MARTIAL ARTS from Cuba

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Cuban Martial Arts of all time. This list of famous Cuban Martial Arts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Yoel Romero (1977 - )

With an HPI of 37.47, Yoel Romero is the most famous Cuban Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.

Yoel Romero Palacio (born April 30, 1977) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for Bellator MMA. Romero formerly competed in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and was a challenger for the UFC Middleweight Championship. As a freestyle wrestler, Romero competed at 85 kilograms, and he was the '99 World Champion (five-time medalist at the World Championships), the '00 Olympic Silver medalist, a three-time World Cup winner (six-time medalist), the '03 Pan American Games Gold medalist (bronze medalist in '99) and a five-time Pan American Champion.

2. Ángel Matos (1976 - )

With an HPI of 32.92, Ángel Matos is the 2nd most famous Cuban Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ángel Valodia Matos Fuentes (born December 24, 1976, in Holguín) is a former Cuban taekwondo athlete. He received a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and added another at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. The World Taekwondo Federation banned Matos and his coach for life following an incident at the 2008 Summer Olympics where Matos kicked the Swedish referee Chakir Chelbat in the face, after being disqualified in the bronze medal match. The decision was later ratified by the IOC. He was also banned for life by the same committee.

3. Legna Verdecia (1972 - )

With an HPI of 32.50, Legna Verdecia is the 3rd most famous Cuban Martial Arts.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Legna Verdecia Rodríguez (born 29 October 1972 in Granma) is a Cuban judoka who won Olympic medals in 1996 and 2000. In a career from 1989 to 2006 she won 165 out of 187 fights, making her one of the most successful Cuban judoka in history.