The 10 most controversial fighters in MMA

A dirty player inside the cage or a loudmouth on the mic outside of it. A man with a rap sheet or a few run-ins with the law or a guy you just plain love to hate.

What makes a controversial fighter in MMA today? It is all those things mentioned and more and when you can mix and match a little bit of each, then you've really had a Hall of Fame career to be proud of.

10. Brock Lesnar

Coming from the background he came from, namely World Wrestling Entertainment and all that his character brought with it, to his core being of living

9. Chris Leben

From the first time we all met and saw Chris Leben on season one of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, it was clear that he gained a certain energy and "kick" off of controversy in act and in word. off the beaten path, Brock Lesnar has always walked with controversy on his hulking shoulders.

8. Tito Ortiz

7. Josh Koscheck

6. Quinton Jackson

5. Michael Bisping

4. Jason Miller

3. Josh Barnett

2. Nick Diaz



The famous line with Nick Diaz has always been that he does not "play the game"—so to speak—in terms of the UFC and MMA in general. What that means exactly is purely and naturally all speculation, but it surely has had Diaz and the game's elite at odds and at a distance in the past several years.

1. Chael Sonnen

At first, it was the amusement in listening to Chael Sonnen talk and what came out of his mouth that was the controversy. Then it was the performance-enhancing drugs after his near mastery of Anderson Silva that pumped up his odd quotient. When the tales of fraud and money laundering came next was when I threw my hands up on Chael Sonnen.

by Dwight Wakabayashi