Fighter Nicknames

First off, let me start by saying that I dig nicknames when they are appropriate, just, and fit the bill. Sakuraba, for instance, is nicknamed "The Gracie Hunter", because he sought out and destroyed many of the Gracie clan, so the name makes sense. BJ Penn is nicknamed "The Prodigy" because he achieved the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in three years. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Aight. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. Ok. Randy "The Natural" Couture. Mirko "Crop-Cop" Filipovic-- the guy was an officer in the anti-terrorist police force. We get that, and it's definitely bad-ass.

Somewhere along the way, probably in the beginning stages of Ultimate Fighting, fighters were told that having a nickname would make one more marketable. Of course, it seems that if one is truly great, the real name is instantly recognizable-- Jordan, Bird, Woods, Muhammed Ali, Royce Gracie, Fedor Emelianenko. The nicknames today are adding to the theatrical element-- the professional wrestling element that Dana White claims that he is trying to get away from...

The following are some of the more ridiculous nicknames in the world of Mixed Martial Arts:

Ken "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock. Hmmm...At this point, Ken, you're obviously not that dangerous. One win since 2001 means that you're endangering yourself (and from the looks of TUF, everyone else that you "coach".) Wait-- does that mean that the nickname makes sense? I might have to re-think this one.

Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine. Cool, it rhymes! Keith "get your clock cleaned (by Houston)" Jardine. Ok sorry that last one was totally unnecessary... But really Keith Jardine seems like a pretty good guy, not mean at all. Was he a bully off-camera on TUF?

Stephan "American Pyscho" Bonnar. Please, this guy is about as boring as you can get. Aside from one amazing fight with Forest Griffin, he has never approached psycho-ness in the ring, even when he was on steroids. In fact, seems like he's an all-american tough guy. But then again, referencing your nationality in your nickname is cool, just in case you need to remind people of the location your parents were fucking when they conceived you.

Other notable bullshit names: Rich "Ace" Franklin. Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (actually I kind of like that one). Jens "Little Evil" Pulver-- doesn't seem evil at all, seems like a kind-hearted dude. Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon-- now we're just taking it too far...