Way back when Cage and Ring started I wrote an article about the best MMA entrance songs ever. I caught some flack by readers because I thought that Jeff Monson’s entrance with the John Lennon song “Imagine” was one of the best. I still stick by that and always will. If you know Monson then you understand why the song is so fitting.
But now it’s time to look 180 degrees the other way and focus on some of the worst entrances of all time. There are many to talk about here, but I am going to point out just a few. And the first one just popped up again recently at UFC 110. Why, oh why, does Cro Cop still use “Wild Boys” from Duran Duran? As if it wasn’t bad enough to see Cro Cop come out in his Georges St. Pierre-esque spandex shorts, we have to sit through this pretty boy, 80’s crap. Since I had to sit through it, so do you. And now for your listening pleasure, “Wild Boys”.
And it just keeps getting worse. When Dong Sik Yoon came out to “When Doves Cry” by Prince against Gegard Mousasi, I threw up a little bit in my mouth. I was amped up for the fight and didn’t want to even think about “the heat between” Prince and whomever he was singing about. But when I started thinking about the Dongbar, my mind just wandered and I lost it. Prince = bad entrance music!
At UFC 34 Carlos Newton faced off against Matt Hughes. Newton came out to Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious”. Really? “Bootylicious”? I have nothing to add here except it’s no wonder that Carlos got his ass kicked that night.
I’ll only add one more entrance song here. First of all, because I’d like to have our readers back. And secondly, I can’t handle this any longer. UFC 102. Oregon. Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson. It’s the UFC’s first time in Oregon. Aaron Simpson comes out to “Ring of Fire” from Social Distortion. (One of my favorite songs!) This is a great beginning to what could be a good fight. Then all of a sudden I hear the whining of some familiar music in the background. WTF? Is that Phil Collins? Dammit! It’s “In The Air Tonight”. What the hell? MMA and Phil Collins do not mix well together. I swear I almost stabbed someone!
Well I hope you future fighters out there have learned your lessons. Don’t mix MMA with lame, dated music. Pick out something and make it your own. And if you choose Phil Collins, you ought to get beaten by the crowd on the way to the ring.
