In fighting, perception is everything. It’s a game of impressions and skews, where reputations are carefully manicured and lost, and “hype” becomes highly shapeable, like the balloon animals a clown makes at the party.
Sometimes it’s interesting to see what the perceptions are out there. This week The Athletic’s MMA team constructed a series of features based on an anonymous fighter survey — which polled 170 pros from 24 countries and across all promotions, weight classes and experience levels — ranging from weight-cutting to fighter pay to unionization and health concerns.
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We also asked fighters for their opinions on more specific matters, such as, who is the most underrated fighter out there? Who is the most overrated? What about the trainers? Who is genuinely thought to be above the grade, and who doesn’t live up to their reputation? Who is the biggest jerk in MMA? Who is the dirtiest freakin’ fighter?
Here are some answers to those questions, many of which you might find surprising.
Who is the most underrated fighter in MMA?
- Demetrious Johnson (17)
- Leon Edwards (9)
- Douglas Lima (7)
- Justin Gaethje, Khabib Nurmagomedov (5)
- Henry Cejudo, Patricio Freire (4)
- Dan Hooker, Petr Yan, Alexander Volkanovski, Cory Sandhagen (3)
Even if fans don’t know, the fighters do. With any flaws inside the Octagon nearly impossible to detect, people began blaming the weight class itself for the reason Demetrious Johnson was so criminally underrated during his UFC run. Not only did “DJ” shatter the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses, but he basically cleaned out the division so many times that people were accusing him of being a “neat freak.” Johnson was the most cited fighter on the question of underrated, in part because during that six-year title run he headlined a pay-per-view only three times.
And two of those were because of injuries to slated headliners (Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson fell out of UFC 191, and Jon Jones and Gustafsson fell off of UFC 178).
Leon Edwards got named the second most for underrated, and for good reason as well. Dude has won eight straight fights in the welterweight division, has a personal feud with Jorge Masvidal, and enough credentials to get the entire posse into the club. Yet he can’t seem to get a title shot. And people still call him Leon Roberts on occasion.
Key quote from survey: “‘Mighty Mouse’ is by far the most underrated fighter today. Come on, man — he’s like a cross between Michael Jordan and Muggsy Bogues, yet the UFC trades him? Who does that?” — Bellator fighter
Others cited at least once: Al Iaquinta, Alex Perez, Aljamain Sterling, Amanda Nunes (2), Andres Quintana, Arnold Allen, Austin Vanderford, Belal Muhammad, Bibiano Fernandes, Calvin Kattar, Clay Guida, Colby Covington, Cris Cyborg, Dan Ige (2), Dominick Cruz, Don Madge, Gegard Mousasi, Geoff Neal, Gilbert Burns (2), Gregor Gillespie, Gunnar Nelson, Ilir Latifi, Islam Makhachev, Israel Adesanya, Jared Cannonier (2), Jim Miller, Jorge Masvidal, Jose Torres, Josh Emmett, Juan Archuleta, Kai-Kara France, Kamaru Usman, Kevin Lee, Kiefer Crosbie, James Krause, Leandro Silva, Manel Kape, Mario Bautista, Martin Nguyen, Matt Hamill, Michelle Waterson, Miranda Maverick, Morgan Charriere, Nate Diaz, Patrick Mix, Pedro Carvalho, Rafael Fiziev, Raphael Assuncao, Ray Cooper III, Rory MacDonald (2), Roxanne Modafferi, Shane Burgos, Tatiana Suarez, Tony Ferguson, Tyron Woodley, Valentina Shevchenko, Warlley Alves, Weili Zhang, Yair Rodriguez (32 fighters were unsure)
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Who is the most overrated fighter in MMA today?
- Conor McGregor (42)
- Jon Jones (13)
- Sean O’Malley (9)
- Paige VanZant (7)
- Henry Cejudo (5)
- Darren Till, James Gallagher (4)
The first fighter to win titles in two different weight classes concurrently? First guy to beat Jose Aldo in a decade? First guy to sell a gullible public on the idea that he had a puncher’s chance against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring? First MMA athlete to end up on Forbes’ top-paid athletes’ list?
A bunch of window dressing, really — at least when it comes down to who fighters see as the most overrated MMA practitioner going.
McGregor was the overwhelming leader in this category with 42 votes (which is nearly 25 percent of those polled). Perhaps his one-sided loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 was the moment of pure exposure or that serendipitous series with Nate Diaz (where he went 1-1 at the arbitrary weight of 170 pounds), but the fighters aren’t buying into his greatness.
The fighter’s name that popped up second-most on this question? Why that would be the GOAT himself, Jon Jones, who (as you’ll see) is a confounding figure in today’s MMA world. He’s either the greatest or the most over-hyped or the luckiest or the dirtiest (often all in the same fight).
Key quote from the survey: “Conor McGregor has done some incredible things in the UFC, but he gets way more special treatment than the rest of us. I don’t know, maybe ‘perfectly rated’ is better than ‘overrated,’ but it’s closer to ‘overrated.'” — UFC fighter
Others cited at least once: Alex Hernandez, Alexa Grasso, Ben Askren, B.J. Penn, Chase Hooper, Chris Weidman, Cody Garbrandt, Colby Covington, Dan Hardy, Daniel Cormier, Derrick Lewis, Dillon Danis, Donald Cerrone, Israel Adesanya (3), Jorge Masvidal (3), Juan Archuleta, Kamaru Usman (3), Khabib Nurmagomedov, Leon Edwards, Mackenzie Dern, Megan Anderson, Michael Johnson, Michael “Venom” Page (2), Nate Diaz (3), Paulo Costa, Rachael Ostovich, Raymond Daniels, Ronda Rousey, Sage Northcutt (3), Tyron Woodley (41 fighters were unsure)
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Who’s the most underrated trainer?
- Firas Zahabi (18)
- Mike Brown (16)
- Marc Montoya, Greg Jackson-Mike Winkeljohn (8)
- Eugene Bareman, Sayif Saud (7)
- Trevor Wittman (6)
- Eric Albarracin, James Krause, Henri Hooft, Duke Roufus (5)
- John Kavanagh (4)
Tristar’s Firas Zahabi semi-stealthily photo-bombed many of Georges St-Pierre’s classic celebration shots during his run as the UFC’s welterweight champion, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the fighter-ly sleuths out there. Most people know that Zahabi worked as GSP’s scaffolding and that he was instrumental in St-Pierre’s success. His name was brought up the most during the “underrated trainer” portion of the fighter survey.
Zahabi, who has trained everyone from GSP to Rory MacDonald to Kenny Florian and Arnold Allen, has been quietly putting in the work for years up in Montreal. A very close second was Mike Brown of American Top Team (16), who has been like a rock to such fighters as Dustin Poirier and women’s GOAT Amanda Nunes.
Key quote from the survey: “Tell you what, the one guy who doesn’t get acknowledged nearly enough is Eugene Bareman. That guy is doing special things down in New Zealand.” — UFC fighter
Others cited at least once: Alex Cisne, Andre Pederneiras, Bob Cook, Carsten Ettrup, Chris Fields, Chris Luttrell, Colin Oyama (3), Dan Henderson, Daron Cruickshank, David Lee (2), Dean Thomas, Duane Ludwig, Eric Del Fierro (3), Eric Nicksick, Eric Turner, Francisco Grasso, Harry St. Leger, Jake Brennan, Jake Mainini, Javier Mendez (2), Jeff Jimmo (2), John Crouch (2), Jim West, Marc Montoya, Joe Stevenson, John Danaher, John Wood, Kru Bob Perez, Manu Ntoh, Marcello Brigadeiro, Marcos Da Matta, Katel Kubis, Luciano dos Santos, Mark DellaGrotte, Martin Karaivanov, Matt Hume (3), Matt Serra, Mike Valle, Mike Jaramillo, Omar Bouiche, Mark Henry, Paul Rimmer (2), Phillip Lima, Ray Longo (3), Ray Sefo, Richard Shore, Richard Quan (2), Roan Carneiro, Robert Drysdale, Santino Defranco, Urijah Faber (2), Will Martinez (19 fighters were unsure)
Who is the most overrated trainer?
- Greg Jackson (28)
- John Kavanagh (16)
- Edmond Tarverdyan (15)
- Firas Zahabi, Jackson-Winkeljohn (as a unit) (6)
- Mike Winkeljohn (5)
- Duke Roufus/Joshua Fabia (4)
There’s this sneaking feeling among some fighters that Greg Jackson, traditionally one of the holier names in the celestial realm of coaching, is a touch overrated. Jackson’s name was cited more than any other on the subject, many pointing to the idea that already-great fighters gravitate towards him, rather than get made down in Albuquerque.
His nearest counterpart in the “overrated” category — at least as far as fighters are concerned — is Ireland’s John Kavanagh, Conor McGregor’s longtime coach, followed by Ronda Rousey’s striking leader Edmond Tarverdyan. All of the coaches in question have (or had) a larger-than-life figure in their midst, which is telling (Jackson with Jon Jones, Kavanagh with McGregor, Tarverdyan with Rousey).
Key quote from the survey: “Wasn’t Kavanagh charging media for interviews at one point? Get that money, I guess.” — UFC fighter
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Others cited at least once: Ali Abdel-Aziz, Colin Oyama, Duane Ludwig, Eddie Bravo, Eric Albarracin (3), Eric Del Fierro, Javier Mendez (3), John Crouch, John Wood, Josuel Distak (2), Kirian Fitzgibbons, Mark Henry (2), Mike Brown, Pedro Camberos, Ray Longo, Ryan Parsons, Sayif Saud (2). (60 fighters were unsure)
If you had to switch gyms, where would you go train?
- American Top Team (ATT) (31)
- American Kickboxing Academy (19)
- Tristar Gym (11)
- Roufusport (9)
- Hard Knocks 365 (7)
- Fortis MMA, Elevation Fight Team (5)
- Xtreme Couture (4)
Of the 170 fighters polled in the survey, a good number of them found this question a little uncomfortable, feeling that even discussing the possibility of leaving their own gym was an act of hypothetical treason. Yet when they got past that bit, the gym most coveted to train at was American Top Team down in Coconut Creek. The collective coaching staff of Conan Silveira, Mike Brown, Steve Mocco and Marcus DaMatta — along with the entire galaxy of fighters that train there — went into the reasoning.
Coming in firmly in second place was the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, which features the ever-welcoming presence of Daniel Cormier and such coaching staples as “Crazy” Bob Cook and Javier Mendez.
Key quote from the survey: “If I had to switch gyms, I’d quit fighting. I’d never switch gyms. I don’t even want to play make-believe on that one.” — LFA fighter
Others cited at least once: 10th Planet San Diego, 303 Jiu-Jitsu, Alliance, Black House, Black Tiger Fight Club, City Kickboxing (3), Combat Sports Academy, CSA, Entram Gym (Tijuana), Factory X (3), Fight Factory, Glory MMA (2), Grudge (2), Jackson-Winkeljohn (3), Mat Academy, Mjolnir, MMA Lab (3), Nick Catone MMA (3), One Kick, Syndicate MMA (3), Team Alpha Male (3), Tiger Muay Thai, Training Lab. (37 fighters were unsure)
Who is the best commentator, whether its color commentary or play-by-play, in MMA?
- Joe Rogan (67)
- Dominick Cruz (29)
- Daniel Cormier (20)
- Jon Anik (18)
- Paul Felder (9)
- Michael Bisping (5)
When it comes to commentary, there’s Joe Rogan and then there’s everybody else. Sixty-seven fighters (39 percent of the field) saw Rogan as the best of the best, savoring every “oooohh, that was nasty!” and relishing every “he’s in big trouble here! … this is a bad spot … nope, he’s out! Wow!”
Rogan has blossomed as a massive cult figure in the UFC, and there were fighters who said they couldn’t imagine a world in which Rogan wasn’t calling the fights. Coming in second was Dominick Cruz (29), whose analytical abilities make complicated sequences easier to understand. Said one fighter, “for as good as he’s been as a fighter, Dom’s double that as a commentator. He’s the very best at what he does.”
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Key quote of the survey: “I love Joe Rogan. I think he’s very educated and he helps educate the audience. Does he tend to be a little biased at times, or see the action a little one-sided? Yes. But do I practice what I might say to him after a win in the mirror? I do.” — UFC fighter
Others cited at least once: Ana Hissa (2), Anthony Smith, Bas Rutten, Brian Stann (2), Carlos Barreto, Chael Sonnen (3), Dan Hardy (3), Daniel Straus, Jimmy Smith, John Gooden, Luciano Andrade, Luiz Prota, Rhoodes Lima, Miesha Tate, Mauro Ranallo (4), Mike Goldberg (2), Pat Miletich, Rodrigo Del Campo, T.J. Desantis. (Six fighters were unsure.)
Who’s the biggest jerk you’ve met in MMA?
- Dana White (7)
- Colby Covington (4)
- Jon Jones, Michael Bisping, Uriah Hall (3)
- Randy Couture, John Kavanagh, Brock Lesnar, Luke Rockhold, Henry Cejudo, Jake Ellenberger, Dillon Danis, Donald Cerone, Matt Hughes, Terry Trebilcock (2)
This particular question was commonly met with a long pause followed by something along the lines of, “wow, that’s a tough one — I haven’t met too many jerks in MMA.” Just as surely, though, at least for some, a lightbulb would click on and a name would pop up. A face. An instance. Some random exchange where a fighter came across as a royal ass or turned up their nose in otherwise friendly circumstances.
Sometimes it wasn’t even a fighter at all that came across as a jerk. Sometimes it was a promoter.
Speaking anonymously, the most cited name when coming up with the biggest jerk in MMA was UFC President Dana White (7). Of course, White interacts with thousands of people every week, from his own employees to media, to managers/agents and fans, and everyone in between. He is bound to come across as short from time to time, and sometimes he gleefully — one might say very purposefully — puts on his jerkface. Many fighters have encountered that version, and it’s no surprise he was mentioned more than anyone else in this category.
An actual fighter whose name came up the most as the biggest jerk was MAGA-hat wearing Colby Covington (3), who has never seen a bridge he doesn’t want to set fire to.
Key quote from the survey: “Oh, you know who’s a real dick that you’d never expect? I have to say, I was surprised to discover this, but it’s Ryan Hall. That guy, man, don’t get me started.” — ROC fighter
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Others cited at least once: AJ Agazarm, Alistair Overeem, Aljamain Sterling, Amber Brown, Anderson Silva, Andrei Arlovski, Angela Hill, Anthony Pettis, Ariel Helwani, Conor McGregor, Ben Askren, Brian Ortega, Chris Avila, Chris Brennan, Colin Oyama, Cris Cyborg, Daniel Cormier, Daniel Crawford, Darren Till, Dominick Cruz, Greg Jones, Ian Freeman, Israel Adesanya, James Gallagher, Jay Silva, Jeremy Stephens, Jessica Eye, Jessica Penne, Jimmie Rivera, Joe Giannetti, Jon Fitch, Junior Buscape, Felice Herrig, Matt Mitrione, Melvin Guillard, Michael Chandler, Michael Johnson, Mickey Gall, Miesha Tate, Mike Kogan, Mike Malott, Mike Mazzulli, Mike Perry, Mike Shipman, Nathias Frederick, Neil Melanson, Pat Miletich, Paul Craig, Petr Yan, Quinton Jackson, Richard Kiely, Ryan Hall, Ryan Lilley, Sean Brady, Sean Shelby, Sharon Jacobson, Shawn Jordan, Sijara Eubanks, Tecia Torres, Francis Ngannou, Terry Brazier, Tonya Evinger, War Machine, Will Brooks, Zoila Frausto. (Sixty-seven fighters were unsure.)
Who is the dirtiest fighter in MMA (it terms of committing fouls, not cleanliness)?
- Jon Jones (52)
- Rousimar Palhares, Yoel Romero (21)
- T.J. Dillashaw (3)
Jon Jones likes to keep his fingers splayed out during a fight like he’s groping for a light switch in the dark. Sometimes one of those extended digits finds its way into an unwitting eye socket. Glover Teixeira found that out. Jones’s pinky scraped the frontal lobe of his brain it went in so deep. Daniel Cormier found out about those fingers, too (as did Shogun Rua and Quinton Jackson, et al). It’s no secret that Jones uses his fingers to advantage.
Those very fingers were brought up a lot on our fighter survey when people rationalized naming Jones the dirtiest fighter going. The oblique kicks that he likes to use were also mentioned, which some fighters frown upon even though they’re legal. Mostly though it was the fingers. The four little jousts at the end of the limb, probing for the soft jelly of an eyeball.
Second place was actually a tie between two of the most controversial Brazilian fighters out there: Yoel Romero and Rousimar Palhares. For Romero one of the common citations for branding him dirty was the “stoolgate” fight against Tim Kennedy, yet plenty pointed to groin shots and other acts of rule-stretching theater.
For Palhares, it was the fact that he wanted to take knee ligaments home with him as souvenirs. You might remember Palhares holding onto kneebars and other submissions so long that the UFC ultimately had to part ways with him? No? Well, his fellow fighters remember!
Key quote of the survey: “Dirtiest fighter going? It’s gotta be Jon Jones. I hate to say it, but it’s gotta be Jones.” (Laughs). “If you made a drinking game for each time he does something dirty, you’d be drunk by the second round.” — Bellator fighter
Others cited at least once: Vitor Belfort, Ben Rothwell, Brian Caraway, Chael Sonnen, Chris Fishgold, Conor McGregor, Frank Trigg (2), Georges St-Pierre, Germaine De Randamie (2), Gilbert Yvel, Jason Miller, Josh Koscheck (2), Kenny Florian, Khabib Nurmagomedov (2), Lena Ovchynnikova, Paul Daley (2), Paulo Costa, Tony Ferguson. (49 fighters were unsure)
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What is your favorite fight of all time?
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Weili Zhang — UFC 248, Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1 — UFC 165 (21)
- Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2 — UFC 189 (19)
- Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 — The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua 1 — UFC 139 (11)
- Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes 2 — UFC 65 (6)
- Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 1 — UFC 196 (3)
Maybe there is a slight recency bias in the air. Then again, maybe Weili Zhang’s first strawweight title defense against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in March really was just as unbelievable as it seemed in real-time. That fight from UFC 248, which was automatically deemed the greatest fight in women’s MMA history and immediately placed on the shortlist of best ever, resonated with the fighters who partook in this survey. Zhang prevailed, but Jedrzejczyk showed the heart of a champion.
That hematoma she sported at fight’s end will live on as one of the most extreme parting gifts MMA has dished up.
And that ridiculous bout was tied with Alexander Gustafsson’s epic showing in Toronto at UFC 165 against Jon Jones. That fight was memorable for a lot of reasons. Jones, who became the first to enter the UFC’s Octagon sponsored by Gatorade and Nike, battled through the first real adversity of his career. Gustafsson took Jones down early. He busted open a cut on Jones’s face, a thing we’d never seen. Gusty was winning the fight into the championship rounds, which even now feels kind of impossible.
Then came the spinning elbow that turned the tide. That first encounter between Jones and Gustafsson remains a big one in the fighter’s minds. Coming in second was Rory MacDonald’s harrowing second encounter with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189. Both guys left a piece of themselves in the Octagon that night.
Key quote of the survey: “Rory and Robbie staring at each other at the end of the fourth round was the greatest thing I ever seen.” — UFC fighter
Other popular fights cited more than once: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos 2 (UFC 155), Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 (UFC 125), Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 236), Diego Sanchez vs. Gilbert Melendez (UFC 166), Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 (UFC 136), Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington (UFC 245), Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida (The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale).
(Top photo: Steve Marcus / Getty)
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