Sam Alvey

Sam 'Smile'N Sam' Alvey is one of the most recognizable personalities of his MMA era - the perpetually grinning counter-striker who built a long UFC career on patience and one-punch power. In his prime that approach worked: he banked a string of knockouts and bonuses by waiting out opponents and landing a single heavy left hand.

The trade-off was a low-output, feast-or-famine style, and the back half of his run famously turned into a long winless stretch that became a storyline in itself. Through it all his upbeat persona never wavered. Fans remember him fondly for the smile and the knockout threat, even as his patient style frustrated those who wanted to see more activity in the cage.