Whether it's MMA, wrestling or even football, athletes around the world are known for customizing their appearance through body art. And in most cases, body art in sports largely consists of tattoos. Fighters, whether professional or amateur, are known for expressing themselves through the artwork painted on their skin.
Sometimes a tattoo is a representation of the fighter's culture or a means of immortalizing an event of great importance. Still, some mixed martial artists sport a tattoo so questionable that it makes you wonder if they've forgotten that their lives are under public scrutiny.
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10
Darren Elkins is “The Damage”
Tattoo Placement: Chest
Basic information about Darren Elkins | |
|---|---|
Old | 40 |
Weight department | Featherweight (145 lbs) |
Height | 5″ 10 |
Record | 29-11 |
Known for his endurance, Darren Elkins is a veteran of more than 25 UFC fights. Despite not being a championship or top contender, Elkins is incredibly tough. His ability to withstand devastating punishment is represented by his nickname “The Damage”.
Unfortunately, like many other fighters, Elkins chose to perpetuate this nickname by tattooing it on his body. On his upper chest, the nickname “The Damage” is evident to anyone who so much as looks at him. To Elkins' dismay, the only reminder his tattoo leaves is that of an eye-rolling charm.
9
Jamahal Hill gets two thumbs down for his thumb tattoo
Tattoo location: chest
Basic information about Jamahal Hill | |
|---|---|
Old | 33 |
Height | 6'4 |
Weight department | Light heavyweight (205 lbs) |
Record | 12-2, 1 No contest |
UFC light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill has multiple tattoos. He has a tattoo below his neck that reads “Northside's.” However, it is flanked by two thumbs-up tattoos on the outer edges of his upper chest.
The artwork is weird and probably doesn't convey what Jamahal Hill was hoping for. However, the tattoo could actually be intended to be humorous, considering the moment of the weigh-in where Hill stood on the scale with his thumbs up, mimicking his own tattoo with the gesture.
8
Frank Mir gets his own name on his skin
Tattoo Location: Right Bicep (Now Covered)
Frank Mir Basic information | |
|---|---|
Old | 45 |
Height | 6'3 |
Weight department | Heavyweight (265 pounds) |
Record | 19-13 |
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Frank MirHe is a legend in the MMA world. He holds the UFC record for most submission wins in the heavyweight division and is one of the first fighters to make the transition from the cage to the broadcast booth.
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Mir owes this to his skillful manner and his obvious intelligence. However, this calls into question his decision to get his own name tattooed on his right arm. His last name, “Mir,” was once wrapped around the outside of his bicep, giving the impression that Mir simply wanted a tattoo at the time but was running out of ideas. Although he has now covered the tattoo with another, he cannot undo the past.
7
Alan Belcher's favorite singer is Johnny Cash
Tattoo Location: Left Arm
Alan Belcher Basic Information | |
|---|---|
Old | 40 |
Height | 6'2 |
Weight department | Middleweight (185 lbs.) Heavyweight (265 lbs.) |
Record | 19-9 |
With a record of 18-8, Alan “The Talent” Belcher is a retired MMA fighter whose bizarre Johnny Cash tattoo will forever eclipse any exciting moments he may have had in the cage.
On his left arm is the late singer's face, one of the strangest tattoos in MMA history. Worse, Alan Belcher's recent muscle gain enlarged his arms and distorted the tattoo. Belcher's unique tattoo can now be seen in Bare Knuckle MMA as the former MMA fighter competes in the sport these days.
6
Joe Riggs is powered by diesel
Tattoo location: stomach
Important information about Joe Riggs | |
|---|---|
Old | 42 |
Height | 6'0 |
Weight department | Welterweight (170 lbs) Middleweight (185 lbs) Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) |
Record | 49-18, 1 draw, 2 no contests |
One of the most well-traveled MMA fighters in history, Joe Riggs has plied his trade in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and WEC, to name a few. However, the former WEC Middleweight Champion is not known for his brief title reign in the promotion.
Instead, he is more known for the “Diesel” tattoo on his midsection. Even though it's a tattoo of his nickname, that doesn't change how questionable the decision is.
5
Brock Lesnar's sword symbolism looks strange
Tattoo location: chest
Basic information about Brock Lesnar | |
|---|---|
Old | 47 |
Height | 6'3 |
Weight department | Heavyweight (265 pounds) |
Record | 5-3 (1 no contest) |
With one of the most menacing physiques in the history of sports, Brock Lesnar is a former UFC heavyweight champion. While Lesnar's back tattoo – a demonic skull – only added to the palpable aura that his intimidating figure exudes, the tattoo he paired it with is a head-turner.
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From his chest to his middle, Lesnar has a tattoo of a fist holding a sword. If Lesnar hoped that his tattoo would leave the impression that he was a feared warrior, then it failed. Not only is the tattoo not easily recognizable as a sword, it also resembles an object of a different, more embarrassing kind.
4
Ian Loveland has a fish on his back
Tattoo Location: Back
Basic information about Ian Loveland | |
|---|---|
Old | 41 |
Height | 5'8 |
Weight department | Bantamweight (135 lbs) |
Record | 18-10 |
Some fighters have bizarre tattoos or bizarre nicknames. However, others have both. Not only does Loveland have both, but his nickname “The Barn Owl” is a direct contradiction to his tattoo.
Why? Because the tattoo that Loveland has on his back shows a large trout; a fish. A fish tattoo for a fighter whose alias is “The Barn Owl” creates a comical thematic inconsistency.
3
Colin Fletcher is one of the scariest fighters of all time
Tattoo location: chest
Basic information about Colin Fletcher | |
|---|---|
Old | 41 |
Height | 6'2 |
Weight department | Welterweight (170 lbs) |
Record | 16-10 |
Colin Fletcher, one of Britain's exports to the UFC, is a peculiar fighter with an obvious interest in the aesthetics of vampires. His mouthpiece was designed to mimic a vampire's fangs, and his tattoos reflect his interest in monster stories.
His most noticeable tattoo is an ugly chest piece consisting of a spider whose body is a heart. From this heart protrude two large, clawed hands that drape across his chest and shoulders as if to strangle Fletcher's throat. The tattoo is bizarre enough on its own. The fact that it reinforces Fletcher's love of monsters makes it even stranger.
2
CM Punk's Pepsi tattoo made it into the octagon
Tattoo location: Left shoulder
Basic information about CM Punk | |
|---|---|
Old | 46 |
Height | 6'2 |
Weight department | Welterweight (170 lbs) |
Record | 0-2 |
Better known for his pro wrestling success as his MMA failuresCM Punk was once an extremely polarizing fighter. Opinions were divided on the value behind it Dana WhiteThe decision to allow an unproven mixed martial artist to fight in the UFC.
However, the conversation overshadowed another; the strange Pepsi logo tattoo on Punk's left shoulder. A tattoo he claims he got simply out of his love for Pepsi products.
1
Justin Gaethje is a bad boy
Tattoo location: stomach
Basic information about Justin Gaethje | |
|---|---|
Old | 36 |
Height | 5'11 |
Weight department | Lightweight (155 pounds) |
Record | 25-5 |
Former UFC interim champion, Justin Gaethjeis the most violent fighter in the lightweight division. Every time he steps into the octagon, he promises action and brutality.
Perhaps to sell his bad intentions before lacing up his gloves, Gaethje gets a tattoo of the Bad Boy logo. However, the true meaning of his tattoo was never revealed. The eye tattoo is located on the left side of his ribcage and has been ridiculed on the internet since the beginning.
