Heel Hook: Ranking MMA’s Biggest Villains

By Michael Ford

Sports for a lot of folks is about Rooting Interest — we cheer for our favorites to succeed against opposition and adversity. But we often cheer AGAINST athletes and teams, for transgressions real and imagined. However, some athletes intentionally raise the ire of fans, and willingly play the villain, because doing so is often more profitable than striving for our love and adoration. These are the guys we love to hate, the “heels.”

This list isn’t merely a list of unpopular guys, it’s a list of guys who cultivate the fans’ wrath through their words and actions. A reluctant heel is no heel at all; on a certain level he must accept and play the role. A fighter’s position on this list is meant to be interepreted thusly: In a conflict between two individuals, who would you (or most of the fans) be rooting for? The higher-ranked guy is the one more likely to be rooted against.

1. Shinya Aoki – The #2 Lightweight in the World was previously unsuccessful at becoming the Poster Boy for DREAM, his home promotion, but his recent exploits, including breaking his opponent’s arm, talking smack to his fallen foe, then flipping off the live fans, have been successful at galvanizing the Japanese fanbase in the reverse direction. As for the hardcore fans in the States, his most recent antics only served to buttress the growing perception that Aoki is a jerk. Previously derided for being a whiny douche who exaggerates injuries, his detractors can now add “bully” to the list of insults heaped upon him by a fanbase that loves to see him lose.

2. Chael Sonnen – While Chael has rubbed fans the wrong way for a while now, combining a fighting style based around top control and limited finishing potential with a personality that exudes disdain for the other, the Republican from Portland has come on like gangbusters recently. He followed up a series of interviews disparaging Pound for Pound Ace Anderson Silva (with quotes tinged with racism and/or homophobia thrown in for good measure) by scoring the upset win over Nate Marquardt to firmly place himself atop the list of contenders for Silva’s Middleweight belt. Now, with the platform that comes from being #1 contender, he can better get under our skins, and make a showdown with the Spider something to get worked up about.

3. Brock Lesnar – “The Next Big Thing” returned with a vengeance, taking to the ESPN airwaves to successfully turn the heartwarming story of his miraculous recovery from a life-threatening illness into a platform to attack Barack Obama, health care reform, and THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF CANADA. Oh how we’ve missed you, Brock; it’s great to have you back.

4. Jamie Varner – WEC’s top heel returned to the cage in rare form, from his arrogant and smug series of interviews leading up to his title unification fight with Ben Henderson, to his guillotine choke loss (with an oddly quick tapout), followed up by his post-fight interview, featuring the money quote “I came to fight; he came to grapple.” And let’s not forget his criticisms of WEC for overlooking him, in favor of poster boy, fan favorite, and all-around good guy Urijah Faber. It’s a shame, then, that he won’t be a part of WEC’s inaugural PPV effort. No doubt, Varner blames Faber for that too.

5. Tito Ortiz – The Huntington Beach Bad Boy should market a series of shirts saying “Tito Being Tito.” (FYI, a good rule of thumb is that anyone who is frequently talked about by others as “_______ being ________” is probably an asshole.) But in recent weeks Tito has “outed” upcoming opponent Chuck Liddell as a recovering alcoholic, and shouted his way into a verbal confrontation with sentimental fan favorite Mark Coleman just after he lost, while he was in the midst of a heart-wrenching post-fight interview. “Tito being Tito” indeed.

6. Dana White – The preeminent carnival barker in our sport has been a little subdued lately, as recent truces with former nemeses Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture have left him with fewer targets for vitriol. And although he remains one expletive-laden tirade from making the MMA blogosphere explode, currently fans are left to grouse about Dana’s penchant for calling out fans who don’t drop $45 for lackluster PPV cards, or media members who don’t properly “promote the fights.” And we know that he’s probably the guy behind the high price tag for the upcoming WEC PPV. But without a forum to see the UFC President get his comeuppance, animosity for the foul-fouthed figurehead just seems misplaced.

7. Josh Koscheck – Koz embraces the notion of the brash superstar, and often uses the blogs, as well as Twitter, to antagonize his detractors. He has even proved willing to throw a teammate under the bus to further his agenda, which includes getting a shot at the Welterweight Championship. However, his next opponent, Paul Daley, is just as outspoken, and might see himself in the rare position of being the fan favorite comparatively. That’s an accomplishment.

8. Frank Mir – In Brock Lesnar’s absence, Mir stepped into the vacated role of divisional lightning rod, taking what could have been a ho-hum matchup with Cheick Kongo, and turning it into something epic. Like a pro, Frank Mir used the tried and true tactic of disregarding his opponent, dismissively talking past him to the next matchup, which only served to infuriate Kongo, and which turned their fight into a grudge match. And he was unapologetic in victory to boot. Unfortunately, as soon as Lesnar, his archnemesis announced his return, fans immediately put their support behind him. Luckily for him, Mir has his WEC announcing gig to get on fans’ nerves. Something’s gotsta give. (See what I did there?)

9. Frank Shamrock – Strikeforce’s lead color commentator has been working a heel persona for a while now, and while some would question whether it benefits the promotion as a whole, it certainly helps his brand. He doesn’t consider himself retired, and as such, he must consider his announcing team stint as an opportunity to remind fans how great he is. With the rumors that he’ll be returning to the cage to fight fellow announcer Pat Miletich, we should expect to hear more bluster from the self-proclaimed “Legend” in the weeks and months to come.

10. Josh Barnett – Sports fans are funny about performance-enhancing drugs. They can make jokes, and throw out innuendo, but real vitriol is reserved for the guys who are caught. In the case of Barnett, you have a guy who has tested positive multiple times, denies each one, and whose recent positive test canceled a highly-anticipated main event, and sunk a fighting promotion. And he still remains tight-lipped and defiant. Now in the future, Josh may yet win fans back to his side, but for now, he is persona non grata in the industry.

There’s my list for now and I’ll be updating it regularly. Did I miss anyone?