Only became a fan when I was 18, but:
JENS Pulver, Frank Shamrock, Wanderlei - all had relatable personal stories, plus Frank's intelligent training was inspiring.
SAKuraba, Genki Sudo - fighters but not afraid of fun and not typical tough guys. Creative and bravely fought or even beat bigger guys. Genki had a bunch of different interests he pursued, which was inspiring to me.
GSP - kind, intelligent, level-headed, was the best, trained hard.
DAN Hardy, Paul Daley - local.
MOUsasi and Fedor - had a plain expression like me.