The 10 most popular fighters in UFC history

#3: Randy Couture

Randy Couture was universally loved and respected during his UFC career

He might not be so popular with the UFC brass these days due to his somewhat questionable business ethics – he attempted to break his contract with the MMA juggernaut on numerous occasions and ended his career working for a rival promoter in Bellator – but during their active careers, few fighters were as beloved as Randy Couture.

‘The Natural’, or ‘Captain America’ as he also became known, first came into the UFC way back in 1997 and was an instant success. He claimed the UFC Heavyweight title later that year, and by the time the promotion began to grow under Zuffa in the early 2000’s, he was already a UFC legend, having held the title on two separate occasions.

But it was his later career that cemented his legend and made him so beloved. At the age of 40 – way past the age where regular fighters tended to retire – Couture upset Tito Ortiz to win the UFC Light-Heavyweight title, becoming the first man to win UFC titles in different weight classes.

When the TUF era dawned in 2005, Couture was one of the promotion’s new poster-boys, and became wildly popular due to his rivalry with Chuck Liddell. But ‘The Natural’ still had another trick up his sleeve; after an initial retirement in 2006, Couture returned in 2007 to upset Tim Sylvia and recapture the Heavyweight title, almost a decade after he first won it. When UFC commentator Joe Rogan stated “that guy is my hero”, he was speaking for literally millions of UFC fans, too.