UFC 2020: John Wood to Joshua Gomez, meet top 10 heartthrobs in the lives of female fighters

Behind every great woman stands...well, a lifetime of hard work, dedication and a superlative career, because none of the UFC fighters need a man behind them to do what they do. Sometimes it just enough that the UFC's top female fighters share pictures of the men in their lives for the rest of us to admire. We take a look at the Top 10 husbands and boyfriends of the UFC's top talent - they may not always have their partner's talents in the ring, but they're still all knockouts in our eyes.

1. Todd Copinger

While most couples would prefer to put conflict aside, some instead choose to keep fighting in the family. Featherweight fighter Felicia Spencer married Todd Coppinger in December 2019, and it's worth noting that Coppinger is a mixed martial arts fighter himself. He's known as "The Savage", a nickname Spencer no doubt enjoys using when she's got him alone at home. You can check out his Instagram page here.

2. Joshua Gomez

Michelle Waterson disappointed devoted fans throughout the world when she married Joshua Gomez, but who could blame her? She married this stunner of a man in 2012, a year after the birth of their child, Araya. This was no shotgun wedding scandal, however - the pair had been in a relationship for well over a decade, but weren't sure about tying the knot. The birth of their child sealed the deal, and now Araya has inspired Michelle to seek to become the first mother in UFC championship history.

3. John Wood

Joanne Calderwood and John Wood found love in a mutual passion for MMA. John Wood is the owner of, and coach at, Syndicate MMA, while Joanneei Calderwood is a UFC strawweight fighter. The pair are currently engaged, after a two-year relationship, in a propsoal that got Wood a little hot under the collar. There is no one more excited about Calderwood's career than John Wood, and for the moment it's more end-of-round bells than wedding bells for this happy couple.

4. Evangelista Santos

Another MMA power couple for the list, Cris "Cyborg" Justino and Evangelista Santos may not be together anymore, but they remain on good terms. We will never forget the heartfelt Instagram message that Cris left her ex-husband after Michael Page put a dent in his skull during a match. "Fight fans Please say a prayer for my Ex husband Cyborg Santos," she wrote, marking a closeness that remains.

5. Thiago 'Marreta' Santos

Thiago Santos and Yana Kunitskaya only go to show how the UFC brings people from all over the world together. The Brazilian Santos and the Russian Kunitskaya have been dating for a while now. They gave the fandom quite a shock when Yana seemed to announce that she was pregnant, back in April, but that turned out to be an April Fool's hoax. Still, any child of theirs would be an unstoppable force of fighting power and good looks.

6. Mark De La Rosa

Montana De La Rosa (formerly Steward) and Mark De La Rosa made UFC history as the first married couple to ever compete on the UFC’s active roster at the same time. The two fighters have been making a family name for themselves, both within the ring and outside of it, having given birth to a daughter, Zaylnn. When Mark's friends asked him to put a ring on it, this is probably not what they meant, but the couple still makes it work.

7. Johnny Nunez

Miesha Tate hasn't seen a fight for a while, and part of that is, in a certain sense, Johnny Nunez's fault. Popular UFC champion Miesha Tate retired in 2018 after a decade of MMA fighting and has, as of last month, given birth to their second child, Daxton Wylder Nunez. Johnny himself has been keeping the fight going in the ring as an MMA fighter. You can find his Instagram here.

8. Pat Barry

This entry is more than a little controversial, as Pat Barry's relationship with his current fiance and former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas allegedly began when she was underage. There's no one Rose Namajunas would rater be with, however, and looking at the heavyweight fighter's pictures, it's easy to see why.

9. Travis Browne

Another relationship with scandalous beginnings, superstar Ronda Roussey was first rumored to be in a relationship with MMA fighter Travis Browne while he was still married to Jenna Renee Webb. Browne has since divorced Webb and married Roussey on August 28, 2017, in Browne's home state of Hawaii. 

10. Austin Vanderford

Austin Vanderford and his wife, UFC figher Paige VanZant, are notorious for sharing steamy nudes of their time at home over on their Instagram pages for the world to see. The couple are as fit as any human beings can hope to be, and they have no reservations about show off their bodies to the world, in a move that their fans are no doubt endlessly grateful for. You can see their impressively acrobatic nude poses, and more, on Paige VanZant's Instagram page here.

ncG1vNJzZmillZbEuHrCqKRorZZisLR506inZqyVo3qpu9OtnKysXZ3CtK7Ap5usZZGjsW6uzrKdq6GVo7G0edOrmJyjmaO0brjOr5xmpJmrsrR5zp9kraCVYsKnecKsZK2noGKzprnApZxmmaSduabAx56q