Poll: Who is the biggest star in the UFC?
by Jesse Holland on Jul 22, 2011 4:57 PM EDT
in UFC News
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According to UFC President Dana White, who was a recent guest on Boomer & Carton on WFAN in New York (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), it's none other than welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre.
The Zuffa boss also pegs Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva as top dogs in their respective weight classes.
"There's a lot. Brock Lesnar is still a big star for us. We've got Anderson Silva, who is the best fighter in the world. Rampage Jackson is a big star for us ... We have premier fighters in every weight class. We have been very lucky because we have so many stars. When he asked me a couple of minutes ago who's your biggest star? If I had to pick one biggest start I'd say Georges St. Pierre is our biggest star."
White, naturally, has a biased opinion. What's yours? Vote in our poll after the jump and let us know "Who is the biggest star in the UFC."
Anyone think St. Pierre's inability to secure a finish in recent fights hurts his popularity? Or Lesnar's on-again, off-again relationship with his intestines? How important is actual ability as it pertains to influencing your vote?
Sound off!
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Clearly Danny Abbadi.
"I've been blessed with a big old ghetto booty." -- Shane Carwin
Fan of: Cole Miller, Amir Sadollah, Alan Belcher, Bones Jones, Frank Mir
after January, MMA's biggest star will be Gina Carano
I’m surprised Chuck and Randy are not on this list, even in their waning years they were still big draws.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
nah. celebrity.
anderson silva is the biggest mma star, his fighting style and technique wins.
I am who i is.
"star" has nothing to do with his technique
Anderson is probably the best fighter in the UFC, but by no means the biggest star. He’s been booed out of the auditorium on several occasions and probably is responsible for more refund demands than any other champion due to his half-assed performances against mid-level talent like Cote, Leites, & Maia. I bet Tito and BJP draw more buys than Silva. He may be the best fighter in the sports history, but he’s nowhere near the most popular or biggest draw and is as likely to tank a main event as to bank one.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
How can Anderson be the best fighter in the UFC?
He gets owned by wrestlers like Sonnen. Sure Sonnen lost in the end, but he isn’t well rounded and has shown many times that his BJJ sucks. GSP is the most well rounded fighter and has shown that he can beat any style put in front of him. GSP hardly loses a round in years, let alone gets dominated for 4.75 rounds like Silva. Silva has had fights where he was scared to engage (scared of Cote’s power and scared of Almedia’s and Maia’s jits). Silva will be exposed as soon as he fight’s a well rounded great wrestler. GSP is every bit as good a wrestler as Sonnen (if not better) , but he wouldn’t get subbed like Sonnen did. Make the super fight happen already so we can put this to rest. GSP will do to Anderson what Sonnen did without getting subbed.
agree with everything you said except the GSP/Silva “superfight”. Silva is way too big for GSP. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. IF they were the same size, even within 15 lbs of each other (in reality, not on weigh-in day) then I’d say GSP would dominate Silva worse than Chael did. But in reality, Chael has 30 lbs of muscle that GSP doesn’t have and to assume that a guy 30 lbs smaller could accomplish the same thing is naive.
I think GSP has consistently faced higher caliber opponents than Silva has, and has proven himself to be a champion with his attitude and work ethic, not just his talent, while I think Silva has used the loophole in the weight-class system to avoid figthing the top guys his own size at 205. However I believe that he has the ability to go to 205 and clean it out as well, if he had the courage. Of course, that’s pure speculation, but based on the ease with which he dominates his best opponents, I think Silva is overall the more talented fighter, though stylistically GSP has the perfect skillset necessary to beat Silva, but not the size.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
liddel couture II & III
where the biggest fights in the companys history until the aquisition of p*@!e
by dia mette on Jul 22, 2011 11:25 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
just curious
how does one go about acquiring “p*@!e” and is it high in Omega 3s and antioxidants?
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
that word is a bad word around here people claim it was a fake and its fighters were no good
Yet
Shogun ran through the ufc biggest star and became the companys champion
Nogeria submitted the companys longtime hw champion and became the companys interim champion
Quinton became the companys champion and defended and is trying to become the champion again
Henderson was the #1 contender in two weight classes and lost both times to p*@$e fighers who were both the companys champion. And now dan is currently a champion
The current best p4p fighter hails from the p%@*e org which produced the best fighters
But i guess it was all a sham
by dia mette on Jul 23, 2011 1:08 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
yeah PRIDE fighters clearly sucked
compared to the UFC champs of that era. Yet somehow right here in the USA under the supervision of the commissions,
Chuck got put to sleep by a guy straight out of PRIDE
Rich traded his belt for a free rhinoplasty from a guy straight out of PRIDE
Sylvia and Couture both got beat by a PRIDE has=been.
The Machida Era ended before it really began.
Arianny mysteriously jumped 2 cup sizes the day after meeting Rampage.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
ufc stars forrest griffin and rashad evans beat your boy rampage, forrest wait didn’t he choke out shogun too? and didn’t frank mir and cain v make nog into a punching bag? you can’t possibly say anderson was a pride star either he wasn’t anything til the ufc brought him in
riiiight....which is why he got a Title Shot after only ONE FIGHT in the UFC.
just because YOU didn’t know who Anderson was B4 UFC doesn’t mean anything. Rich Franklin sure as hell knew who Anderson was. He said before that fight that Anderson was gonna be by far the most dangerous guy he’d ever fought. And this was long after he’d KO’d “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” and Evan Tanner and had fought Machida.
Don’t forget that before coming to the UFC, Anderson had already KO’d former UFC champ and PRIDE mega-star Carlos Newton, and beaten British sensation Lee Murray and MMA legend Jeremy Horn.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
1) Forrest didn’t beat Rampage, he got a gift-wrapped decision. He only clearly won 1 round of that fight. Rampage clearly won 3 rds and 1 was up in the air. Should have been 48-46 Rampage or 47-47….No way Forrest won.
2) Rampage didn’t get beat by Rashad, he got outsmarted by Phil Jackson (suprise surprise!)
3) Shogun was a paraplegic when he fought Forrest. That fight shoulda been held in the Special Olympics.
5) Nog fought Mir with a heinous extra-terrestrial staff infection that had him hospitalized the week before the fight. Don’t you find it a little strange that the guy reputed to have the most granite chin in MMA got KOd by a jab from someone who’d never KOd anyone before?
6) Cain is a new breed and the current HW champ, vs a Nog much diminished from when he first came over to the UFC 3 years earlier and tore through the UFC HW division like a hot knife through butter.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
brock lesnar
hands down, look at the ppv numbers
Lots of ways to make money besides PPV buys.
Everybody knows who the PPV king is, but that wasn’t the question.
Starting a petition to bring Cote back to the UFC. Who's with me?
mma's biggest star is dana white......
you idiots have turned me into a troll, i hope your fucking happy...........
by freedomthrtyfve on Jul 22, 2011 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
GSP for sure
He’s the face of the UFC right now. He’s the one on magazine covers, and commercials. He’s also got the highest profile sponsors. It’s really not even close. Chuck Liddell was probably the closest thing to GSP.
Sean Salmon
A burning passion from a burning mass reaches up for the sky
by Shoguns Hairy Forearms. on Jul 22, 2011 5:03 PM EDT reply actions
come on dude, this is supposed to be serious......
Jacob Volkmann
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
Gabe Reudiger?
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
Rolles Gracie?
No escaping pain
You belong to me
Clinging on to life
By the skin o' my teeth
by d*locc on Jul 22, 2011 6:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Jonathan Goulet?
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
hahaha....
you idiots have turned me into a troll, i hope your fucking happy...........
by freedomthrtyfve on Jul 22, 2011 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Winner^^^ right here
I like bacon...
#1 Quinton Rampage the Dragon Slayer Jackson fan for LIFE..FTW!!! Nick Diaz would mop the floor with GSP and the fight with Sheilds confirms it!!!
The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his"
..."Son...you gotta panty on your head"...
Ahem.....
Where can I cast my vote for:
HAROLD FUCKING HOWARD
?
" Its a good thing you look good in that suit, cos that's all you're gonna be doing - wearing a suit."
how the hell do you have Sonnen up there instead of guys like..
Jon Jones, Cain Velasquez, JDS, Shogun, Machida, Rashad, BJ Penn.
Fighting solves everything.
Cain and Jones are at the top of my list……but they’re probably more under the category of “future” stars. If you really think about “Star” meaning up until now, it would have to be either GSP, with Anderson, Brock and BJ close behind.
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
Still sonen duznt fit that category.
No escaping pain
You belong to me
Clinging on to life
By the skin o' my teeth
by d*locc on Jul 22, 2011 6:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Largely due to where he was born
and the fact that everyone else in that country is B-level or lower
Anticipation has a habit to set you up for disappointment
I've never been to America but I've been in some states.
What is the difference between Justin Bieber and a snickers bar? A snickers bar has nuts.
The police label anyone attacking Chuck Norris as a code 45-11.....A suicide.
Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
and the fact that everyone else in that country is B-level or lower
Try telling that to Nate Diaz and Carlos Condit after fighting Rory MacDonald…..
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
Yeh he is up and coming but he isn't near the top yet IMO
Anticipation has a habit to set you up for disappointment
I've never been to America but I've been in some states.
What is the difference between Justin Bieber and a snickers bar? A snickers bar has nuts.
The police label anyone attacking Chuck Norris as a code 45-11.....A suicide.
Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
agreed….not at the top yet, but definitely above “B-level”. He’s a shit draw for anyone right now.
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
That's the point
GSP puts Canadian butts in Canadian seats more then anyone else puts butts in their respective countries seats
by jtc5150 on Jul 22, 2011 6:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
If the definition of “star” is the most recognizable MMA fighter on the planet, I would say it’s definitely GSP.
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
IMO the biggest UFC star is either BJ or Anderson.
My favorite K1 fighter:
Yuta Kubo the best 63-70kg striker in the world.
by Untitled_Artistry on Jul 22, 2011 5:08 PM EDT reply actions
It's Lesnar but it's probably changing
There’s a lot of fans that believe we have seen the last of Brock and even if he does return are people still going to be as pumped to see him? Remember this, Lesnar didnt start doing 1 million + until he fought for and defended the HW belt.
Next it’s St. Pierre he has done the best non-Lesnar PPV numbers but you have to wonder if he keeps taking people to decisions if it will begin to impact his numbers.
After that you get into the second category of stars. Silva, Rampage, Evans, Penn. If faced against the right guys they can do spectacular numbers but they can also do very poor numbers if people arent as interested in the opponent.
Taking into consideration mainstream appeal it has to be Brock or GSP.
I would favor GSP overall due to his big time sponsors like Under Armour. Brock may have more casual eyes on him but GSP is the biggest name in the sport not just the UFC
I would say its Rampage despite your strong argument in favor of GSP. I would have said Brock but the luster is gone, IMO.
"Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. Only enemies speak the truth." - Stephen King
Yes. TUF appearances, TV Talk Shows, Movies and the like. Plus, he is the most charismatic of all of the UFC fighters.
"Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. Only enemies speak the truth." - Stephen King
GSP also has TUF appearances, TV talk shows and movies.
Starting a petition to bring Cote back to the UFC. Who's with me?
You put GSP, Brock, Liddell, Couture, Silva, BJ and Rampage at different corners…..
And I’d wager ol retired chuck to have the biggest crowd.
Personally when I think UFC’s face, I think GSP.
'Primitive Magic is replaced by Religion, which in turn is replaced by Science'
-JGF
by *Californication* on Jul 22, 2011 8:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think you missed the words "in the UFC" in the title.
Ain’t nobody come here to talk about Chuck or Randy.
Starting a petition to bring Cote back to the UFC. Who's with me?
Canadian semantics.
Chuck still “works” for the UFC and we’ll see Randy again ;)
'Primitive Magic is replaced by Religion, which in turn is replaced by Science'
-JGF
by *Californication* on Jul 22, 2011 9:25 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
wanderlie
And im serious:)
NICK DIAZ.... champ 2011
by 209stk on Jul 22, 2011 5:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
If you really wanna talk about the biggest star........
watch this video…..probably the best video i have seen in my entire life.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/634f52e7d2/kenny-powers-the-k-swiss-mfc
Greatest P4P in the world......Cain Velasquez. Know it, Learn it, Live it.
Official Sig Bet Record - 5-2-2
Pending wagers:
Jay (Fedor will NOT finish Hendo)
Freenow82 (Schaub over Big Nog & Cain over JDS)
RogersPark Kris (Cain over JDS)
Enzo-enormous (Cain over JDS)
Somewhere....
Jon Fitch is still pissed off!
"Fuck Ceasar Gracie, and fuck the fuckin' Diaz brothers! Fuck'em all! I bury those cock-a-roaches!"-Rory MacDonald
by Fat Daddy Doobs on Jul 22, 2011 5:15 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
and everywere
Nobody still cares
NICK DIAZ.... champ 2011
by 209stk on Jul 22, 2011 5:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
You’d have to be real stupid to buy a GSP fight then skip a Jones fight, or Cain etc. I don’t know how he does it.
by danago on Jul 22, 2011 5:20 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Not sure who to vote for.
I’ll think on it.
Shields never eyepokes his opponent, so why all of a sudden is he throwing eyepokes every round against a guy he knows he can’t takedown?? Highly suspicious.
Two_Words.
And that's the word.
OK.
GSP it is then.
Shields never eyepokes his opponent, so why all of a sudden is he throwing eyepokes every round against a guy he knows he can’t takedown?? Highly suspicious.
Two_Words.
And that's the word.
Roy Big Country Nelson
Oh the other meaning of “Biggest”? Then yeah GSP.
by jestermarcus on Jul 22, 2011 6:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Lesnar
As sad is it is to admit,Brock pulls(or maybe better has pulled) monster numbers historically,and GSP,although extremely dominant,has been underwhelming(as far as high quality entertainment) in his last few bouts.
With that said,I think the 137 card is going to be a fuckin’ monster.Both in entertainment value as well as pay per view sales.I don’t buy as many PPV’s as I’d like(because of $$ issues),but I’ll be buying that card for sure.
by Spicy Chicken Wings on Jul 22, 2011 6:18 PM EDT reply actions
yup, cant have a cheater as a star
by dia mette on Jul 22, 2011 11:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Hands down Lesnar. All the money he has made for the ufc in a few short fights speaks for itself.
by BrockLesnar Budlight on Jul 22, 2011 6:43 PM EDT reply actions
Danna M.F White
is the biggest star in the ufc and he likes it that way.
Biggest star that is a fighter GSP or Lesner.
2/3 ain't to bad.
'Primitive Magic is replaced by Religion, which in turn is replaced by Science'
-JGF
by *Californication* on Jul 22, 2011 8:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
kimbo
Fedor Emelianenko. 9 years undefeated. 7 years #1 ranked Heavyweight. The absolute Greatest Fighter of All Time.
All this hugging and shit is nothing. K1 stand-up fight real knock-outs. - Badr Hari
Trying to draw out OJ still?
'Primitive Magic is replaced by Religion, which in turn is replaced by Science'
-JGF
by *Californication* on Jul 22, 2011 9:23 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
wtf??
dude why is bj penn not in the poll?..in 2009 and 2010,ufc made like $120million because of bj penn and brock lesnar..
white is obviously biased?
Why? Why would he be biased to sticking up for Gsp unless he’s the actual biggest star right now? I fail to see how this helps White to lie
http://www.mondaymorningblackbelt.com/
by daniel worby on Jul 22, 2011 10:10 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
because GSP is the most popular champ who's a company man
Andy is a diva and Brock is gastrointestinally unreliable and on a losing streak, leaving GSP as the most dependable cash cow in the company.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
therefore making him the biggest star
I still don’t understand
http://www.mondaymorningblackbelt.com/
by daniel worby on Jul 22, 2011 11:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
you don't understand what?
what makes GSP the biggest star…
why Dana would say that…
why Dana would lie…
what “star” means…
help me help you. LOL.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
the article brah: "White, naturally, has a biased opinion. What's yours?"
THAT ^ confuses me
http://www.mondaymorningblackbelt.com/
by daniel worby on Jul 23, 2011 1:17 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
how is he biased?
He firsthand should know if anybody. And he has nothing to gain by lying. Its his cashcow. Aka his star power. Aka the biggest star. I don’t follow why this would be a lie.
http://www.mondaymorningblackbelt.com/
by daniel worby on Jul 23, 2011 1:20 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Anderson
Gotta be the P4P king.. greatest fighter on the planet
by 10thDegreeWhiteBelt on Jul 22, 2011 10:31 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
which means nothing in terms of "star" power.
The guy refuses to speak English even though everyone knows he can, disrespects the fans & his opponents, and is the only standing UFC champ I can recall the UFC ever threatening to fire. He is not a big draw on his own, regardless of his P4P or GOAT status. .
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
Lol look at BJ Penn ppv numbers without a GSP on it. Brock alone can get you a million buys with no one else on the card. Take into consideration all the bars that are packed when Brock fights. When Penn fought Sherk the bar I went to had many 50 people. With Lesnar on any card you can’t get a seat anywhere in town.
by BrockLesnar Budlight on Jul 22, 2011 10:51 PM EDT reply actions
sad but true
I don’t think there’s any question that Brock is the biggest “star” in the UFC. Sadly his stardom has much more to do with his WWE fame than with his accomplishments in the Octogon.
"Who's da MASTA?!!!"
GSP!!! STFU!!!! He's a badass and he's proven it.
Next Anderson Silva. King of the most overrated division in the UFC!!!! He’s also a badass for holding the belt this long, even if it IS overrated. BADASS!!!
Nick Diaz has as much of a chance at beating GSP as George W. Bush becoming re-elected for a third term...
Couture and Liddell should be included
despite being ancient and retired, they’re still UFC stars, certainly bigger than Sonnen and Rampage. i’d still vote for GSP ahead of them all.
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