Needle movers in MMA
With Ronda Rousey dominating the Internet ahead of Saturday’s UFC 190, The List turns to fighters who always draw an online crowd.
Steven Marrocco, Dann Stupp, Ben Fowlkes and Brent Brookhouse at MMAjunkie have debuted The List, where they take their instant message bickerings, add a little polish, and make them public. With Ronda Rousey dominating the Internet ahead of Saturday’s UFC 190, the discussion turned to fighters who always draw an online crowd.
Steven Marrocco: Nick Diaz
There are MMA fans, and then there are Nick Diaz fans. We can thank Scott Coker for that … All of the sudden, Diaz was more than a fighter with an attitude problem; he was the mouthpiece for an area code and a saint to everyone who wanted to give the world double birds.
Dann Stupp: Gina Carano
For a woman who fought just eight times as a pro and never won a major title, Gina Carano will go down in MMA history – or, at least, MMAjunkie history – as a pivotal figure and bona fide needle-mover.
Ben Fowlkes: Chuck Liddell
For a lot of people – especially people who don’t really follow this sport – Liddell isn’t just some MMA fighter. He’s the MMA fighter. He’s the archetypal image their brains reflexively conjure at the mere mention of MMA or the UFC. He’s what Sigmund Freud is to psychoanalysis, a sort of visual shorthand for the entire field.
Phil “CM Punk” Brooks: Brent Brookhouse
Punk brings a very important element to a sport that can never have enough stars: He provokes extreme reactions every time his name is mentioned.
So UG, who moves your needle?