Feb 22, 2012 - 10:15:09 AM

By: Brad Walker MMATorch Contributor

There are thousands of MMA fighters in the world today, but a select few get undeniable hate from the crowd. Whether it's what they say leading up to a fight, or their attitude in and outside of the Octagon, the fans turn against them quickly. Sometimes it comes and goes based on where the fight is taking place, and in other situations it will dissipate if they're fighting another disliked fighter. Either way, a number of fans will put their time, effort and voice into making sure a fighter knows they're disliked. I polled Twitter and added some of my very own opinions as to who the fighters are that we love to hate the most.

1.) Josh Koschek

I don't think there's a shred of doubt that Josh is the most hated fighter in the sport, and he embraces that hate as if it were love. Repeatedly giving the crowd the finger, letting them know that he doesn't care, Kos is certainly not a man who's fighting for the fans. In his stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter even his own fighters frequently voiced opposition to his opinions and tactics, but Koscheck would fire back, reminding them who already has a contract. His hate actually makes him a draw, fans will pay that money for a pay per view just to see him get lit up inside of the cage. He's very cocky, he's very arrogant, and he makes sure we know that he doesn't give a damn whether or not we like him.

His arrogance and cockiness is usually justified, because he is certainly a top welterweight, and he has excelled to the top a number of times. He out-wrestles some opponents while he out-strikes others, and after the fight he's anything but outspoken. I think he enjoys the hate, it lets him know that people are thinking about him. In some ways Paul Daley may have actually gained fans when he sucker punched Kos after their fight at UFC 113, because after all most fans wished they could too. There's no denying the hatred towards Koscheck, but on the same account there's no denying his talent inside of the cage. He's a top fighter, and probably the most hated.

2.) Brock Lesnar

The hate towards Lesnar started as soon as he was announced to step inside of the Octagon, and still hasn't ended even though he's now retired. People searched far and wide for legitimate reasons to dislike him, and most of them pointed to the fact that he was a fake fighter before becoming a real one. Sure the argument holds some weight, but the instant he stepped inside of the cage, people should have realized that he was not only a monster, but a threat to the top of the division. He beat on Frank Mir badly through their first bout before being submitted, and then came back to decimate Heath Herring and Randy Couture. Suddenly we had the most hated Champion in the world on our hands, and he did everything he could to make that hate grow inside of the fans.

After fights he would rip on the sponsors and then talk about how he was going to go back to the hotel and give his wife some loving. He would say things about his opponents that nobody would have expected to hear, including the borderline racist remarks made against Cain Velasquez. He was taking the time during interviews in the cage and before the fight to make himself a heel in a sport that didn't have heels, or storylines - not even villains. There's no doubt it was effective, because every time he won you could hear people's heads exploding in the crowd with rage that this goliath jerk was beating top talent. Even today, now that he's retired, his legacy has become one of hate, and that will likely never end.

3.) Rashad Evans

Personally, I don't know why anybody hates "Suga," he's a great fighter and he has never backed down from a fight. Even in his hometown of Chicago at UFC on Fox 2 there was a smattering of boos during his entrance into the arena. Sure, when he was on The Ultimate Fighter he was a show off, and a cocky guy who had yet to prove himself against the UFC's elite. However, much to the chagrin of many, including Matt Hughes initially, Evans succeeded in winning his spot on the roster - and has never looked back. It could be possible that his antics on the show have remained people's reason to hate him, but it's more likely the fact that he often faces fighters with large fan bases and defeats them.

Everyone had put stock back into Tito Ortiz following his defeat of Ryan Bader, and then Rashad showed up to spoil the party, and get hated a bit more. When Rashad was fighting against Rampage Jackson he was booed so loudly that I had to turn down my television because it sounded like LeBron James getting introduced in Cleveland. He's a great fighter, and the #1 contender for the Light Heavyweight Title right now, but if he beats Jon Jones who has garnered much love from the fans, is he going to become a greater villain than Lesnar or Koscheck? Only time will tell how his popularity will play out, but I think this is one fighter who is vocally hated without much of a reason. He's flashy and entertaining, and he always steps into the cage trying to give the fans what they want, even if they hate him while he does it.

4.) Michael Bisping

It is safe to say that the hatred of Bisping is conditional, and that condition is that you can't be from the UK if you hate him. A lot of the dislike towards him started while he was coaching on the Ultimate Fighter against Dan Henderson, and it became a war between countries. Bisping is one of the fighters who have maintained pride from his fans overseas but here in the US he's on the level of Koscheck as far as unpopularity is concerned. As a human being I understand why this has happened, and I know that it's unavoidable when you have a fighter from another country taking shots at the home town guy. But Bisping still has been very good to his fans here in the US, though most people don't give him a chance before they decide he's the bad guy.

In all honesty, that fact made his match up with Chael Sonnen all the more entertaining, because while people love to hate Sonnen, they love to hate Bisping even more. They're both great bad guys, but Sonnen has managed to get more fans behind him than against him. Michael has come a long way since he started fighting, and now he's just a fight away from a title shot after having put up one hell of a fight at UFC on Fox 2. Unfortunately for Bisping, having the recognition of being one of the better fighters in the weight class means he's going to have to fight in front of hostile crowds, rather than just in the UK. His name will continue to earn boo's from live event crowds all over the USA, but as soon as you say his name in the UK, whoever he's fighting is going to be the bad guy.

5.) Georges St-Pierre

Oh yes, we actually have one of the pound for pound best fighters on this list, and it's for a very good reason. GSP can get booed out of every building on the planet as long as he's not fighting in Montreal, and it's scary to see such hate towards such a talented fighter. When I polled Twitter, this is the guy who everyone said first, and I don't disagree at all. GSP went from being a fighter who scrapped until he found an opening to end a fight to the biggest and most blatant lay and pray artist in the history of mixed martial arts. He's quiet and reserved, which means his lack of personality only adds fuel to the fire for those who can't stand him.

Sure, he's a dominant champion, but his style of defending his championship is what has drawn the most criticism from fans and analysts alike. It's not dissimilar to when Anderson Silva would win three rounds and then back pedal for the last couple; the fans want entertainment. Sadly, GSP hasn't provided much entertainment in the cage lately, because he has decided that scoring takedowns and keeping the fight on the ground is enough to be the top guy. If GSP was knocking people out, or getting frequent submissions he would not have this hatred levied against him, and against Koscheck he got a pass because of the level of heat on that guy already. S-Pierre hasn't finished a fight since 2009, and if he continues to just scramble out decisions with his wrestling the fans are only going to continue to turn against him.

Now here are some fighters who get an honorable mention:

* Frank Mir
* Fedor Emilianenko
* The Diaz Brothers
* Jon Fitch
* B.J. Penn
* Chael Sonnen

Follow me on twitter - @BradMMATorch - Let me know what you think, or who you would add to this list!

[Josh Koscheck art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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