In a sport that’s dominated by and centered around brutal violence it’s often thought that the nice guys won’t last, let alone make an impression in the sport. Well, I’m here to tell you that that line of thinking isn’t always accurate.

There are quite a few nice guys in this sport that we all love, some nicer than others as you might imagine, but nice none the less.

3: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

Where do I start with this one? ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is one of the best pure strikers that the sport may have ever seen. His unique style mixed with his approachable personality has made him one of the most recognizable figures in MMA.

Now, I must say Wonderboy doesn’t have the same service record as the other two people on this list, but without a shadow of a doubt he is one of the nicest people in all of MMA. If you need evidence of this just watch the reaction and post fight social media comments following his KO loss to Anthony Pettis. ‘Wonderboy’ never made any excuses for his loss, and used the opportunity to shower Pettis in praise. He let Pettis have his moment and took everything in stride all the while having a smile on his face.

Thank you Wonderboy for perfectly showcasing how to be a good human!

2: Stipe Miocic

Now, I know what you’re thinking “Who in their right mind let this guy write another article?” Well that’s none of your business! So quit hating and keep reading! On a serious note though, Stipe seems to be an odd choice for a list like this (especially since he tapped to Alistair, DO @ US), but his actions in the world famous octagon are not what I’m getting at here, it’s his selfless service to the people of his community.

Stipe has been an active firefighter in suburban Cleveland for years and continues to be even after becoming the baddest man on the planet when knocked out Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 to capture the UFC Heavyweight Title.

Still to this day, Stipe puts his career and his life on the line for the people of his community purely for his love of making his hometown a safer place, and to me there aren’t a whole lot of things a man in his position can do give back more than he does.

1: Justin Wren

Some of you may have predicted Justin Wren would be number 1 simply because of the difference he makes in this world, and you would be 100% right!

If you want to talk about being selfless and caring for a community, then you want to talk about Justin Wren.

He gave up a promising career in the world of MMA, leaving the sport with a 13-2 record that included a stint on the Ultimate Fighter and a perfect 3-0 record in Bellator; to focus full time on his charity “Fight for the Forgotten”.

Wren went from knocking out trained killers to knocking out dehydration by working full time to help provide clean water to the disadvantaged people of the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

He has spent thousands of dollars of his own money, thousands of hours of his own time, and impacted the lived of potentially millions, simply out of the kindness of his heart.

We could all learn the art of selflessness by taking a page out of this HERO’S playbook.

Thank you Justin!

So the next time someone tells you that MMA fighters are just mean violent meat heads, you can show them this hastily thrown together article and change their minds!

Honorable mentions:

Daniel Cormier, Clay Guida, Isaac Valie Flag, Cris Cyborg

Written by: Joshua Sloan

Twitter: @heyitsmma