Top Ten Most Surprising Celebrities Spotted Cageside at UFC Events: A Fan's View
Over the years, dozens of music, movie and television stars have been spotted cageside at UFC events.
For some, like action star Jason Statham, UFC fandom makes perfect sense, while music icons like Justin Bieber and Mandy Moore don't quite fit the bill of celebrities you'd expect to see at a combat-fighting event.
Here's a look at ten of the most surprising celebrity fans of the UFC:
1) Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber isn't just an international teen heartthrob, he's also a big-time fan of mixed martial arts.
In a bizarre meeting of two very different worlds, the baby-faced pop singer made an appearance at UFC 132 in the summer of 2011, and palled around with UFC President Dana White. He reportedly watched the tilt between Matt Wiman and Dennis Siver so closely that he had a strong opinion on how the judges scored it.
"You guys are going to laugh at this one," White said after the event, "but me, Lorenzo, and Justin Bieber had scored that fight, and I actually had [Siver] winning the fight. I gave him the first and third, and there's no doubt who won the second round....I'd have to go back and watch it, but I think Bieber and Lorenzo had it going the other way."
2) Shaquille O'Neal
O'Neal was a fan of the UFC long before it exploded into the national sports mainstream, and he reportedly has extensive training in mixed martial arts.
"Shaq loves it," White said on ESPN's First Take program. "Shaq's been training for a long time, and actually a week before he retired, Shaq called me and said he wanted to be involved in the UFC somehow. He's always been a good friend to us, and I'm sure you're going to see Shaq around the UFC a lot."
3) Jenna Jameson
Jameson, a former porn star, might just be the world's most famous adult entertainer. Her fandom to the UFC makes perfect sense, as she's been dating MMA standout Tito Ortiz off and on since 2006.
4) Everlast
Everlast, a Grammy-winning rapper best known for his work at a member of the 1990s' rap group House of Pain, has been supporting the UFC since its early days. "I was watching back in the Dan Severn days and back when Royce Gracie was runnin' things," he said in a UFC.com report. "Every UFC that I'm within a three hour radius of, I'm there. I love it."
5) Charles Barkley
Barkley, a former NBA standout and famous trash-talker in his own right, was impressed by Chael Sonnen's skills on the microphone following his victory over Brian Stann at UFC 136.
"You can't get in there messin' around," he said. "It takes a special person to handle that. They are the best-conditioned jocks in the world. It's always a chess match. You see the guys who are better boxers, and then you see the guys who want to grapple. That's always the interesting part of MMA. I think the fights this weekend were the best ones I went to personally. I've probably been to about 20, and have gotten another 20 on pay-per-view. The fights were exciting. Sonnen, how we went after Silva after the match, that was awesome. Also, Frankie Edgar, he was impressive."
6) David Spade
Everyone from Duane "The Rock" Johnson to LeBron James have been spotted at UFC events, but Spade has been a fixture on celebrity row for years.
In an interview following his appearance at UFC 79, he says he likes the sport because it's something that he can't do, so it's fun to watch people talented in other fields. He said mixed martial arts is more interesting than boxing because there's a lot more finesse to it.
7) Jason Statham
Statham is known for taking movie roles that involve a lot of punching and kicking, so his fandom of the UFC is quite appropriate.
"You know what, I've been a fan of UFC since the very first one," he said in an ESPN interview. "I remember seeing it and being like mesmerized by the different styles and who was gonna win and, you know, the very first until today. I've always been a fan, and it's just the elite sport for me. It's where all the styles come together and ... I'm just always impressed. They're the ultimate athlete. They just have so much concentration and mental strength. They overcome their fears and they're the true gladiators."
8) Kevin James
James, a critically-acclaimed television and film actor, featured several UFC fighters in a 2006 episode of his show, King of Queens. He has also done some training with former UFC champ Randy Couture, and often appears cageside at UFC events. Here's seen here in this photo with UFC standout Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
9) Mandy Moore
In Nov. of 2011, Moore did a special promo for the UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs Dos Santos event.
"I am pumped for the heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos," she says in the promo video. "Being that it's a heavyweight fight, pretty much guarantees that there's going to be a knockout. It's a tough choice, but I think I have to go with Cain Velasquez. He's the more well-rounded fighter in my opinion, so I got to go with Cain."
Moore's prediction was far off the mark, as Velasquez was knocked out in stunning fashion by Dos Santos, but her promo spot undoubtedly helped to reel in some new fans to the sport.
10) Mike Tyson
It certainly helps the UFC to have a legendary boxer sitting cageside at events and supporting the sport. Tyson's presence at UFC events undoubtedly helps to draw some longtime boxing fans who may be reluctant to give MMA the time of day.
What other celebrities deserve a spot on this list? Let me know in the comments.
Eric Holden is a lifelong UFC fan and supporter of the sport of mixed martial arts. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
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