Heavy.com is here on the eve of All Hallows’ Eve to break down who we believe to be the ten most absolutely terrifying monsters currently masquerading as professional mixed martial artists.
Some of the deciding factors taken into account when coming to the conclusion that the following fighters were the most ghoulish in the sport were: Who would you least want to run into in a dark alley on the wrong side of town? Who would you least want to pick a bar fight with? And of course, who’s the last guy you would want sneaking into your house late at night with a hockey mask strapped to their grill?
The following men, and woman, are the undisputed most frightening fighters currently dishing out generous servings of pain and fear in mixed martial arts today.
Brock Lesnar: Brock Lesnar doesn’t need a scary nickname to frighten the lemonade out of you. Standing at 6’3″ and walking the streets near the 300 pound mark, Brock Lesnar has the wrestling ability to take a full grown rhinoceros to the canvas and ground and pound the beast into oblivion. So tell me how you’re going to defend that? You’re not, that’s how. Just as intimidating in person as he is on TV, Lesnar is the last person on earth you should drink a few beers and decide to “man up” with. Just ask Heath Herring, who had half of his face smashed with the first punch of their UFC 87 bout, and he’ll tell you: Picking a fight with Lesnar is just an all around crappy proposition.
Aleksander “The Grim Reaper” Emelianenko: Disregard the fact that the younger brother to Fedor Emelianenko trains out of the Red DEVIL fight club and is widely referred to as “The Grim Reaper. Toss to the wayside the enormous Grim Reaper tattoo sprawled across his back, along with numerous Russian prison tattoos scattered around his body. I want you to keep one thing in my when dealing with Aleks:
The man killed a freaking full grown bear with nothing but his bare hands, a fork, and a knife. What’s going to stop him from doing the same to you if you cop an attitude?
This is what Emelianenko had to say in a 2008 conversation with Sherdog. com:
A few years ago there was an unfortunate incident. One sportsman, a world champion in wrestling … what was he doing? Yes, he was putting a fork under the bear’s neck. [The practice of hunting bears with a knife involves, once the bear is in front of you, placing a long stick with a letter U-shaped end under the bear’s muzzle as it rears up to fight. Once the stick is in place, the bear isn’t able to bring its body down and the hunter stabs it a number of times, ideally killing it instantly.]
And then the bear couldn’t attack him, and he was stabbing it under the ribs in the heart. And as he was stabbing it, that bear swung with its paw. It was dead already — the paw was its last gasp with all its strength and basically took half of the wrestler’s head off. And of course the other hunters opened fire on the bear, but it was too late. He went to try his luck with a bear, and it didn’t come off.
For me everything is still fine. I’m OK. I’ve done it and it was OK. About half a year ago, it was in Russia, in Siberia. Everything was fine. I put the fork underneath him and stabbed him in the heart. And that was it. The other hunters dismembered, prepared the bear.
Nuff said. Respect Aleksander, respect.
Bob “The Beast” Sapp: Let’s just say you’re shaking your tailfeather in the middle of your favorite night spot, and you’re feeling yourself, and all of a sudden you feel someone obnoxiously bump into your back. So you spin around, already mouthing the words, “Dude, what the f….!”, and it’s the 6’5″, 340 pound freak of nature they call “The Beast” in front of you? Do you A) Continue with what you were about to say?, or B) Keep on spinning and pretend it was all part of your dance routine? Known for his Incredible Hulk physique and HEAVY hands, the average man would need an elephant gun to stop someone like Sapp if he had it out for you.
Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva: The nickname says it all. Wanderlei has long been one of the most feared fighters in mixed martial arts, and for good reason. Silva has the ability to send you to the ER with a slew of options, including punches, elbows, knees, kicks, soccer kicks, and stomps. Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of any of that stuff, especially from Wanderlei who has left many of the best in the business in an unconscious stupor, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Keith Jardine and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Brett “Grim” Rogers: They don’t make them much more intimidating than Brett Rogers. “Grim” says all you need to know. Duking it out with a 6’5″, 265 pound monster like Rogers would surely result in “Grim” consequences on your health and future on this earth. Ten fights, ten wins, and ten victories through his fists, this is one scary dude with a mohawk you never want to disrespect in person unless your name is Charles Bronson and you have a death wish.
Andrei “The Pibull” Arlovski: The trademark vampire fangs mouthpiece Arlovski sports to the cage ever time he does his dirty work can leave you wondering… Is it possible that “The Pitbull” glitters? Immortal or not, this Belarusian brawler could take your life from you could take your life away from you as quick as any vampire you’ve ever heard of. 6’4″, 250 pounds and explosively powerful with anything he does, only one of the fighters that have tasted defeat at the hands of Andrei have seen the final scorecards.
Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos: This is the most terrifying couple currently walking the planet earth. Evangelista can claim fourteen finishes in his sixteen professional victories, while Cristiane has finished off six of her eight victims. With similar fighting styles, both Evangelista and Cristiane are well known for trying to decapitate their opponents with every breath in their bodies during combat. Besides, what could possibly be scarier than having your ass completely and legitimately kicked by a woman while her husband, who is twice as intimidating, cheers her on?
Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef: 23 wins with 22 knockouts; I don’t care who you are, if you wanna be starting something with Manhoef, you can rest assured that you will be shown absolutely “No Mercy”. Arguably the most devastating knockout artist in the history of mixed martial arts, Manhoef is hands down one of the most fantastically savage fighters to have ever graced this wonderful sport.
Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem: Have you seen “The Demolition Man” Lately? It doesn’t get much scarier than that. Standing at a towering 6’5″ tall and weighing in over 250 chiseled pounds, Alistair sports a gnarly scar down the left side of his face that just screams, “Do not f*** with me!”. Overeem has finished 30 of the 31 men that have fallen before him, with 19 coming by submission, and the other 11 coming by KO or TKO. Quite frankly, Overeem is one of the most dangerous men in the world.