There are a few different paths that MMA fighters can go down when beginning their careers. A popular route over the years has been to take advantage of the entertainment aspect of the sport and play the heel and act like a bad guy. Fighters such as Colby Covington have done this in spades, and have grown into massive stars by acting and saying mean things.
However, while the pay may go up for fighters who go this route, they also become very hated as well. As such, there have been many fighters of the years who fans have loved to see lose, with their worst moments being some fans' favorite.
10 Alexander Hernandez (vs. Donald Cerrone)
Alexander Hernandez was riding a wave of hype heading into his ESPN showdown with Donald Cerrone in 2019. Hernandez talked loads of trash talk in the matchup and notably got under the skin of the normally cool and calm fan-favorite, Donald Cerrone.
Hernandez was then forced to eat his words in a massive way. The youngster talked the talk but couldn't walk the walk as he was knocked out brutally by the veteran Cerrone on the first-ever UFC ESPN card.
9 Michael Page (vs. Douglas Lima)
Michael "Venom" Page is one of the biggest stars of Bellator MMA, and he's gained as much fame as he has by talking a lot and having an eccentric style. Actions such as throwing a Pokeball at a fallen Evangelista Cyborg while he had a cracked skull didn't make many like the British star.
Well, the controversial star was undefeated heading into Bellator 227 and was matched up with former champion Douglas Lima. Following a competitive first-round, Lima handed Page the first knockout loss of his career via a devastating hammer-fist.
8 Erick Silva (vs. Nordine Taleb)
Erick Silva was never really a hated fighter going into his fight with Nordine Taleb in 2016. While some considered him a failed prospect, nothing suggested that Silva was a bad guy worthy of scrutiny. That was until the fight started.
Silva ran across the cage for a customary glove touch to start the fight, but instead pulled back at the last second and tried to take Taleb's head off with a right hook. The dirty move was blasted by fans, commentary, media, and even Silva admitted post-fight it wasn't a good look. But what was a good look was Taleb dominating the fight and then knocking Silva out cold in the second round.
7 James Toney (vs. Randy Couture)
James Toney was not a loved man heading into his fight with Randy Couture at UFC 118. The former boxing champion had been talking a lot about how MMA fighters are terrible and had been trash-talking the UFC as a whole for a while.
Well, Couture must have heard that talk, as he immediately took Toney down and dominated him on the mat before submitting him in the first round. Suffice to say, MMA fans were happy seeing this one.
6 Michael Bisping (vs. Dan Henderson)
Michael Bisping may have been one of the most loved fighters near the end of his UFC run, but it wasn't always that way. Bisping was previously one of the most hated men on the roster, mainly due to a perceived push by the UFC, and over-the-top trash talk.
After a season of The Ultimate Fighter that wasn't a good look for the British fighter, fans were hoping to see him knocked out when he faced Dan Henderson at UFC 100. And they got exactly that, as the MMA legend knocked out Bisping in one of the most brutal finishes in the sport's history.
5 Tito Ortiz (vs. Chuck Liddell)
Tito Ortiz was arguably the first real heel that the UFC had. Ortiz's rivalry with the likes of Ken Shamrock saw the Huntington Beach Bad Boy talk loads of trash, and make a lot of people mad as a result. It didn't help fans' view of Ortiz when he allegedly refused to fight top contender Chuck Liddell for a long time.
So when they finally met, fans couldn't have been happier to see Liddell knockout Ortiz. Even better, he then followed it up by knocking him out again in their rematch a few years later.
4 Ronda Rousey (vs. Amanda Nunes)
Ronda Rousey's first loss to Holly Holm was unexpected and shocking. And while that could have been considered as one of the most satisfying losses, her second defeat at the hands of Amanda Nunes was even better.
Nunes was barely even seen in promotional material, even the poster only addressed Rousey's impending return by saying "She's Back!" Well, she was back, but only for 48 seconds. Nunes knocked out Rousey in under a minute in a fight that made fans extremely happy to see.
3 T.J. Dillashaw (vs. Henry Cejudo)
T.J. Dillashaw was being sent in by the UFC and Dana White to quite literally kill the flyweight division. The only thing standing in the way of that was the champion Henry Cejudo, who was being written off by everyone, including the UFC.
Well, Cejudo knocked out Dillashaw in under a minute, to save the UFC's flyweight division. The win was even better to watch in hindsight after finding out post-fight that Dillashaw was on PEDs during the bout.
2 Josh Koscheck (vs. Everyone)
Josh Koscheck may very-well be the most hated fighter in UFC history. It's difficult to find anyone who would admit to being a fan of his during his prime. Koscheck faked getting hit with illegal shots, eye pokes, talked an insane amount of trash, and seemingly upset everyone during his career.
As a result, any time he lost it was a celebration for most MMA fans. Koscheck took some beatings in his career as well, but none were worse than his loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124 where he had his orbital broken en route to a wide decision loss.
1 Colby Covington (vs. Kamaru Usman)
Colby Covington's two bouts against Kamaru Usman were extremely satisfying to watch play out for the majority of UFC fans. Specifically, their first encounter at UFC 245 is especially fun to watch, as the man who made fun of Usman's dead head coach was forced to meet his maker.
Usman knocked out Covington in the fifth round of their anticipated bout and even broke his jaw in the process. Covington sprinting out of the cage in the aftermath of the fight is a moment that will live in fans' minds for some time.