It has been another tremendous year for mixed martial arts. 2016 saw the complete rise of Conor McGregor. Of course it all began with McGregor’s capture of the UFC featherweight title in late 2015. But the work he put together in two fights against Nate Diaz and then historically winning a second title is nothing short of epic.
The UFC also sold for a whopping $4.2-billion, and previous owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta left the MMA industry. Dana White stayed on as President, for better or for worse. And long-time UFC broadcaster Mike Goldberg was relieved of his position after over a decade of service.
A lot of fans jumped the MMA bandwagon this year. And although 2016 was absolutely phenomenal, 2017 promises to be even better.
There are however, a few rough spots. As in every company, not all employees are created equal. There will always be a few bad apples here and there.
As a special end of year piece, we’ve opened the voting to the biggest scumbags of 2016 in MMA, and the results were stunning to say the least.
Let’s take a look at the nominees for the Biggest Scumbag In MMA In 2016, followed by the big reveal of the winner.
Nominee #1: Jon Jones
Perhaps the best fighter of his era, but never quite able to keep it all together, Jon Jones had a terrible year.
After serving a suspension for all the crap he pulled the previous year, Jones returned to the Octagon in April.
Although he thoroughly defeated Ovince St. Preux, it was a sloppy performance at best and he looked far from his usual self.
After that bout, Jones was then scheduled to challenge Daniel Cormier. But with only a few days remaining before the fight, Jones was caught with banned substances by USADA. The fight was scrapped, and Jones served yet another suspension.
It’s hard to be a fan of “Bones”. You keep trying to tell yourself he’ll be back better than ever, but then he continues to disappoint. He could have been the best to ever do it, if only he had the ability to keep himself together.
But every time it matters, Jones falls apart at the seams.
Nominee #2: Ronda Rousey
There are losers and then there are sore losers. Ronda Rousey belongs in the latter category, no doubt about it.
Following her loss to Holly Holm late last year, Rousey kept largely outside the public eye. She avoided media like the plague and skipped on paparazzi whenever TMZ tried to stick a camera in her face.
You would think coming off a loss, Rousey would be chomping at the bits to get right back in there and redeem herself. Guess she is just not built that way.
Now, Rousey is set to return to the Octagon to take on reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Many feel Rousey does not deserve an immediate title shot in her first fight back. But the Olympic judo gold medalist strut her stuff and got the title shot with ease.
Can’t blame Rousey though, she sells the tickets. Doesn’t matter how many people start to hate her, there’s no denying Rousey drives the revenue.
However the worst part is, even during the lead up to the fight with Nunes, Rousey has continued to avoid any media appearance. We just haven’t seen her anywhere at all. And this includes fight week, when it’s the busiest before the actual bout.
What turns people off more, her complete refusal to appear on camera? Or the fact that whenever she is on camera, she acts all high and mighty? Let voters tell us what’s up.
