The 10 Most Despicable People in MMA
10. ROB EMERSON
Offenses: Was arrested in 2000 for his membership in the Lords of South County, a gang of Orange County rich kids who liked to assault innocent people for fun. Arrested again in 2006 after a dustup at a bar, and pled guilty to two counts of battery. His middling fight record doesn’t justify his UFC contract.
Notable quote: “I got bent over and took it up the ass on a lot of bullshit judges’ decisions. But fuck ‘em, their faces were fucked up worse than mine. That’s all I care about!”
9. BILL GOLDBERG
Offenses: His inexcusably awful work for EliteXC has brought MMA commentary to new, previously unimagined depths. Was reportedly abusive and obnoxious on the set of The Longest Yard.
Notable quote: “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t give a damn about traditional mixed martial arts.”
8. BOB MEYROWITZ
Offenses: Ran the UFC into the mud marketing it as the most outrageous bloodsport on Earth. Currently working to eliminate ground-fighting with the YAMMA pit. Has a history of losing investors’ money (see eyada.com).
Notable quote: “On the streets it’s against the law — in the pit it is the law.” (YAMMA tagline)
7. GILBERT YVEL
Offenses: One of the dirtiest fighters in MMA history. DQ’d once for eye gouging, once for biting, and once for knocking out a referee; laughed when he was arrested after the incident.
Notable quote: “The referee…not a good thing, but memorable.”
6. BROCK LESNAR
Offenses: Arrested for illegally possessing a “large amount of steroids” in 2001. Ignored a no-contact rule for quarterbacks during scrimmages while trying to make it in the NFL and drilled the piss out of Chiefs QB Damon Huard. Describes himself as a “blue-collar redneck.” Openly homophobic. Sports a large penis tattoo down the middle of his chest.
Notable quote: “I don’t like gays. Write that down in your little notebook. I don’t like gays.”
5. RENATO “BABALU” SOBRAL
Offenses: Soccer-kicked Brad Kohler after Kohler was already out during a fight in 2000. Refused to release David Heath from an anaconda choke after Heath tapped at UFC 74, which cost Babs $25,000 and his place in the UFC. Arrested for battery and trespassing at an Indian Casino in Tampa, Florida. Spit on a bouncer at a party; wore his own shirt in his mug shot.
Notable quote: [regarding Heath] “He has to learn respect. He deserved that.”
4. MELVIN COSTA
Offenses: Spent most of his young adulthood in jail due to multiple arrests for assault and burglary. Discovered White Nationalism in prison, and proudly sports a swastika tattoo on his chest that’s clearly visible during his fights for King of the Cage.
Notable quote: “Maybe I’ll stop wearing a swastika on my chest when we have a white heritage month. Until then I’m proud to be white and that’s pretty much all that needs to be said…I believe in Hitler’s point of view as far as racial consonance.”
3. MIKE KYLE
Offenses: Bit Wes Sims’s chest during their fight at UFC 47. Repeatedly kneed Justin Eilers in the balls during their fight at UFC 49. Poked Tsuyoshi Kosaka in the eye during a Pancrase match in October 2005. Poked Krzysztof Soszynski in the eye during a Strikeforce match in March 2006. Two months later, he illegally soccer kicked Brian Olsen during a WEC match, knocking him out, then punched him several times while he was unconscious, despite the ref’s efforts to pull Kyle off; Olsen may never fight again.
Notable Quote: “I hope every promoter in the world will ban Mike Kyle for life.” (Brian Olsen)
2. DANA WHITE
Offenses: Has driven away Randy Couture, Andre Arlovski, and Tito Ortiz with his disrespect and hardball negotiation tactics, and sunk any chance of a deal with Fedor Emelianenko. Along with the Fertitta brothers, he bought legendary Japanese fight league PRIDE only to dismantle it. Is one of the most public faces of MMA, but poorly represents the sport with his profanity laced tirades, shabby wardrobe, and bald head. Will never, ever give us press passes to UFC events.
Notable quote: “Fuck.”
1. RICCO RODRIGUEZ
Offenses: Was the first UFC fighter to be suspended for cocaine use. Spit on Ben Rothwell during an IFL fight last September. Allegedly stole $20,000 from Tito Ortiz to fund his gambling addiction. Once crashed his car into a semi-truck while high, then dragged the unconscious body of his girlfriend (who he thought was dead) into the driver’s seat so it would appear like she was driving; expects laughter when he tells this story. Jumped off a boat on Celebrity Rehab after Dr. Drew specifically told him not to.
Notable quote: “As a human being, the jury is still out on Ricco Rodriguez.” (Bill Goldberg)
Dishonorable mentions: Tito Ortiz, Jon Koppenhaver, Vadim Finkelchtein/Apy Echteld, Nick Diaz, Melvin Guillard, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, Steve Mazzagatti.
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April 11th, 2008 at 11:01 am
What did Diaz or Koppenhaver do to deserve being dishonorable mentions?
April 11th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Ok so I actually did laugh at the ricco rodriguez story. Sorry. But it is kind of funny, in fucked up sort of way. Does anyone know if she stayed with him after that? I dont agree that dana white should be number 2 on this list. I like tito, but fuck him he’s a big baby and dana called him on it, and he’s washed up. Arlovski is not the same fighter he used to be, i think sylvia broke him mentally. Couture overreacted, why should fedor get paid so much when he hasn’t fought anyone in 2 years. Fedor should be the one anxious to prove himself number 1, what better way to do that then to clean out the ufc HW division, and then re negotiate more money. Give dana some credit, there have been some hiccups but he’s done a pretty good job running the ufc.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:13 am
For Diaz I would imagine it’s the whole ‘throwing away your career for weed’ thing he’s working.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Hmmmm…I’m down with the whole list EXCEPT:
#8 - Bob Meyrowitz should be replaced by dis-honorable mention Steve Mazzagatti in my humble opinion.
The Top Five (with the exception of Dana) are particulary henious human beings.
Also, Dana should switch places with Emerson.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Is it just me or does Paris look pregnant in that pic with Dana?
What if they had a kid together?
….ewwww…dopey looking bald headed baby that smells like fish and herpes.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Is Goldberg at an Ozzy concert?
April 11th, 2008 at 11:27 am
@ nick:
War Machine was involved in an Emerson-esque incident last year where him and his friends jumped some guy outside of their gym, gang-stomped him, broke his orbital bone, etc. He was facing seven years for it, but got off with probation.
He also provided the feces in TUF 6’s “upper-decker” prank.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:33 am
bill goldberg over mike goldberg though
April 11th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Ah, yes. I remember that now.
As for Diaz, if anything, we should be celebrating his ‘brave choice.’
Plus if I eyeballs exploded with so much as a stiff wind I’d get blazed all the time, too.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:45 am
in light of the most despicable people in mma, i think you should consider publishing the top 25 douchebags in mma…
April 11th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Wow. These guys make Mike Tyson look good…………….ok.thats a bit much but they are all on the same page.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Where is Phil Baroni? That guy is the Dean of Despicable.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
cant stand spoiled rich kids like emmerson thinking hes in a gang, waste of a spot in the ufc
April 11th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Why are you guys such big Dana White haters? Guys from Pride were defecting from it before Dana bought it out. Tito is a whiny bitch that won’t ever get up to title contention again so his leave from the UFC was imminent. Andre…….I don’t know about that one and Randy Couture in my opinion is the victim of his money hungry wife. What deals has he been able to put together OUTSIDE the UFC thus far?? Dana White may love the F word and act like a tough mofo but I honestly think he loves the sport and being in the position he is, he can do what he wants in terms of what fights make the fans happy and he could have absolutely put together the Fedor Randy fight but both are being money hungry idiots that will see their opportunity pass or end up fighting for way less money than they COULD have gotten.
What would anyone else do if you were in charge of a majority of the top fighters on the planet who had money grubbing wives and managers in their ears 24/7 telling them that they need to ask for more money?
April 11th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Unbelievable, How could you put Dana white on that list??
I understand how some fighters get butthurt because they get greedy (ahem Couture ahem). But the bottom line is Dana white has brought MMA to where it is now. Elite XC, Strikeforce, IFL, etc. are only there because of Dana white and the UFC. Cagepotato exists and gets so many hits because of Dana White and the UFC.
Couture broke his word and his contract, no one can dispute that.
Tito - Dana White put him on TUF when he was broke and begging Dana for money.
Arlovski - He made mistakes with him and admitted to them and wants to renegotiate another contract.
Fedor - Dana and the UFC simply wont pay him 2 million dollars he says he earns and his managers are unreasonable
Dana is simply putting in order on MMA and is making genious business moves. He might come across as a dick sometimes but so the fuck what.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
BJ Penn should be on here for assaulting a police officer.
And seriously, every judge on the planet hates Rob Emerson. It’s almost comedic. Go get some of his fights, it’s ridiculous.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Saying Dana White is more despicable than fucking Melvin Costa, Rob Emerson, Gilbert Yvel, Mike Kyle and Brock Lesnar is one of the most idiotic things I have ever seen in my life.
Its pretty fucked up that somebody would say that losing fighters to other promotions is worse than being a neo-nazi or a criminal.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Wow. I waited all the way till number 1 for Lee Murray only for him to not even get an honourable mention. This list looses all credibility because of that.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
These men are not into MMA because it’s a intellectual exercise. Their in there to hurt one another and profit . Shit like punching out Refs. stomping out civilians for fun, and aligning your beliefs with Hitlers will not win you many friends.
When really looking at the main objective of MMA or fighting for sport in general is to assert your will over others. To find some appeal in that you have to be….kind of an A**Hole. These guys just happen to shine a little brighter.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
You mean Lee “Danny Ocean” Murray?
I’d also take Goldberg off the list. He’s a dumbass, but I don’t know if I’d go as far as to call him dispicable. Dana should probably be closer to nine or ten. His constant lack of tact and professionalism is very hard to ignore.
Brock is a douche, but I don’t know if he deserves to be on the list, either.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I hope this article was done Tongue-in-cheek, otherwise this is one of the more idiotic articles I’ve seen. Dana White #2? C’mon. All you pride fans need to get over yourselves and move on. There are so many MMA fans that can’t get past their hatred for Dana White to see all the good he and the Fertitta’s have done for MMA. Without the groundwork laid down by Dana and the Fertitta brothers in North America, MMA would have nothing more then a cult following in the States. It irritates me listening to these MMA “purists” that complain about how evil Dana destroyed Pride and treats his fighters like crap. Your blog would be less relevent then it already is if MMA wasn’t growing by leaps and bounds because of what the UFC has accomplished.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
FUCK.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Dana White.. Really?
I noticed Kimbo didn’t make the list. Haha.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
i still don’t see what the hell CAGEPOTATO’s problem w/ Mazzstache is…
Herb Dean’s the worst fucking ref of all time [except for as of late].. not Mazz.. Mazz isn’t that bad..geeze.. and Dana white shouldn’t be on the list.. without him.. i’m sure MMA wouldn’t even exist anymore..
other than that.. nice list.. keep up the good work..
April 11th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
What about Ken and Frank Shamrock? Ken has been a joke since the first time Tito Ortiz beat his ass, yet promoters still keep paying him. Frank is a run-of-the-mill bully.
As for Bill Goldberg, he just demonstrates how inept those ass clowns at Elite XC really are. When he was a wrestler he wasn’t allowed to talk on-air for months because he could barely string a coherent sentence together. Let’s hire him as an announcer!
As vulgar and self-serving as Dana White is, I wouldn’t put him on this list. He brought MMA back from the brink of extinction, and gave us TUF. Now, if only he’d start paying the fighters what they’re worth…
April 11th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
another vote for taking dana white off the list.
so what if he talks like a construction worker. would you rather have him be politically correct, & spout pre-written speeches all the time? if it weren’t for him, we’d all be watching youtube replays of UFC 1-15 & wondering wtf happened to this sport.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
just blot out dana whites face and leave paris hiltons and put her name instead of his.
April 12th, 2008 at 12:09 am
I agree with everyone saying part of this list is bs… where the heck is kimbo and why is Dana on this list? He has done more for mma than most. Also while Babalu has definitely screwed up I don’t agree with his name being on the list but that is my 2 cents.
April 12th, 2008 at 2:52 am
what the fuck.. leave gilbert yvel allone.. he was not arested after he ktfo the reff there were no charges… the reff was the promoter trainer ect of Gilberts aponent and in Finland there are a litle more pro white during matches.. get my point?.. the reff had it comming… ad the rest of the list.. damn son do some reasearch..
April 12th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Babalu should not be on this list.
April 12th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Dana White has had a pretty big hand in making MMA what it is today. So what if he won’t pay Fedor 2 Million bucks. Screw Fedor, let him fight gimmick matches against odd mismatched opponents. Maybe he can make money arm barring bears in a russian circus. If he wants to be recognized as the best he has to fight Randy.
Brock Lesnar is an MMA fighter? He didn’t look like it to me.
April 12th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Look up ‘Lords of South County’ in quotes in google. Very few hits. It also looks like 95% of the hits are in reference to Rob Emerson. It makes me think he invented this ‘LoSC’ gang BS to make people think he’s hard. I’ll bet they don’t even exist.
April 12th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
WTF is Rob Emerson thinking. Is he gonna release a rap album with B-Rad and the Malibooty Posse,…….. (to the tune of straight outta Compton) Straight outta Malibu, a crazy young cracka named Rob, He eats low fat cause he don’t wanna be a slob! We’re low ridin’, in my Lexus, Hoping Paris Hilton will drink a Cosmo and sex us……..
fucking loser
April 12th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
You can’t downplay Babalu’s place on this list. He’s a repeat offender when it comes to in-ring scumbag antics.
And Ken Shamrock may be an irrelevant also-ran, but he’s hardly “despicable.” If you’re gonna argue that Dana White shouldn’t be on a list with a bunch of convicts (fair argument), then you can’t include Ken Shamrock, who really hasn’t done anything wrong.
April 12th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
For all you Dana White lovers out there; just compare him to his alter-ego Bas Rutten.
Both are famous MMA personalities. Both are bald. Both curse like sailors on shore-leave.
However, Bas somehow tempers his outrageous behavior with good-natured jokes and humor while Dana always comes off like a spoiled frat boy playing a stupid prank. If he wasn’t so damn greedy and self-centered, maybe he’d earn some of the celebrity that he so obviously craves.
He may not be the 2nd most despicable person in MMA, but he is a jerk.
Rick
April 12th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
What is up with criticizing Brock Lesnar for being “openly homophobic”? Was this written by a fudge packer?
April 12th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
if we are rating this by arrests and criminal offenses, then charles “crazy horse” bennett should be pretty high up there. He’s been arrested like 50 times for cocaine and domestic violence. other than that he’s a great guy
April 13th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Bundy has a dana white poster over his bed
April 13th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
“[Brian] Olsen may never fight again”
He has actually fought twice since getting assaulted by Kyle. Once in 2006, and once again last year.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Who the fuck is Dana Fucking White? FUCK!
April 14th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Nick Diaz should be in the top 5…he is such a douche…dont agree with Bob Meyrowitz, he is just a poor investor…Dana White knows his shit, yeah he has screwed a couple people, but they got over it and moved on…fuck…but Nick Diaz definetly, what a pile of shit that guy is…
April 14th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Both Diaz bros should be on the list. But you left off Kimbo’s management team. They won’t let this guy take a real fight. Put him up against someone good so Kimbo can be the toughest man alive………or prove all MMA fans right and send him back to the streets.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:50 am
My favorite Brock Lesnar quote is him saying, “I don’t give a crap about that jujitsu stuff.” PS. Ask Frank Mir
April 14th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
“Will never, ever give us press passes to UFC events.” Obviously this is why they put Dana at #2. Stop whining, if you were a legitimate MMA publication, they probably would give you press passes, but this site is, for the most part, just a joke. Putting him higher on the list than a neo-nazi piece of shit like Melvin Costa just shows your true fucking ignorance.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Revised List:
10. Bill Goldberg
9. Bob Meyrowitz
8. Brock Lesnar
7. Rob Emerson
6. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
5. Gilbert Yvel
4. Lee Murray
3. Melvin Costa
2. Mike Kyle
1. Ricco Rodriguez
We all know now DW deserves a dishonourable mention, but not a spot on the list. Diaz might be a dick or a pothead, but he’s also an amazing fighter and I don’t see any reason he should make the top 10. I witnessed a couple fights in which Mazzstache made a couple terrible calls, definitely deserves a mention. And as for Kimbo… What did he ever do to be considered dispicable??? He’s a legitimate fighter and a sportsman, he likes to compete, let’s see how far he gets.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:41 am
WORST LIST EVER.
April 18th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
What has Nick Diaz done thats so bad?? Theres nothing wrong with smoking a little dank…It was good to see Dana White on this list too!
April 19th, 2008 at 1:58 am
What’s Mazzagatti done? (is the tache?)
April 20th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
BROCK LESNAR is gay, he take so much steroid that his penis srunk to a little nub, i saw him naked and he couldnt even get it hard
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:18 am
I can’t stand Dana White just because he bitches so much on TUF about posers and pussys coming on the show and seems like the biggest poser of all. What with his chrome dome and constant swearing it drives me insane.
April 25th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Do some research. Lesnar for all his faults was exonerated on the stroids charges.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/lesnarmug1.html
April 28th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I watched the Babalu vs kohler fight, kohler wasn’t out till after the soccer kick (by the way ground kicks were legal at that event) and as for the andaconda choke on Heath he got what he deserved after all his continous shit talking matt hughes and royce gracie have held submissions way after the tapout as well but they didn’t get shit-canned
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Put Armando Garcia from the CSAC on the list!
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Yea I’m pretty sure the list is for Despicable people, not who’s done the least for MMA. So yea Dana does belong on here. He is despicable. You idiots that rant about money hungry fighters are in serious need of a reality check. Its real simple, fighters of Randy and Fedor’s caliber put asses in the seat. That puts TENS of MILLIONS of dollars into Dana White’s pocket along with ZUFFA. Fighters deserve way more. I don’t know about you, but I’m not paying 40 bucks for a pay-per-view of Dana talking about how FUCKING awesome he is and how he FUCKING is MMA. Wake up, yea he’s done alot, and YES he is DESPICABLE in every sense of the word!
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:35 pm
New addition: Jeremy May
May 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
dana white is very rude and disrespectul but how can u put him on a list with scumbags like rob emerson and melvin costa. some guys here might be bad at their jobs (golberg, mazzagati), or have personalities that you dislike (diaz, ortiz, lesnar) but you cant put them on the same list as criminals and neo-nazis
May 4th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
wtf are u kidding me?? dana white above fucking mike kyle, melvin costa, gilbert yvel, and melvin costa? that made this list garbage. dana is a grade a d-bag but cant compare him with fucking dirty fighters, nazis, and some punk who beat up innocent rich kids
May 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
what the fuck did mazagati do to get a dishonorable mention someone please tell me
May 4th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
dont get it.everyone saying ken should be on the list for fighting when he’s in the post highlight of his career is just garbage.dana should not even be an a dishonorable mention.him and the fertittas have done more for the sport than anyone ever will.like him or not he’s responsible for why we love mma.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
nuff said!
August 7th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
i have herpes.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
The ’stache made me do it, leave me alone
August 21st, 2008 at 7:45 am
Bablu definitely shouldnt of punched that ref but that ref didnt look like he knew wtf he was doing. I wanted to punch him just watching the video.