The 10 most popular fighters in UFC history

#2: Chuck Liddell

Chuck Liddell was the UFC's poster boy as it exploded in popularity in the mid-2000's

For a while at least, it seemed like Chuck Liddell would always be in the shadow of his former friend-turned-rival Tito Ortiz. But then a couple of things happened. Firstly, Liddell beat Ortiz when the two faced off – leaving no doubt as to who was the better fighter – and then when The Ultimate Fighter caused the UFC to explode in popularity in 2005, Liddell was one of the inaugural coaches and then defeated Randy Couture to win the UFC Light-Heavyweight title.

And from there, ‘The Iceman’ became the UFC’s poster-boy and by far the most popular man on the entire roster. Liddell simply defined exactly what the fans believed a professional MMA fighter to be. With his trademark Mohawk, tattooed head, and primal scream-esque celebration, Liddell was one of the most intimidating men to ever step into the Octagon. And yet outside of the cage, he was soft-spoken, cool, and generally came across like a legitimate athlete.

At a time when MMA was working to establish itself as a mainstream sport, Liddell was the exactly the type of poster-boy that the UFC needed. And he lived up to his side of the bargain too, being involved in countless numbers of great fights, and defending his title successfully on four occasions.

When he finally retired in 2010 following a string of knockout losses, everyone from UFC President Dana White to the fans was sad to see the end of ‘The Iceman’. Everybody loved Chuck Liddell, and perhaps more than any other fighter, it was Liddell that helped to usher the UFC fully into the modern era.