The 25 Biggest Badasses in Sports Today

Being a badass in sports isn’t just about your performance on the field of play, granted you definitely have to be killing it, it’s also about how you live your life once you leave the locker room. 2012 saw several athletes step their game up significantly, and a few newcomers take the sports world by storm. Whatever their case or situation was, these athletes did their thing, and look ready to keep doing their thing for the foreseeable future. In today’s world, whether it be in sports or any other profession, the emphasis is always on what have you done for me lately. Well, in the case of these athletes the answer is, quite a lot. From J.R. Smith doing what he does to Floyd Mayweather being unstoppable, check out, The 25 Biggest Badasses in Sports Today.

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Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)

Sport: MMA
Stats: Career: 7-0-0 (All wins by submission)

The compensation might not be there yet, but there is no doubt that Ronda Rousey has planted her name and women's MMA firmly on the map. Rousey is currently undefeated as the UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and she's featured on the hit reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, opposite rival Miesha Tate. Being the September cover girl for Maxim isn't the worst gig in the world either, but that's just our opinion. Rousey will look to continue her unbeaten run as she continues to attract followers, and be a pioneer for the women's MMA movement. This is certainly one badass chick.

Sport: Basketball
Stats: (2012-13) .452 FG% 22.5 ppg 3.7 rpg 5.9 apg

Already starting to make Cavaliers fan say, "LeBron who?" Kyrie Irving is quickly being touted as one of the games rising young superstars. The prolific point is yet to play a full season in the Association, yet he's already commanding respect and gaining experience with league vets. Irving took home Rookie of the Year honors in 2011-12, was selected to his first All-Star game last season, and is doing work with Team USA basketball. We like this dude a lot, and if he and LeBron ever team up in Cleveland, it could prove catastrophic for the rest of the league. Don't forget what he did to Brandon Knight, either.

Sport: Basketball
Stats: (2012-13) .438 FG% 25.9 ppg 4.9 rpg 5.8 apg

James Harden has quickly put behind his days as part of the three-headed monster that was in Oklahoma City. He got his money in H-Town, established himself as a starter, and a scorer, and paired nicely with Jeremy Lin in the Rockets backcourt. His numbers took a significant leap in every statistical category, including minutes played, and he got to play in his first All-Star game. His partnership with Lin should only get better, and the arrival of one big package in Dwight Howard makes the Rockets an automatic contender in the West. When your beard had it's own following life is pretty good, too.

Sport: Football
Stats: (2012) 122 Rec 1,964 YDS 5 TD 16.1 YPR; 2013 (So far): 17 Rec 268 YDS 3 TD 15.8 YPR

Calvin Johnson's touchdown totals may've taken a hit last year, but his deserved reputation as one of the league's top wideouts certainly did not. CJ still amassed almost 2,000 yards in 2012, and broke Jerry Rice's single-season record for receiving yards. Johnson also set the NFL record for consecutive 100-yard games with eight, and received his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. Megatron is just two touchdowns away from tying his last season's total, and our guess is as good as anyone's as to what CJ's final numbers will be like come Week 16.

Sport: Golf
Stats: (2013 PGA Season) No. 1 World Ranking, 16 Events, 8 Top 10 finishes, 5 Wins (No. 1 on 2013 PGA money list with $8,553,439)

It's been a long and strange journey for Tiger Woods since he drove his SUV into that tree and his world seemingly unraveled. However, as we've learned over the years, this country is all about redemption, and Tiger has finally reclaimed his spot at the summit of the golf world. Woods has recaptured his No. 1 ranking, and is making a steady habit of featuring well into the last day of this season's majors.

Tiger should continue his dominance, and recoup a lot of that lost cash, as he continues to put the entire sex-scandal further and further behind him. It looks like Nike is staying strong with one of their main men as well going forward, you know it's all good when the endorsements don't dry up.

Sport: Soccer
Stats: (2012-13) (Ligue 1/UCL): 33 G, 15 A, 196 Shots; (2013-14) (So far): 2 G, 2 A, 39 Shots

One of the first cornerstone signings in the new era of Paris Saint-Germain soccer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has showed for both club and country that he is a prolific forward. The big Swede has amazed with his strength and goal-scoring prowess, and he helped guide PSG to their first league title since 1994. Zlatan also played an integral role in securing PSG's birth in the quarters of last season's Champions League, in which they narrowly lost to Barcelona on away goals. The 31-year-old has just inked a new deal with PSG, and if he keeps scoring goals like this, he'll remain one of the best strikers in Europe.

Sport: Tennis
Stats: (2013) No. 2 ATP Ranking Roland Garros/US Open Champion (61-3 Overall record with 10 titles)

Rafael Nadal maybe the No. 2 ranked player in the world right now, but his spanking of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open Final showed that we might be in for a shakeup at the top. Nadal is finally healthy once again, and if this dude were a stock, you probably should've bought in about six months ago. Federer is done, and Nadal looked far superior to the Serb who has recently dominated on the hard courts of Flushing. This coming year could see Nadal take the top spot, and recapture his place on the tennis throne.

Sport: Football
Stats: (2012) 64.1 CMP%, 3,118 YDS, 26 TD, 10 INT, 100.0 QBR; (2013) (So far): (3-0) 64.4 CMP%, 664 YDS, 6 TD, 2 INT, 109.6 QBR

Arguably the least publicized rookie behind RGIII and Andrew Luck last season, Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a regular season finish of 11-5, and a playoff berth. The quick, short, and tough quarterback emerged as not just the starter, but also the leader of Seattle. Wilson has the Hawks off to an undefeated start this season, and Seattle is tops among most NFL power rankings. Not bad for a 5'11" dude from the Big Ten. The comparisons are already being drawn with Drew Brees, and if those hold to be even close to true, look out, world.

Sport: Basketball
Stats: (2012-13) .475 FG%, 28.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG

The Durantula is coming off a disappointing postseason, where the Thunder's early elimination was undoubtedly due mostly to the season-ending injury suffered by Russell Westbrook last April. Westbrook is back though, and KD feels he has a point to prove for the upcoming NBA season. Durant is still coming off his highest PPG total since the 2009-10 season, and he boasted the highest FT percentage of his career. Entering his seventh season in the Association, it might be time for Durant to claim his first ring and lift the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy. LeBron and Co. may have a thing or two to say about that, but we're not betting against KD.

Sport: Baseball
Stats: (2012) 75 R, 33 HR, 85 RBI, .270 BA, .501 SLG; (2013) (So far): 102 R, 52 HR, 136 RBI, .286 BA, .636 SLG

If 2012 was good to Chris Davis, then 2013 is the gift that keeps on giving. Davis leads the Majors in homeruns right now with 52, and he has racked up an unbelievable 136 RBI in the process. While it once looked possible, it now appears that his Orioles are not going to make the postseason, but that shouldn't diminish what the former Texas Ranger has done this year. Just to put it into perspective: Davis had 11 homeruns from 2010-2011, from 2012-2013 he has 85. Just remember guys, chicks dig the long ball.

Sport: Football
Stats: 2012: 20.5 Sacks 4 Forced Fumbles 2 Fumbles Recovered 69 Tackles 12 Assists 2013 (So far): 3 Sacks 13 Tackles 4 Assists

Coming off a season in which he racked up 20.5 sacks, and took home NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors despite dislocating his left elbow during last season's training camp, J.J. Watt looks set to inflict even more damage on opposing offenses this time around. The fast-paced defensive end takes pride in laying quarterbacks on their bums, and he has the combination of power and speed that make opposing fans want to hide the women and children whenever the Texans come to town. Seriously, this dude is a beast. If an unhealthy Watt can rack up 20 sacks in a year, we shake at the possibility of what he can do this season. Dude has a ridiculous box jump routine, as well.

Sport: Baseball
Stats: (2013) (So far): 63 R, 18 HR, 41 RBI, .327 BA, .544 SLG

The Cuban sensation that seemingly fell out of the sky and into the Dodgers outfield put on a performance this season that entertained every fan of the game. Puig showcased his power, speed, and at times over eagerness on the base paths, that made him a constant on SportsCenter highlights. Puig set the record for the highest batting average in MLB history for the first month of a player's career, and joined Joe DiMaggio as the only players in history with at least 40 hits and four homeruns in their first calendar month in the bigs. Puig has racked up nearly 20 homeruns and 50 RBI, despite not playing a game until early June, and missing time with a knee injury earlier this month. Puig has ignited the Dodgers, propelling them to first-place in the NL West, and looking set to make a deep postseason run. Throws like this are pretty cool, too.

Sport: Soccer
Stats: (2012-13) (La Liga/UCL): 46 G, 11 A, 316 Shots; (2013-14) (So far): 7 G, 2 A, 57 Shots

Despite the world-record arrival of Gareth Bale, CR7 showed everyone that Real Madrid is still very much his team. Ronaldo recently bagged a hat-trick in Istanbul against Galatasaray to open the Champions League group stage, and he scored a double against Getafe in La Liga last Sunday. The Portuguese forward is coming off a season slightly marked by turmoil with the departure of manger Jose Mourinho, and succeeding the La Liga crown back to Barcelona, but he looks poised for a season of epic proportions. After yesterday he's now scored 210 goals in his last 206 appearances, absolutely unreal.

Sport: Football
Stats: (2012) 315 ATT, 1,590 YDS, 11 TD, 5.0 YPA; (2013) (So far): 62 ATT, 210 YDS, 2 TD, 3.4 YPA

When your nickname is "Beast Mode," what more really needs to be said? The Seattle Seahawks are flying right now, and their beast running back, Marshawn Lynch, is one of the huge reasons behind the success. Lynch is coming off the highest rushing total for his career in 2012, and his troubles in Buffalo can't even be seen in the rearview mirror. The Seahawks are the heavy favorites to come out of the NFC right now, if not win the whole thing come February, and Lynch looks like he could run until the end of the world. With Seattle finally gaining respect and reputation as a favorite, this could be Lynch's best season ever.

Sport: Hockey
Stats: (2012-13) 23 G, 32 A, 55 Pts, 138 Shots

Coming off a prolific season, in which he was at the center of helping the Blackhawks lift the Stanley Cup, Patrick Kane is looking to keep things rolling for the upcoming campaign. Kane, Toews, and Keith will once again be looked upon to lead Chicago on their quest to repeat, and it's no surprise that the Hawks are currently holding down the number one spot in most preseason rankings. At age 24, Kane is already doing some ridiculous things, and he's only going to get stronger and better.

Sport: Baseball
Stats: (2012) 109 R, 44 HR, 139 RBI, .330 BA, .606 SLG; (2013) (So far): 103 R, 44 HR, 137 RBI, .350 BA, .646 SLG

In 2012, Miguel Cabrera took home the AL MVP award, and became the first position player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1976 to win the Triple Crown. How do you follow that up? Cabrera currently has a higher batting average than last season, and is on pace to break his homerun and RBI total from 2012. If it weren't for the ridiculous homerun numbers of the Orioles' Chris Davis, Cabrera would be looking at back-to-back Triple Crowns. Just let that sink in. The MVP case is obviously there for the third baseman, and he has his Tigers ready to make another postseason run. We're not sure any baseball player has it sweeter than Miggy, right now.

Sport: Basketball
Stats: (2012-13) .426 FG% 18.1 ppg 5.3 rpg 2.7 apg

Put the Twitter antics, and drunken club pics aside for a second, and you still have a player in J.R. Smith who had one of his most prolific NBA seasons to date last year. Smith was a key player for the Knicks off the bench, helping them conquer their first Atlantic Division title since 1994, as well as capturing Sixth Man of the Year honors for himself. Now throw in that he got Joe Budden's girl and he's one of the best athletes to follow on social media. Smith gives no fucks and we love him for it.

Sport: Tennis
Stats: (2013) No. 1 WTA Ranking, Roland Garros/US Open Champion (67-4 Overall record with 9 titles)

There's no question as to whom top dog is on the WTA tour at the moment. Serena Williams is in the midst of an unbelievable run, in which she rarely looks capable of losing, let alone dropping a set. Her 67-4 record this year, capped by winning the French and US Open is astounding, but to truly appreciate her dominance one needs to watch Serena destroy an opponent on the court. Williams doesn't look like she's ready to break anytime soon, and there seems to be little that the rest of the tour can do to slow the 17-time Grand Slam singles winner down. We're excited to see if she carries this momentum into the Australian Open, this January.

Sport: MMA
Stats: 19-1-0 (9 wins by TKO), Total career earning: $2.25 Million ($865,000 in 2012)

Starting in 2011, Jon "Bones" Jones took the MMA and UFC world by storm. Jones racked up key wins against "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, and Chael Sonnen. Most recently, Jones successfully defended his Light Heavyweight title by holding on against a determined Alexander Gustafsson. This fight pushed Jones to the limit, and while he's still feeling the after-effects, Jones did what a champion does, wins. Once he's recovered we look forward to his continual defense of his belt.

Sport: Soccer
Stats: (2012-13) (La Liga/UCL): 54 G, 14 A, 204 Shots; (2013-14) (So far): 9 G, 2 A, 30 Shots

On the heels of 2012, Lionel Messi broke the record for most goals scored in a calendar year, thus breaking the mark that had stood for more than 40 years set by Gerd Muller. The 2012-13 campaign saw Messi help steer Barcelona back to the La Liga crown, despite losing in the semis of the Champions League to Bayern Munich, and falling in the Copa del Rey final to archrivals Real Madrid. Messi is already off to a hot start this season with Barcelona currently at the top of the La Liga table, despite being under the guidance of a new manager in Tata Martino. Messi's already setting records as well, on the back of Barca's 4-0 opening group stage victory over Ajax, the Argentine became the first player to score four hat-tricks in the Champions League.

Sport: Basketball
Stats: (2012-13) .565 FG%, 26.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.3 APG

For all the flack he took after losing the 2011 Finals to the Mavericks, LeBron James has responded the best way possible, by winning. Plain and simple, James is the best player in the game right now, and he and his Heat are coming off back-to-back championships to prove it. In addition to racking up back-to-back league MVP honors as well, King James is also coming off a fresh transition to being a married man, and has shared with us the honeymoon pictures so we can all enjoy the King's coronation.

He's the most gifted basketball player, and maybe athlete, on the planet right now, and despite the consecutive rings in Miami, he's yet to pledge his future there. Is a move back to Cleveland in the cards? How far we've come from that summer of, "The Decision."

Sport: Football
Stats: 2012: (13-3) 68.6 Cmp% 4,659 Yds 37 TD 11 Int 105.8 Rate 2013 (So far): (3-0) 73 Cmp% 1,143 Yds 12 TD 0 Int 134.7 Rate

There were many who thought that after multiple neck surgeries, and a full year removed from the game, Peyton Manning was done. He and the Denver Broncos had other ideas. Manning lit it up in 2012, boasting his highest quarterback rating and touchdown total since 2004, and falling one Hail Mary short of the AFC Championship game. He almost went all the way, and it's an unreal way to go out, right? Yeah, right. Through the first three games of this season Manning has his Broncos undefeated and is off to the best start for a quarterback in the history of the league. On Monday night he broke Tom Brady's 2011 record for most TDs through three games, and his Broncos are on pace to catch the record-breaking offense of the 2007 New England Patriots. This is all at age 37, mind you.

Sport: Boxing
Stats: 45-0 (26 wins by TKO), Total career earnings: $350 Million ($34 Million in 2013)

Boxing is now, and has been for several decades, on life support in this country. But, there is one character keeping the sport afloat: enter Money Mayweather. Floyd is undefeated in his professional career, has racked up an obscene amount of money for his body of work, and was most recently seen coming to the ring, and celebrating his victory over Canelo, with Justin Bieber. Apparently Mayweather would like Miley Cyrus to escort him to the ring for his next fight. Money May is obviously doing something right, and he's living it up in the limelight right now about as good as one can.

Sport: Football
Stats: (2012) 68.0 CMP%, 3,706 YDS, 26 TD, 9 INT, 155.3 QBR; (2013) (So far): 70.0 CMP%, 1,228 YDS, 12 TD, 4 INT, 192.5 QBR

The only non-professional athlete to make this list, we have to give Johnny Football his props. Manziel went into 'Bama last season and let them have it, and he took home the Heisman as a freshman. You can hate on his attitude, and his OVO tattoo all you want, but this kid is about as badass as it gets. Money for autographs controversy, and taunting penalties aside, Manziel is a real-deal SEC quarterback when all is said and done. He's got as good a shot as any to repeat at Heisman winner this season, and whether his game translates to the pros or not, we love watching this dude every Saturday. Drake loves this kid, too.

Sport: Soccer
Stats: (2012-13) (Serie A/PL/UCL): 14 G, 1 A, 113 Shots; (2013-14) (So far): 3 G, 1 A, 37 Shots

Last season brought a tumultuous end to Mario Balotelli's Manchester City career, and now that Super Mario is back home with AC Milan, the forward can finally focus on football. The Italian international has become a key cog for the Rossoneri since arriving midway through last season, and up until last weekend he was still yet to miss a penalty in his career. Milan have just four points from their opening three fixtures this campaign, but with Balotelli's arrival last season Milan was able to finish third in the table, and qualify for the Champions League playoffs.