'Welcome to 2000-and-Chael!' The 10 best trash talkers in UFC history
UFC featherweight Conor McGregor has made a name for himself, not only with his impressive skills inside the Octagon but also with his incessant trash talk leading up to fights. But the Irishman is not the first fighter with the gift of gab to step into the Octagon. Before UFC 189 this weekend, take a look back at 10 of the best trash talkers in UFC history. WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AHEAD.
10. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk may have only four fights under the UFC banner, but her antics before her past two are what champion trash talkers are made of. Many believe that Jedrzejczyk broke then-champion Carla Esparza before they even stepped into the Octagon.
During their UFC 185 face-off, Jedrzejczyk repeatedly told Carla not to hold her finger in the air — "don't do this, you can't do this." Then, as the two left the stage, Jedrzejczyk told a giddy Esparza that she was going to, essentially, knock the smile off her face, which impressed former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Check it out for yourself below, starting at the 2:30 mark.
Jedrzejczyk would go on to take the belt from Esparza, before defending it against Jessica Penne in Berlin. Pasta anyone?
9. Bethe Correia
Brazilian women's bantamweight Bethe Correia has been spitting FIRE at champion Ronda Rousey since making her UFC debut in 2013. Correia defeated Rousey's friends and training partners Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler, vowing to dismantle all Four Horsewomen, including Rousey.
"I already proved to the world that the Four Horsewomen are a big joke. I just need to conclude my work getting the number one, the leader," Correia told FOX Sports in October 2014.
The trash talk was so over the top that it compelled Rousey to not only give Correia the title shot she craved, but also give her said title shot in her native Brazil.
We'll see if Bethe can back it all up at UFC 190 in August.
8. Dan Hardy
Not only was Hardy a menace in the Octagon, but he also was an absolutely terror outside of it. Unlike JJ and Correia, who hope to strike fear with their trash talk, Hardy was the kind of guy who could disrespect you with a smile on his face.
Take for instance his shots at former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. And who could forget the venom he spit at Carlos Condit before their UFC 120 bout:
"I was worried the other day when I found out he wasn't on the plane —€“ I thought he was trying to wiggle his way out ... but he's here, be it by his own will or somebody else's. I'm just gonna have to prove to him on Saturday night that it was a bad thing to do."
7. Matt Serra
Serra never has been afraid to express himself. Ever. After he Rocky'd Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69, the New Yorker turned it up a notch for their rematch at UFC 83, telling the Canadian during a phone interview to "drink your red wine, go to your hockey game, and shut up, Frenchy."
6. Ronda Rousey
Yes, Rousey is the queen of submissions and has fought for more than a minute just three times in her career, but it was a feud with Miesha Tate during the historic 18th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" that landed her on this list.
Every glance from Rousey to Tate gave off the "I want to Judo toss you right now" vibe, and the Olympic medalist made it clear at every moment that she did not like the former Strikeforce champion. However, the most memorable scene had to be Rousey confronting Tate's boyfriend, UFC bantamweight fighter Bryan Caraway, during a team outing.
Oh, and Rousey standing up to Dennis Hallman a few episodes before? Gold. Pure gold.
5. Michael Bisping
Some would argue that Bisping deserves to be higher on this list. The Brit has trash-talked everyone from Dan Henderson to Wanderlei Silva to current middleweight No. 1 contender Luke Rockhold.
His back-and-forth with Tim Kennedy was great, but it gets no better than that time Bisping and Chael Sonnen (who we'll get to later)€“ met face to face before their fight at UFC on FOX 2.
4. Tito Ortiz
Thank the Huntington Beach Bad Boy for helping to usher in a new age of trash talking to promote fights. After beating Vitor Belfort, Ortiz notoriously grabbed his flag pole —€“ American flag on one side, Mexican flag on the other —€“ and ran all the way to the nosebleeds ... all before he was even announced the winner. When they finally got around to the post-fight interview, Ortiz was asked who he thought would win the matchup between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell.
"I hope Chuck takes it, that way I can kick Chuck's a**!" Ortiz responded. "Ken Shamrock was talking smack, I know that old man is in the house. Shamrock step up. I'll make you remind yourself that I am Rick James and you are my b***h."
3. Nick Diaz
Even as the creator of this list, I still don't know how Nick doesn't sit the top. For both Diaz and his brother Nate, trash talk isn't a method to get in their opponent's head or sell a fight —€“ it's a way of life. I mean, nobody but the Diazes is flipping you off inside the Octagon. There are too many instances to name, but here are a few of the best Nick Diaz quotes.
"I don't think Georges is hurt, I think he's scared. Wassup?? Where you at, Georges?!" — Nick Diaz in his post-fight interview after dismantling BJ Penn
"I WON THAT SH*T!" —€“ Nick Diaz to Penn's manager in the Octagon after their fight.
"Dude everybody. C'mon man. Even Hermes Franca. One day he comes in with that goofy haircut. You got Jens Pulver, f****** Mayhem Miller. Some b***h he was talking to tried to offer me this piece of hydrogenated chocolate. What the f*** are these guys into? Give me some real chocolate. Real fighters eat real chocolate." —€“ Nick Diaz on painted toenails and chocolate
"I beat his ass. But you know, that little f*****. Man that f***** is tough. I mean I hit him, but then he comes out with this karate s*** and little dude can bang. I mean he f***** up my eye and s***... That's why I went to the ground and go-go'd him. You don't see that s*** in MMA. Who in MMA go-go's anyone 'cept me." — Nick Diaz on Takanori Gomi
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. ... Maybe f*** you." — Nick Diaz when asked if he was high.
Honorable Mention: Nate Diaz.
2. Conor McGregor
"The Notorious" McGregor burst onto the scene with a first-round knockout of Marcus Brimage in Scotland and a glimpse of what the future held, calling Brimage just a stepping stone for success in the UFC. But it was his pre-fight banter before UFC 178 that unleashed the monster — and we mean that in the best possible way — that we see and hear today:
Nine straight minutes of fire. It's highly impressive and the UFC probably wishes they had more fighters with McGregor's gift of gab. His back and forth with Jose Aldo, and then Chad Mendes, is making UFC 189 one of the most profitable cards in UFC history, according to officials within the organization. We can only imagine what McGregor will say if he ever becomes undisputed UFC champion.
1. Chael Sonnen
"I don't promote fights, I pick fights. I'm like Jon Jones, but I sound like Sean Combs, and I got trombone-size stones, like John Holmes."
McGregor is a great trash talker, but Sonnen was legendary. Sonnen somehow managed to get the entire of country of Brazil to hate him (twice), while seemingly talking his way into a light heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones despite coming off a loss to Anderson Silva for the middleweight title.
Chael even went as far as to carry around a fake middleweight belt before his fight with Silva. And Sonnen didn't just save his trash talk for other fighters, as his feud with Miami-based journalist Dan LeBatard is well documented.
"Welcome to 2000-and-Chael!"
The most honorable of mentions:
"I'm very glad you won that fight, Matt, but uhh, I am not impressed by your performance and look forward to fight you in the near future." — Georges St-Pierre attempting to trash talk Matt Hughes.