Who’s the Biggest Diva in MMA?

Dictionary.com defines a diva as:

“A temperamental person; a person who takes adulation and privileged treatment as a right and reacts with petulance to criticism or inconvenience”.

Generally, the term is reserved for the females of the species; however, literary license is a wonderful thing, so, we ask the question: Who’s the biggest diva in MMA? The nominees are:

Dana White: Dana rhymes with “diva” and White is commonly preceded by “Vanna”, so Diva White is the obvious first nominee. The petulant president of the UFC has long exhibited a sense of entitlement; from his constant and public use of profanity to his open dislike of gays, women and anyone who disagrees with him are well known in the sport.

Matt Hughes: Hughes was the first prima donna of MMA. He has long been loathed in the sport for his arrogance and inapproachability. Hughes has parlayed his wrestling skills and appreciation of Dana White’s buttocks into MMA riches, but the Illinois farm boy has little time for anyone unless there is a paycheck attached. 

BJ Penn: No fighter in the history of MMA is more aptly named than “Baby Jay”. Penn’s whining can be heard from Hawaii. His constant complaints about the UFC’s refusal to let him fight in Japan or Georges St-Pierre’s use of “excessive grease” to his outward acrimony toward sponsors (other than to collect their checks), make BJ Penn one of MMA’s greatest and most proficient divas.

Vadim Finkelchtein: The face of M-1 Global and the single force behind the ruination of the career of Fedor Emelianenko. Finkelchtein has asked the UFC for everything from co-billing to a job. Finkelchtein took MMA’s Babe Ruth and turned him into Wally Pipp. Possibly no persona in the history of the MMA has done less with more.

Josh Koscheck: From bleach blonde hair to inexplicable and unfounded confidence, Koscheck has never met a microphone or camera (or hair salon) he didn’t like. Probably the most disliked person in MMA, Koscheck has an opinion on every topic, a hurtful and angry quip for every underling, a lousy sense of humor and the worst hair ever.

Tito Ortiz: Ortiz was once one of the most feared fighters in MMA. Then he became “life partners” with a porn actress (I refuse to use the term “star” to describe anyone in porn) and became the sworn nemesis of Chuck Liddell. Ortiz has used every injury known to mankind other than vaginal warts to explain his defeats. Ortiz’s sense of entitlement has made it impossible for him to admit the obvious: the sport has passed him by.

Scott Coker: The hardest interview in MMA. Coker is the least approachable man in MMA. He’s completely unavailable to the media and has the personality of dry toast. He’s run a successful promotional company for many years and showed great promise as a competitor to the UFC, but has dropped the ball at every turn, including his recent comparison to Bob Arum. Coker’s basic dislike and ignorance of fundamental promotional activities belies the success of his company, generally allowing his athletes to provide the personality for him.

 Nick and Nate Diaz: The bad boys of MMA. The Diaz brothers’ middle fingers should have names since they’re more famous than they are. The Diaz’s are to MMA what Venus and Serena Williams are to tennis, believing that it’s team Diaz against the world to such an extent to have alienated themselves from the rest of the sport. I can’t wait until Mrs. Diaz is in the stands holding up a “Welcome to the Diaz Show” sign.

Ken Pavia: Pavia is clearly the sport’s least liked manager. While managers generally operate in virtual anonymity, Pavia has had an extended, open and very public feud with Dana White, most recently turning UFC contract forms over to Strikeforce to be copied. Currently in a lawsuit with the UFC for those actions, Pavia continues to profess that he’s the top manager in MMA. 

Frank Mir and family: From the smug smile to the Lesnar-esque tattoo on his back, Frank Mir has the mug only his family could love. Speaking of his family, Mir’s wife has a Twitter site with Jenna Jameson and his stepson made a public bashing of Mirko Cro Cop after his recent loss to Mir.

Affliction: Having built an empire and giving birth to MMA as the “ugly shirt” sport, Affliction’s fall from grace came when they thought they could build a promotional company to rival the UFC. Not recognizing where their bread was buttered, Affliction lost millions of dollars on a pipe dream to host a Fedor vs. Randy Couture bout under the Affliction banner.