10 Biggest Heat Generators In UFC History
2. Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen is perhaps the most interesting member of this list because he is the only one (besides possibly number one on this list) who not only welcomed heat, but brought it upon himself on purpose. The biggest takeaway from Chael Sonnen’s career is that he is clearly the biggest rival of UFC legend Anderson Silva. It certainly takes a special fighter to maintain a mediocre career record of 31-17 and become the arch rival of one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
Sonnen did this by taking on an ultimate heel persona and delivering verbal attacks on all of his opponents. His comments towards Brazil, Silva’s wife, and so on certainly got under the Spider’s skin and made the rivalry between the pair well known in the sporting world.
Sonnen fully embraced the role of “the bad guy” as he continued his brash and purposefully disrespectful behavior with every opponent after his rivalry with Silva had ended. This was most notable in his heated feuds with Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz. For anyone who has not yet seen The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, stop what you're doing right now and watch it. Sonnen and Silva's heated feud makes this some of the best television you will ever see.
Funny thing about all this is the more he generated “heat”, the more people started to see him as actually being a nice guy. This opinion has also been reiterated by former opponents Michael Bisping and Jon Jones. Seeing where Uncle Chael is today, it appears that his heel behavior actually made him into a huge fan favorite. How’s that for irony.