable mention Glaube Freitosa with the Questionmark Kick

Then when UFC and Pancrase arrived to my attention in the 90s, my first fighters i became a fan of were actually the Shamrocks. Oh and Pat Smith demolishing "Ninja" Scott Morris face made me re-evaluate my training in Ninjutsu as well

How easily Frank Shamrock neutralized the aggressive Kevin Jackson, how Ken (and Bas Rutten) fought in Pancrase.

Then later on i became a fan of Sakuraba, Enson Inoue and Igor Vov in the late 90s.

In 99 i think Wanderlei arrived to the Pride-scene and i followed all his fights.

Too many to mention, but a good summary would be in this order, Bruce Lee, Samarth Pakartmoon, Andy Hug, Crocop, Glaube, The Shamrocks, Bas Rutten, Enson, Igor, Sakuraba, Wand

Bruce Lee = CM Punk

 

[Bearknuckle]

Ken Shamrock. I wanted him to beat royce gracie up the 2nd time so bad. In a way he did. And when he was 215lbs and beat dan the beast severn made me a fan.

 

[OldBoy91]

The thing that turned me from a guy who enjoyed a card every blue moon to somebody that put their weekend aside to watch MMA, was the Fireball Kid. Takanori Gomi. Watching him run through everybody on the Bushido cards over in PRIDE turned me into a fanatic.

 

[Bearknuckle]

Bruce Lee = CM Punk

Now lets not start that lol.

i think he meant bruce lee got him into martial arts in general, which for sure he got millions of people worldwide into martial arts, including many mma greats.

 

[Clark Rogers]

I don't like the guy now, but I have to say Royce Gracie. Those first UFC were something else back then, even if they seem so rough now.

This

I'm not getting deep into it again but Royce, and me as a kid in the 90s with a hacked satellite card sneaking to watch free PPVs is what got me hooked.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

I started watching with TUF 1... I had seen the old VHS tapes before that... but Anderson Silva vs Chris Leben was what changed me from a casual to an actual fan. I liked Gomi alot too but I only really got to see him on the random spike pride episodes they used to have

I'm pretty much in the same boat had seen the first UFC's on VHS and random UFC's because my friends Dad would watch them. It was TUF 1 that got me hooked. So for me it's Tank and Chuck.

 

[Simple Southerner]

Royce

 

[IMPmmath]

JCVD

 

[Shoguns Prodigy**]

Baby j penn choking out Stevenson so hard that it finally made me realize that mma was real fighting not pro wrestling which I thought it was the whole time, mind you I was literally a kid about 9 or 10 I think and big pro wrestling fan.

 

[Volumes]

Clay Guida