What happens when you mix UFC 100 with the San Diego Comic Con? A feature both nerds and jocks can argue over. By Gerasimos Manolatos
B.J. Penn as Prodigy-
Mere mortals need 10 years or more to attain a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, but the skillful, nay, prodigious Penn nabbed his in about three years, leading to his eventual nickname, "The Prodigy." Similarly, Ritchie Gilmore etched his name into superhero lore by acquiring a bulletproof suit (a hand-me-down from Peter Parker), instantaneously turning him into the superpowered rat bastard, Prodigy.
Georges -
You know you're a huge star when Canadians pick you over hockey. The Quebec-born welterweight was named Canada's Athlete of the Year in 2008 after making the Joe Pesci-an Matt Serra sleep with the fishes. Fellow countryman and Alpha Dog Male Flight leader Guardian never had to clip a tortellini to earn popular favor, but when things turned into H-E-double hockey sticks, he was on the scene faster than a Zdeno Chára slapshot.
Randy -
This is an obvious one: Couture's nickname is "Captain America." While the UFC heavyweight doesn't run around wacking opponents in the head with a metal shield—we bet Brock Lesnar would never seen that one coming—he does have equivalent hand-to-hand skills which propelled him to six career championship reigns. They both also carry the leadership mantle for their respective organization: Couture is considered the most popular MMA fighter in America, while the freedom fighter spent 65 years protecting the country against foreign threats.
Brock Lesnar as Sabretooth-
Lesnar's pre-fight stare down is like being stalked by a rabid animal (a sabertooth, perhaps? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk) before it leaps out from the forest to rip your testicles off. The MMA neophyte has run riot through the competition, relying on his superhuman strength and uncanny agility to impose his will on challengers.
Rashad -
Bishop traditionally relied on regular ol' hand cannons for combat until he underwent surgery that made his arm "nuclear-powered" and "battle ready." Evans' right hand probably doesn't melt away the flesh of opponents upon contact, but ask Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin about its effectiveness: They have yet to wake up from their fist-induced stupor.
Forrest Griffin as Wolverine-
While Wolverine is known to have lived in a forest, Griffin has it as his first name, not to mention growing one on his chest and arms. Aside from sharing a similar wardrobe of dead protein, Griffin's style of fighting—scrappy and unrelenting—puts him squarely in the evolutionary chain of the X-Men's resident wooly badass.
Anderson -
The elusive middleweight champion and consensus No. 1 fighter in the world doesn't look anything like Toby McGuire (that's a good thing), but find yourself grappling with "The Spider" and you'll soon be tapping out with both your hands. (That's a bad thing.)
Chuck -
Liddell's coolness led to one of the longest title tenures in UFC history (nearly two years as the light heavyweight champion). But, the ice water running through his veins turned lukewarm after knockouts from Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua left him slobbering on the Octagon mat. He's still nicknamed "The Ice Man," just the kind that gets smashed into a million little pieces very easily.
Quinton -
Cage and Jackson have similar styles, both relying on remarkable street fighting strikes and slams to neutralize enemies. But, don't expect anything insightful about their technique from either: Cage's oft-spoken slogan is the nonsensical exclamation, "Sweet Christmas!" while Rampage's remarks range from "My style is 'whoop that ass'" to conversations like:Bas Rutten: "So you’re fighting Minowa."
Rampage: "Manure?"
Bas Rutten: "No, Minowa. What do you know about him?"
Rampage: "I found out his name was Manure, I was like, damn, this guy must be the shit!"
Dana White as Norman Osborn-
What does baldy have in common with the heinous Green Goblin? While the UFC's head honcho is really not that bad of a guy, he often comes off as a tough-talking, curse-abusing evil genius with intentions of taking over the world. Hey, we've got no problem with that, just remember us little guys, mmkay Dana?
Frank Mir as Superman-
A mid-level fighter for most of UFC career, Mir was left wondering whether he'd be able to fight again after a motorcycle accident in 2007 left him with a snapped leg. But, unbreakable like the Man of Steel, the wrestler recovered and posted impressive victories against Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the latter for the interim heavyweight championship.
Kenny Florian as Mr. Furious-
Oh, we just had to—KenFlo has dodged comparisons to B-Still far far too long! Usually a mind-mannered strategist when hosting his MMA Live show on ESPN.com, Florian unleashes his inner fury when he enters the Octagon, utilizing his Muay Thai background to ground opponents. Most recently, he challenged BJ Penn for his title saying, "I consider you a master. It's time to kill that master."