10 Fighters Who Were MMA's Main Character

[@MMAOnPoint]

We cut out the intro on this one. Did you guys like us just getting straight into the video? Not to say it makes sense to do this every time, but just felt right on this one.

[@Dvd.Rmrz1219]

I liked it

[@christopherhegarty1565]

Video is fine without the intro I was just a little thrown off at first

[@danfarias07]

Worked great for this video

[@nonamelimit329]

WHO CARES ABOUT THE INTRO JUST UPLOAD YOUR PROSPECTS OF 2025 AND FIGHTS TO MAKE VIDEOS AND STOP WASTING OUR TIME WITH IRRELEVANT VIDEOS!

[@Deneye_]

Honestly, didn’t notice till i read this. Your intro is short and sweet. But it was nice just diving right in. I like the mixup.

[@SoobaLopa]

I’m very glad that Poatan got mentioned at the end because I definitely think he is the new main character

[@Aknight292]

Definitely, he's the guy right now

[@KnockoutNationHub]

Exactly and these champs will get their belt n defend every 10-15 events POATAN said naaa 291, 295, 300, 303 AND 307???!???? Who else has done anything like that fr

[@marcoaf18]

I agree. He’s the face of mma rn

[@billycole852]

​@@KnockoutNationHubif you're confident in your craft and your prime years, that's how it should go. It's weird how many guys rocket to the top, become champion and then slow way down. Makes it seem like they lose their confidence once they become champ. I get they want to hang on to the belt for as long as possible, but if you're the shit, ain't nobody taking it anytime soon. But i don't fight in a cage for a living so what do i know.

[@Adixon5]

Naaaaah McGregor would still overshadow whatever fight he’s got booked if he returned

[@isaacmata5037]

GSP was so fucking badass. From the Japanese headband to the karate Gi. This guy was a bad mf

[@gerwen1]

Nobody before or since has shown as much respect for the sport, the cage, and the opponent. He was like a samurai of myth, bowing to the arena, then to his opponent before and after decapitating him.

[@MachineintheMonkey]

@@gerwen1Lyoto Machida also had the utmost respect to his craft and opponents

[@gerwen1]

@@MachineintheMonkey True. I expect it's no coincidence that they both come from Karate backgrounds. Add Wonderboy in there too maybe. He's not as formal as the other two, but similar.

[@MachineintheMonkey]

@@gerwen1 and don’t forget Sensei “l ate my last body double” Seagal!…👊

[@Lua64]

"just cause he walks to the octagon in his pajamas he's a martial artist and im not?"

[@chrisgreene2632]

the "Chama" at the end... brilliant!

[@Karim-8055]

No hate, but how can someone be a UFC fan and mispronounce chama so badly? And not know what the word means either...

[@johngotti3487]

@@Karim-8055relax kid…

[@Karim-8055]

@@johngotti3487 who you are calling kid

[@SkinnyArmsNovak]

@@Karim-8055you don’t know how someone could be a UFC fan without knowing what Chama means??? You think everyone who’s ever enjoyed the UFC product has bothered looking up what that word means? According to Alex himself in a post fight interview “Chama can mean anything, positive or negative”. So I can see why an MMA fan might not know that Chama means ‘to be on fire’ in Portuguese and is a joking slang honorific in Japan.

[@connorglover8440]

​​@@SkinnyArmsNovak Thanks for the clarification. Been a fan for decades, even saw the chama moment live, and I had absolutely no clue what it really meant and couldn't be bothered to look it up. So thanks again.

[@wrtchd]

"perfect win over glover texeira" while showing the eyepoke😂

[@DragonHeart613]

He still outclassed Glover. Glover had zero answers for Jones.

[@nickphaux]

@@DragonHeart613The JBJ hate train is real right now, brother.. I wouldn’t wanna get caught in front of it. 😂

[@JamesHeinrich-vk7vz]

I still can't believe he chased down a mugger and poked him in the eye. Or when he drove into a pregnant woman whilst drunk and got out and poked her in the eye before running off. Or when he had that domestic altercation with his gf when he poked her in the eye.

[@IbrahimIbrahim-vu3zb]

@@nickphaux Doesn't matter, he is the biggest swine in MMA, rn holding the division, threatened to slap his opponent's wife, making fun of a guy who got his house invaded, gets into trouble with the police, cheated a lot and got away with it, failed multiple drug tests and is still in the UFC.

[@HelloyHelolyt]

@@nickphaux won't stop unless he beats tom

[@Jvargier0]

The fact that Fedor had a Fight last year is nuts

[@ve2430]

Lol casuals will say he couldn't even beat Ryan Bader haha. Even though it's been 23 years since his debut

[@gentlemandemon]

I still love that clip of Forrest Griffin describing Silva looking at him like he was stupid for swinging and missing. Anderson Silva in my head is up there with Fedor and Mighty Mouse as "people who are as good at this fighting as is humanly possible"

[@beanswater]

The first time I watched that match, I thought Forrest was intentionally throwing the fight because it was so one sided.

[@bowenhorne0616]

Lunch break, a burger, and a new MMA on Point video, maybe today isn’t so bad after all

[@MMAforBreakfast]

Exactly the same 🍔

[@steve_en5903]

Can Tommy PLEASE narrate all your videos? The dude just has such a charismatic voice

[@C-er3ik]

Agreed. Way better than that foreign guy that talks funny.

[@axltothemaxl5368]

Perfect timing, I'm pre-opping for my colonoscopy right now. My ass boutta be the man character 😤

[@TheWatcher60401]

On the main stage!

[@MuhGlassRibs]

godspeed, brother

[@brianroom]

You’re lucky Jon jones isn’t in your room. You’re not walking out

[@ryanlikeshiking]

Hang in there pal!

[@Mixed-Media-Arts]

Too comfy with strangers

[@kozmik7866]

I love how this video just gets straight to the point, no intro, just straight into it!

[@haydenglendenning4305]

Chama. As Will Ferrel once said. "Nobody knows what it means but it's provocative. It gets the people going"

[@oboroth51]

Fedor's aura is still unmatched

[@ve2430]

When he first lost to that sneaky troll werdum, it felt like the world instantly changed and nothing made sense. Meanwhile big nog made easy work of werdum and hendo back in the day and prime Fedor destroyed him

[@thekingofnorway3465]

Usually I have to wait to see if Tommy is narrating... THIS JUST TOOK ME BY SURPRISE.

[@Remaine]

That’s exactly how I consume content on this channel too haha

[@Daxcheese555]

Sakuraba was the main character of MMA after Royce's run and before/during Tito's reign. Sakuraba was the reason Pride got such huge attendance numbers and his defeating of the Gracies is like a movie plot. He was far bigger than Tito and Chuck Liddell

[@chucklebutt4470]

Hmmm I gotta disagree. I'm an enormous Saku fan and used to stay up all night watching PRIDE shows live in the early 2000s but unless you were Japanese or a hardcore MMA fan you probably didn't know him.

[@bitchimightbe3773]

No

[@mgla517]

I only clicked on the video to see if Saku would be mentioned in it

[@kalebnolan8343]

I’ve never once looked at Tito and thought “man that guy is cool”

[@offhandacoustic]

More like "man, that guy is a tool"

[@dablonz6852]

The early 2000s were a hell of a time

[@AndrewJW]

We must return to the age of numetal 🤣

[@C-er3ik]

That's because you weren't around back then.

[@offhandacoustic]

@C-er3ik I was, and I always thought he was a tool

[@krispybananaz]

If Ben Askren isn’t here, throw the list away.

[@shko-mi]

I don't know if you're joking or not but there were a couple of months when he was all the rage - a mythical dadbod of Rogan's wet dreams coming to destroy everything we ever knew about MMA.

[@bassbrother81]

The fact Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones are on here is enough to throw it away😂. I have zero respect for roid head cheaters

[@DragonHeart613]

Why would you list as an MMA protagonist a guy most famous for having his head ripped off by a 3 Second 1st Round Flying Knee.

[@krispybananaz]

@@DragonHeart613 its a joke

[@austintgod9621]

​@@DragonHeart613 Bruh,u need to take a class on how to spot a joke and when to be serious.

[@mohammadgilani3363]

I think Khabib should have been on this list. That new era of Dagestani domination started with him. Dominating in the most packed division and leaving without a scratch. Not to mention the "father's plan" which is something out of a movie with father's favorite student Islam, now dominating the division and becoming the undisputed number 1 pound for pound fighter of the ufc.

[@zakk219]

GSP and Chuck, along with Matt Hughes, made me a fan of MMA. I still have a ton of respect for what those guys did for the sport.

[@gerwen1]

Great video all around guys. Well done!

[@josejaime_]

Fedor was something else... i was there at time and im still here, and Fedor was the very best

[@anthonymcbride7916]

Videos like this are what makes me a subscriber to this channel. A classic as always!

[@jacobcrowley1675]

Great Video as always Tommy.

[@iamgwilliam]

Poatan has reached that main character status IMHO like you said he's got it all and is saving ppv cards and also has a following from all around the world who love to watch him fight and love him as a person. CHAMA MMA ON POINT!

[@williamjordan9237]

Thank for the upload.

[@shko-mi]

All jokes aside, Uncle Chael made himself a main character on more than one occasion - most importantly when challenging for Silva's belt. He overshadowed Anderson so hard it was sad to watch at some points.

[@harrygreb3457]

To be fair tho...that's like saying Tank Abbott was the biggest star before Tito...it's 100 percent true but he didn't really fit the criteria based on the fighters on this list

[@DragonHeart613]

@shko-mi Chael didn't overshadow Anderson when it came to the actual fighting & title-winning.

[@zagdyo9115]

Chael is less the main character and more the secondary character that steals the show and people like even more than the protagonist.

[@billyrobertson5213]

@@zagdyo9115best description

[@WoodlandsWorld]

@@zagdyo9115 Right? He is like team rocket

[@jayr2138]

When I first saw Jon fight I knew I was watching something special. Gsp was the face of mma for a time and will always be my goat..but watching Anderson in his prime was a feeling I wish every mma fan could have experienced. You really felt like this man was trained by the gods.

[@bassbrother81]

Jones? Special advantage maybe, can't say I respect the goat roid taker but silva is a goat for sure, if not the best to ever do it

[@raphaelbarreto2486]

@@bassbrother81 I agree with you on disqualifying Jon but Anderson also popped for PED's so you have to disqualify him too.

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the video

[@smokinnplatez1426]

Randy couture come on. I remember him being the old guy defying odds

[@ve2430]

I'm a big randy fan but he was more of a side quest. He'd win a few, lose a few, get the belt, lose it, get it back. Was still amazing to watch.

[@smokinnplatez1426]

@ve2430 the subject main character not win streak

[@patwalsh1045]

if anderson silva would have just retired before the weidman fight he would literally be the goat by miles over anyone else, he would be revered the way michael jordan is in basketball. if we had never seen him lose people wouldnt even have viewed it as possible, he would be picked to beat jon jones in a hypothetical dream fight had he retired on top, people were that enamored by him

[@billyrobertson5213]

It’s a fact for all fighters I believe pfp in their prime the best fighter to live has to be DJ tbh

[@NeilCampbell1]

Yeah, peak Anderson was untouchable. Still the GOAT for me.

[@HelloyHelolyt]

@@billyrobertson5213 Rush

[@HelloyHelolyt]

yeah but oh well at least he made some more money

[@billyrobertson5213]

@@HelloyHelolyt it’s between them two imo never popped and was always respectful the representation of MMA should be those two

[@Ezol1]

Alex Pereira reminds me of Fedor in a way with that stoic presence and dominant finishing ability. He likes media alot more than Fedor did though and use it to increase his popularity massively.

[@theo.ftbl1]

i love mma on point so much best breakdown of mma youtube account ❤

[@ynotefil]

Been Sick. Barely Watching Everything I've Missed. MMA Right On Point 💯

[@Dizzylittlelord]

Really really enjoyed this piece as well as the addition of Alex at the end as he is currently a must watch and absolutely the most popular fighter right now. Love the shout out to Fedor as always I'll be watching that edit now

[@shawnrickman970]

Damn I'm early on this one. Love this channel

[@Jay-jk8lk]

It’s cool to see that there were personalities that emerged to help grow the sport from the beginning but Connor was so big that he took the sport to a level where it didn’t need one personality anymore. The UFC IS the personality now.

[@buddhapork]

Good one tommy 👌

[@KayleKehret]

Solid list. Hard to argue against any of them. Honorable mention goes to Matt Hughes.

[@snakeking5009]

Jon Jones being a GSP fanboy is something I'd never thought I'd see lol.

[@DCJames_2489]

Awesome video!!!

[@mcryan3890]

Soundtrack banging on this one.

[@CornerStoreDrums]

MMA On Point ALWAYS comes correct! 💯

[@tob91]

Sakuraba, Wanderley and Cro Cop had moments in pride where they were way more revered than Fedor. Fedor was the best, for sure. But pride favorites... saku 99-00, wandy 01-04, cro cop in the final years...

[@trentonbooth3046]

This list is so accurate 😮‍💨

[@Poet801]

I'll never forget being in jail during the Lesnar/Carwin fight, literally everyone waited until head count that night for the "chill" deputy to hop on the intercom and let us know who won the fight. Regardless of how you feel about Lesnars run, his impact on the sport is w/o question, pre-cursor to the McGregor era.

[@danseth5775]

I was in jail during the GSP vs Bisping but nobody described the fight for me

[@declamatory]

I've never been in jail.

[@HelloyHelolyt]

@@danseth5775 cap

[@johnatlas3452]

5:34 I love that Fedor highlight! Gets me so amped!

[@MichaelSpikes-pv6kl]

Good video

[@dazwall5092]

Great video. I classify main characters by weight class, but the Heavyweight division is always number 1; especially going back to the beginning of the UFC.

[@YtLoomis-l8w]

Tommy the 🐐

[@declamatory]

When are you going to propose to him?

[@prestonkitchen7032]

Good list, honorable mention to the Axe Murderer and Khabib.

[@Fate198]

Khabib? What did he sell lol no influence on sports

[@MohammedSaulehMukaddam]

@@Fate198 Dude have way more influence than most of these people on the list its not always about money those caucasians and central asians in the sport arriving in the ufc caused by khabib dominant victory over conor that match changed the whole trajectory

[@Fate198]

@@MohammedSaulehMukaddam he got his influence from conor dude was a prelims fighter

[@SA0450]

@@Fate198 thanks to him, muslims all over the world started watching UFC. He’s also the reason for UAE involvement in the sport now. Has the largest following out of everyone here, after Conor

[@HelloyHelolyt]

@@SA0450 jon jones

[@jas.digitalnative]

Perfect list. Even that ending, glad to see Poatan getting this new wave support. CHAMA

[@Wolfsong27FlyHalfFullHeart]

I don’t care what anyone say Michael bisping fighting with one eye all throughout his career to lose to Dan Henderson to win a belt against an cocky Luke rockhold to finally avenge his loss to Dan Henderson, wow what a career

[@christopherfigueroa9932]

Fire video

[@fxandrei]

Man, this video gave me goosebumps. Having gone through every single fighter here, and remembering every single one of them really game me chills. EDIT: Chama

[@kaisersozay8978]

Chama Tommy. Another great piece. And, I think it's means whatever you want it to at the time. So, context is important. 😂

[@thediaz07]

Anderson Silva is the goat imo. But jones and gsp are obviously up there too. I just rate Silva slightly above them.

[@bassbrother81]

Lesnar and Jones may have been main characters but don't let this distract you from the fact they both popped multiple times for peds, wouldn't even put them near the goat conversation😂

[@bassbrother81]

Silva and gsp definitely goated

[@Dewitt-b8n]

Silva tested positive for PEDS​@@bassbrother81

[@laszlovarga_]

fedor would beat every single man that ever lived

[@thediaz07]

@@bassbrother81 lol. I don't like Jones as a person but as a fighter he's great. W.o peds he'd still be champ.

[@eddiehauser6661]

I've never seen that clip of GSP leaving Jones hanging like that, lol. I doubt it was an intentional snub, but it's still funny, especially the disappointed look on Jon's face!

[@kmax1223]

Adesanya was definite main character during his reign before Poatan dethroned him

[@southernsportsweekly]

Just today at work I was talking to one of my younger coworkers about Pereira and telling him how I haven’t seen anything like Poatan since Chuck. I get off and watch this new video of Tommy saying the same thing.

[@mattyyoungcloudsart3008]

I remember the very first time I tuned in to watch a UFC. I can’t recall ever tuning in to watch it before that night, BUT when they showed the stars sitting in the crowd and showed GSP, I was like “hey that guy! I recognize him”… that moment always stuck with me, showing how popular he was. Wish you left JJ off the list just to mess with him lol

[@goodnewsfromcj]

Adesanya absolutely was a main character at the peak of his run.

[@coltsinglearmy]

Good video!

[@ENDryuPL]

Very cool video topic!

[@sainttrai]

Izzy has to be number 11. From 2018 to 2022 he was the biggest active fighter with highlight reel KO's and he was on the cover of the game

[@kmax1223]

I dont understand how he counts a rising star and not main character, he's all people talked about during his reign, fans and detractors alike

[@shahidabdoullakhanzorovr1564]

Who tf bought the game?

[@BlackWolf-vs6uo]

He had like 3 KOs and then decicions

[@HelloyHelolyt]

@@shahidabdoullakhanzorovr1564 everyone

[@callumlamb7550]

He should have been but self sabotaged it with boring fights and Cejudo-like ability on the mic

[@donniedoesdishes]

great video

[@dablonz6852]

Tommy Toehold is the GOAT

[@TheAshura858]

Conor makes me sad, as a fan, this guy really inspired me a lot, seeing what he became now, fuck

[@Jamal-bl7yh]

Mock Me If You Want To But Brock Lesnar Was the guy who Solidfied my MMA fandom because In 2009 I stopped watching WWE TNA Impact was a year from the Hulk Hogan Take Over and my brief MMA Exposure was Bodog fights In 12th Grade so It was the perfect timing and a Former WWE Wrestler was the Golden Ticket hell I wouldn't had Watched Bellator MMA for 7 years without Brock Lesnar he's my Barack Obama and Stick by that

[@JahEerie]

As a proud Irish MMA fan, McGregor's fall from grace feels tragic.

[@artiefufkin88]

Great list, that was fun to go thru. I'd argue Alex Pereira is the current one of these. He has the fights that everyone says they don't want to miss.... Oh wow, you got to it before I completed the video. Nice XD

[@platonicbuu7454]

Royce needs an asterisk for his shenanigans

[@ralphbryanpalma3317]

after Conor, i would say Khabib (18-20), Izzy (20-22), Poatan (present), probably Ilia Khabib was so popular after beating Conor, being undefeated and opened the possibility of yearly PPV event in middle east, also brings fan's attention to Dagestani fighters. Izzy's rise from 2018 until his fight with Jan is one of the peak popularity, it's like Anderson 2.0, you need to watch his fights to see techniques and magic Poatan caught fans' attention since his win over strickland and since he is the last guy to beat Izzy in MW (but in kickboxing). He kinda lost the popularity when he lost to Izzy un the rematch but regained it by winning the LHW belt, last year he had 3 title defenses in a span of like 5 or 6 months and headlined ufc 300 in his very first defense Ilia's back-to-back KO wins of Volk and Max in FTW should have made him a star, everybody talks about him now it's just that Poatan is also at his peak and he came earlier.

[@laszlovarga_]

khabib??? you cant be main character by beating 5 guys in total and even tat is once per year

[@tdogg1157]

Khabibs only famous because of Conor. His ppv numbers after Conor dropped massively. Looks like his fans didn’t want to watch him that much.

[@kers-t6z]

Rampage should be on list

[@OfficerMcNastty]

If only Conners ego didn’t get the best of him 🫠

[@raydeluge6566]

Glad poatan got mentioned at the end

[@Mghol1968]

That menacing "Poatan" stare is badazz

[@rasberrydefender1930]

I think after Izzy was veeeery close, but just Alex really reached that main character status

[@KeptFaith]

Sneaky number 11 Chama 😂 Alex Pereira you are the new superstar the fans desperately need.

[@willowproxy4346]

I guess all but two of these. I paused at the beginning and said who I thought my 10 would be. The two who I said that were wrong were Bas Rutten and Randy Couture. The two who were on the list who I didn't guess were Tito Ortiz who I've always considered second rate because he is. I may not be the biggest Randy Couture guy, but I kind of feel like he got snubbed here and got Tito put in his place. The other one I missed due to a complete brain fart and forgot all about Anderson Silva for a minute. Had I remembered him in that moment, I would have picked him over Bas.

[@sevourn]

I think out of all the omissions, Sakuraba has the biggest argument for making the top 10.

[@malachicampbell4125]

Poatan looks like a hitman everytime.

[@XxXFlyingArmBarXxX]

Forget that fraud rousey. #2 McGregor, and #1 is Poatan, but no one will ever be as big as conor was in his prime. He had Michael Jordan aura

[@jackpd34]

lol loved how you changed the thumbnail from Conor McRaper to Chuck "nosebeers" Liddell

[@thomashawersaat8874]

I think you forgot the undefeated GOAT. Chael Sonnen

[@chad_b]

I think it was because the video is says they WERE the main character. Chael always has been and always will be the main character

[@DragonHeart613]

​@@chad_bChael wasn't an MMA Protagonist. He was an MMA Antagonist.

[@chad_b]

@@DragonHeart613 so were multiple people listed in this video. What's your point?

[@DragonHeart613]

@@chad_b You're the one who called Chael a main character. I merely corrected you in that Chael was never the main character but the main villain. He acted like a villain & as is usually the case with villains, he got beat. Chael was the antagonist in Anderson's story than made a cameo appearance in Jon's own story.

[@chad_b]

@DragonHeart613 villains can be main characters too. A few of the fighters on this list have played the role of the villain

[@VmalumX6X6]

Alex definitely deserves the main character title bro is the biggest star we have

[@Bedardo12]

11:24 I approve of this subtle shade

[@redbaron5308]

Fedor still has main character energy. That dude is a great.

[@mstieler8480]

re: Brock - I still remember working at a hotel when the WWE Smackdown roster came through when Brock was on it. The security guard brought the little door-hanger you could fill out ahead of time to pre-order breakfast that was on Brock's door. There was no fewer than four full breakfasts on there. That blew my mind that dude could put that much down. Side-note to this: this is also the same time my boss drove Farooq & Eddie Guerrero to Denny's at sometime around midnight or 1 AM because it was the only place open for food nearby. I don't know why it cracks me up so much; my boss oblivious to the two legends in her car, driving to Denny's of all places.

[@cperez1000]

Anderson prime was Neo, loved seeing him live

[@raxyznkJ]

I was really wondering what would be put at number 2. I was really hoping Ronda would be there, but at the same time, was scared you might put Khabib in there... But glad that u didn't disappoint XD

[@ngare.k]

I first got into MMA after hearing Brock Lesnar was fighting in the UFC ("The guy I watched in WWE?") after which I watched UFC casually. After that, I watched GSP casually, But I seriously got into the UFC after Conor McGregor vs Brandao. Ever since then, the proper order since I got into it was: Conor - Khabib - Izzy - Poatan. CHAMA.

[@Dewitt-b8n]

Tito ' I work out 6 days 5 days a week" 😂

[@kazylkabezshtanishek]

Tank Abbot? Don Frye? BJ Penn? Khabib? Izzy?

[@WheelChairwayToHeaven]

Royce Gracie winning the first tournament made jiu jitsu cool but Nick Diaz slapping a gogo gadget plata on Pride Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi while Nick was high as a kite made jiu jitsu Life. It was practically black magic at the time for us filthy casuals

[@chucklebutt4470]

The mean mugging and double middle fingers with the gogo locked in was iconic.

[@iwanvickery6547]

poatan still so at main character over Conor. Mcgregors star is dwindling and if you follow the sport you don’t like him anymore but he’s still the only crossover mainstream fighter at the moment. If he retired now Alex will be the most popular but even that doesn’t have him as high as the others on the list. At the minute the ufc doesn’t feel like it’s got a mega star.

[@billyrobertson5213]

If Charles beats Islam per say or if Alex beats Ankalaev or Tom beats Jon jones decisively then they go to mega star status to me

[@zachmartin3347]

Honestly I feel like khabib/Islam brother duo picked up the reigns when McGregor left 2018. They really opened the door to Eastern Europe top tier fighters for like 3-4 years. Then Poatan came in hot 2022 winning over izzy. Sure Islam is still champ but 1 fight last year...

[@Ordinarymanners]

Me: I'm a hardcore fan Also me: "Tsjama - Alex Pereira"

[@constipatedsheep6864]

The fact that Rhonda got popular is mind boggling to me

[@souvikroy3245]

Chama is a motivational word... Sort of "Let's Go" or "Yeah"

[@haroldoboy6716]

You forgot Andersons triangle against a bjj champ in luter!