It’s Not All Sunshine and Rainbows in the World’s Top MMA Promotion… Some Fighters Have an Angry Existence, for Many Different Reasons… Check Out the Angriest High-Profile Fighters in the UFC Right Now…
MMA fighters are a special breed of people. While many of them are excellent at controlling their emotions, others channel them and use them to intensify their skills and power in the octagon. Fighters can get angry for any number of reasons.
Some of them have poor relationships with the UFC. It’s notorious for how ruthless it can be with its athletes. Others have dire relationships with other fighters, which can affect their legacies and how they move forward into the future.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at the UFC fighters who are the angriest right now. Some of them are absolutely furious, while others have chips on their shoulders. Check out the list below.
10. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Until she ran in Rose Namajunas, ‘Joanna Champion’ looked indestructible. Now she’s lost 3 of her last 4 across two divisions. It’s a sharp decline for one of the most vicious champions we’ve ever seen in any weight class – male or female.
Even worse, the Pole had a major falling out with the UFC before her fight with Valentina Shevchenko. She claims they attempted to breach a signed contract forcing her to fight a month earlier than planned. This meant she wouldn’t have had enough time to prepare in a fight camp. Joanna definitely isn’t a happy bunny right now.
9. Corey Anderson
The UFC light-heavyweight fighter is a very interesting case. With three wins on the trot and potentially next in line for a title shot against Jon Jones – if ‘Bones’ successfully defends his belt against Thiago Santos – you’d expect Anderson to be a happy man.
You’d be wrong. After the UFC 231 card was moved on a week’s notice to Inglewood, California, from Las Vegas because of Jon Jones’s picogram incident, Anderson flipped out. He was infuriated that fighters who behaved professionally were negatively affected because of Jones’s flaws. When you add in that the Texan’s wife was seven months pregnant and he struggled to get flights for her to come with him, you can see why he was angry.
8. Cris Cyborg
Arguably the greatest female fighter of all time – at the very least in the top three – moving to the UFC wasn’t the greatest decision the Brazilian ever made. Sure, it’s the most prestigious MMA promotion on the planet, but still, three years after her first fight for the company, the women’s featherweight division is practically nonexistent.
If you check the UFC website, Amanda Nunes is ranked as champion, but that’s literally it. There’s no top five, nevermind top fifteen. Add in the fact that she didn’t get an instant rematch and you can at least see why Justino is unhappy. Don’t expect her to stick around after the last fight of her current contract, against former Invicta champion Felicia Spencer in July at UFC 240.
7. Cody Garbrandt
‘No-Love’s’ current position is his own fault. Nobody made him brawl three times and lose three fights in a row by KO and TKO. But when it turns out that the man who took your belt and knocked you out twice was taking EPO, you’ve got a good reason to be annoyed.
Sure, the result may conceivably have been the same because of Garbrandt’s recent lack of fight IQ. However, losing to his greatest enemy and setting off his downward spiral has got to hurt a lot.
6. Jorge Masvidal
Perhaps the only fighter on this list who is just legitimately angry non-stop, the Cuban-Miami fighter is known for his short temper and refusal to back down. Leon Edwards felt the full brunt of his wrath after they went face-to-face in London.
The former streetfighter has no particular reason to be angry all of the time, he’s just a very intense dude. So when he talks about his fellows like Ben Askren, it is with scorn and disgust in his voice.
5. Nate Diaz
The reason we’ve only put Nate on this list and not his brother Nick is because the latter seems quite happy smoking weed and partying non-stop. Not Nate who has a tense relationship with the UFC. He was passed over for a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor and has arguably been undervalued the whole way through his career.
When you add in the shambles of his match-up with Dustin Poirier and the way the McGregor v Khabib promotion on the same day stole the thunder of his comeback, it’s clear he’s not exactly all smiles. Diaz will finally come back against Anthony Pettis this year.
4.Colby Covington
‘Chaos’ is another welterweight who just seems to be angry all the time. He can justify it partially because of the way he was stripped of his interim title. While most of his public manner is an act, he does have legitimate grievances with the UFC and has a point to prove in his division.
Nobody likes him and that’s got to eat at the Californian who doesn’t have the likeability or charisma of a Ben Askren or Conor McGregor to pull off trash talk. He’s got a chip on his shoulder for sure.
3. Alexander Volkanovski
Was the Ozzie’s fight against Jose Aldo the most entertaining ever? No of course not. However, it was a tactical masterclass against a man who has only been beaten by two other fighters and is the GOAT of the division. So you can understand why Volkanovski feels scorned by the UFC after being passed over for a title shot.
To make things worse, Frankie Edgar, who cut the line, is coming off a brutal KO loss to Brian Ortega. Yes, ‘The Answer’ is a legend and was promised a title shot before his loss to ‘T-City’, but that’s the chance he took. ‘The Great’ both deserves and earned that title shot. He’s understandably furious right now.
2. Tony Ferguson
Another fighter with a chip on his shoulder is Tony Ferguson. He’s just come back from some personal issues and we’re delighted to see that he’s recovered. However, his relationship with the UFC definitely isn’t 100% perfect. He was stripped of his interim title after getting a freak injury while on media duties for the company.
Now he has to watch Dustin Poirier get the title shot at lightweight ahead of him. ‘El Cucuy’ is the real number one contender. Let’s hope he gets that shot before its too late.
1. Stipe Miocic
On paper, he’s the most successful heavyweight in the history of the UFC. He’s the only 245lber to defend the belt three times. He’s also beaten a whole bevvy of killers, even if some were past their prime. That’s why he has waited a year to get the chance to rematch with Daniel Cormier.
He was furious that he didn’t get that shot straight away. This was made worse by DC claiming to have a shoulder injury and then taking a fight against Derrick Lewis straight away. Add in the whole Francis Ngannou debacle, where the UFC blatantly promoted the Cameroonian instead of their champion, and it’s clear why Miocic is not a happy man. DC should be afraid.
