Many of the UFC’s top stars have extremely distinctive looks. A lot of them sport unique tattoos and bulging muscles to ensure that they stand out from your Joe Average MMA fighter.
One way that some UFC fighters look to stand out is by sporting a wacky haircut inside the octagon. While this isn't always practical, it does ensure that they’re instantly recognizable for the fans.
So who has the wackiest haircuts in the UFC right now? There are a number of clear-cut candidates, but the following five stars stand out more than the rest.
#5. Paddy Pimblett – UFC lightweight contender
Recent UFC debutant Paddy Pimblett has quickly made a name for himself as a potential star. He stopped Luigi Vendramini in his octagon debut earlier this year, and his charisma and microphone skills have already marked him out.
However, ‘The Baddy’ also has a highly unique look, and that stems largely from a unique hairstyle, at least in the realm of the UFC.
Pimblett – who hails from Liverpool, England – has a haircut that makes him look like he’s modeled himself on a member of a famous British band like The Beatles or Oasis.
It’s a shaggy, mop-top style that definitely looks cool in its own way – but it isn’t all that practical inside the octagon.
While we didn’t see it in his UFC lightweight debut, it’s easy to imagine Pimblett constantly brushing his hair from his eyes as the blood and sweat of the fight's later rounds kick in.
More to the point, Pimblett’s hairstyle is even more comical to fans of the infamous UK television show The Inbetweeners. This is because it makes him look like a doppelganger of the bragging character Jay.
It’s a comparison that clearly wasn’t lost on the UFC when they signed ‘The Baddy’, as they produced a tweet stating ‘Cage Warriors?! Completed it mate!’ This was in reference to one of the character’s most well-remembered lines.
Overall, Pimblett may well go onto UFC stardom, but even if he doesn’t, he’ll remain one of the promotion’s most recognizable fighters.
#4. Clay Guida – UFC lightweight contender
UFC lightweight veteran Clay Guida has been part of the promotion’s roster since October 2006, making him one of the longest-tenured fighters still competing in the octagon.
Hilariously, ‘The Carpenter’ has always sported the same wacky hairstyle throughout his UFC career. While it makes him instantly recognizable, it’s also gotten him into difficulty in some of his fights.
Guida’s hair is essentially caveman-style, with his wild, curly locks hanging down at shoulder length. Unlike some of the other UFC fighters who sport long hair, ‘The Carpenter’ almost never ties his up. This means it hangs over his face and can prove to be heavily distracting when he’s in action.
There was one famous exception to this, though. Prior to his 2012 clash with Gray Maynard, Guida was contacted by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. They explained to him that ‘The Bully’ had submitted a complaint about his long hair.
According to Maynard’s corner, Guida’s long locks were considered to be “hazardous” so ‘The Carpenter’ was forced to sport braids instead.
Incredibly, this didn’t stop Maynard from attempting to capitalize on his opponent’s wacky hairstyle. He was warned by the referee for grabbing Guida’s hair to deliver some knee strikes during the fight.
#3. Rose Namajunas – UFC strawweight champion
While it’s fair to say that the UFC's female fighters are as tough as they come and can put on fights just as brutal as their male counterparts', many also take a lot of pride in their looks.
Fighters like Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey and Michelle Waterson have all embarked on successful modeling careers outside of the UFC. Former UFC star Paige VanZant is also more known for her modelling than her fighting.
That’s why the fact that Rose Namajunas’ hair, or lack thereof, is so jarring to see. ‘Thug Rose’ once sported long, brown locks but prior to her fight with VanZant in 2015, she decided to shave it all off.
Namajunas went on to explain her reasoning for this – stating that she was preparing for a “fight, not a beauty pageant”, and that her hair had gotten in her way during training.
Still, for a high-profile fighter like Namajunas, sporting a fully shaved head a la 90’s popstar Sinead O’Connor was still a pretty bold statement.
Thankfully though, the shaved head has become part and parcel of ‘Thug Rose’ and her overall persona. It certainly hasn’t made her any less marketable to the fans.
In fact Namajunas – who is the reigning UFC flyweight champion – is probably one of the UFC’s most popular fighters right now. Her wacky haircut has only made her even more recognizable and unique.
#2. Jiri Prochazka – UFC light heavyweight contender
When Czech light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka signed with the UFC in 2020, it was clear that he had the charisma and star quality to go far in the promotion.
Part of Prochazka’s marketability comes from his willingness to embrace a unique look when he’s in action. Thus far into his UFC tenure, we’ve seen him sport a pair of pretty wacky haircuts.
For his UFC debut against Volkan Oezdemir, ‘Denisa’ came in sporting a cool Mohawk style. He took things even further for his clash with Dominick Reyes earlier this year.
Clearly inspired by old-school Muay Thai fighters from Thailand, Prochazka shaved most of his head before tying the remaining locks up into a top-knot, which was then tied together with a ribbon. Incredibly, ‘Denisa’ then credited this wild hairstyle – which he referred to as his “war” haircut or his “antenna” – for his spectacular spinning elbow knockout of Reyes.
Since then, it appears that Prochazka has embraced an even wackier hairstyle. He is keeping the top-knot, but growing out the top of his hair too, giving him what looks like a curly 1980s mullet.
The Czech fighter clearly wants to keep his name in the MMA press – and he’s obviously recognized that sporting a crazy hairstyle is an easy way to do this.
#1. Sean O’Malley – UFC bantamweight contender
The fighter with perhaps the wackiest hairstyle in the UFC right now is rising bantamweight star Sean O’Malley.
One of the most marketable fighters in the UFC thanks to his slick, explosive fighting skills and ability on the microphone, there’s no danger of fans failing to recognize ‘The Sugar Show’ in a line-up.
O’Malley debuted in the UFC in 2017 sporting a curly mop-top style, but this has since developed into something far crazier. The bantamweight now regularly dyes his hair various colors and also sports some pretty crazy braids at times.
2020’s UFC 250, for instance, saw him dye his hair in the colors of the Ecuadorian flag. It was a not-so-subtle knock at his opponent Marlon Vera, who hails from the country.
His fight with Thomas Almeida, meanwhile, saw him sporting a bizarre look that featured his hair braided into the pattern of a marijuana leaf.
With fans comparing his wacky hairstyles to rapper 6ix9ine, it’s clear that O’Malley has the kind of star quality that is rare in the UFC these days – and his wild hairdo only adds to that.
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