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While traditional martial arts are full of respect, the UFC is a little different. In the world’s biggest MMA promotion, trash talk is the king, particularly when it comes to the way fights are built up.
While most UFC fighters try their best to talk trash, it’s fair to say that some are better at it than others, and they’ve delivered the most memorable trash talking moments over the years.
So whether it’s an angry threat to kill an opponent, or something a little more witty, there’s nothing quite like a great trash talking moment.
Here are the 10 best trash-talk moments in UFC history.
#10. Kevin Holland trash-talks Jacare Souza during their fight (UFC 256)
Kevin Holland has quickly become one of the UFC’s more renowned trash-talkers in recent years. The welterweight contender even adopted the secondary nickname ‘Big Mouth’ thanks to this tendency.
However, Holland made himself stand out above most of his peers in his fight with Jacare Souza in late 2020.
Despite being stuck on bottom position with the deadly grappler above him, ‘Trailblazer’ began to talk trash to the Brazilian during the fight. After saying “that was nice” when Souza landed a punch, he then told him he’d “had a dream” about the moment.
Moments later, Holland shocked the world by landing a series of punches from underneath to knock the Brazilian senseless, sending everyone watching into a frenzy.
Considering that trash-talking an opponent during a fight is technically against the Unified Rules of MMA, this was an even bolder move from Holland – making it one of the most memorable trash-talking moments.
#9. B.J. Penn threatens to kill Sean Sherk (UFC 80)
During his peak years, which saw him claim both the UFC lightweight and welterweight titles, B.J. Penn was renowned as an intense trash-talker. ‘The Prodigy’ could switch from being laid-back and joking to deadly serious in a split-second.
Penn’s most memorable trash-talking moment, though, came in the aftermath of his bout with Joe Stevenson in 2008.
The Hawaiian claimed the vacant lightweight title by defeating ‘Joe Daddy’, but after the fight, he only had one man in his crosshair – former champ Sean Sherk, who was at the time under suspension following a positive drug test.
Penn didn’t call ‘The Muscle Shark’ out in the usual way. Instead, with a snarl on his face, he simply yelled one chilling line. “Sean Sherk....you’re dead!”
The line turned Penn vs. Sherk into arguably the biggest lightweight fight in octagon history to that point, and remains one of the most memorable pieces of trash talk, too.
More importantly, Penn lived up to his threat – stopping Sherk in the third round of their fight via KO.
#8. Tito Ortiz laughs at Ken Shamrock (UFC 40 press conference)
Modern-day MMA fans tend to consider Tito Ortiz somewhat of a cringeworthy figure, but during his reign as UFC light heavyweight champion, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was in fact renowned for his trash talk.
Most notably, he was able to get under the skin of his bitter rival Ken Shamrock so badly during their lengthy feud that it often felt like ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ was ready to blow a blood vessel.
The most memorable moment between the two came during a press conference to build up their first fight in 2002. Shamrock – who spent time in WWE from 1997 to 1999 – decided to cut a lengthy, serious promo, telling Ortiz that he would “beat him into the living death.”
Rather than respond, Ortiz simply laughed out loud, cackling like a hyena.
The laugh did more to anger Shamrock than any words could’ve done, and the veteran actually kicked a nearby chair into the air, forcing Dana White to make a last-second catch.
In the end, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ and his psychological assault clearly worked, as he stopped Shamrock via TKO after the third round ended.
#7. Colby Covington calls Brazil a dump (UFC Fight Night 119)
Colby Covington is perhaps the most notorious of the UFC’s modern-day trash talkers, largely because he seems willing to push the envelope further than any other fighter.
‘Chaos’ has been accused of xenophobia, homophobia and racism since his rise to fame a few years ago. However, there’s no denying that he’s an effective trash talker.
Covington’s most memorable moment almost certainly came following his fight with Demian Maia in 2017. After defeating the Brazilian grappler in his home country, ‘Chaos’ took the mic, and stunned everyone with a barely believable rant.
Shouting at the top of his voice over the boos of the crowd, he labelled Brazil a “dump,” and then hit out at the fans by saying “all you filthy animals suck!”
The crowd were so riled up by Covington’s rant that he essentially had to be smuggled out of Brazil by security.
While it remains controversial, the moment turned ‘Chaos’ into a star – and stands as one of the wildest trash-talking incidents in octagon history.
#6. Michael Bisping makes fun of Luke Rockhold (UFC 199 press conference)
Michael Bisping rose to fame in the UFC not only as the poster-boy for MMA in the UK, but as a truly fantastic trash-talker, too.
‘The Count’ went to verbal war with a number of foes over the course of his decade-long career with the promotion , but his most memorable moment definitely came during the built to his middleweight title bout with Luke Rockhold in 2016.
During the pre-fight press conference, Rockhold spoke at length about his mental preparation and how he looked to “achieve things.” Bisping, sitting on the other side of the podium, clearly found this hilarious.
Before Rockhold finished talking, ‘The Count’ quickly spoke over him, calling his words “the worst self-help book you’ve ever read.” From there, he quipped, “Conceive, believe, achieve... shut the f*ck up,” as the attendees laughed loudly.
The moment was a perfect example of Bisping’s natural charisma and ability on the microphone. More importantly, it only made things sweeter when he knocked Rockhold out in the first round to claim the title.
#5. Dana White’s “do you wanna be a fighter?” speech (The Ultimate Fighter 1)
UFC president Dana White might not be a fighter himself, but he’s definitely one of the promotion’s greatest trash talkers.
Whether he’s hitting out at rival promoters, former fighters who’ve gotten on his bad side, or MMA reporters, there’s nothing quite like a rant from White, who can often turn the air blue with expletives.
White’s best trash-talking moment, though, undoubtedly came during the tapings of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
With the cast of the show apparently confused over whether they’d need to fight during the tapings or whether they were simply there to train, White decided to give the fighters a reality check.
In a wild rant, he asked a simple question: “do you wanna be a f*cking fighter?” and then threatened to “throw (them) out of the gym so fast (their) f*cking head will spin” if they didn’t.
The moment instantly went viral, turning White into a star and sending TUF into the mainstream shortly after. A few weeks later, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on their epic brawl in the finale, and the UFC hasn’t looked back since.
#4. Nate Diaz calls out Conor McGregor (UFC on Fox 17)
Back in 2015, it felt like every fighter in the UFC, regardless of their weight, wanted a piece of Conor McGregor. It made sense, as the Irishman had rocketed to fame at that time and was clearly positioned as the promotion’s biggest star.
However, the fighter who was successful in his callout – producing one of the greatest trash-talking moments in octagon history – was Nate Diaz.
Despite McGregor being booked in a fight with Rafael dos Anjos at the time, Diaz took to the microphone after his win over Michael Johnson to challenge ‘The Notorious’ in his unique way. His rant remains hilariously quotable:
“Conor McGregor, you’re taking everything I work for, mother*cker, I’m gonna fight your a**! You know that the real money fight is me!”
Unsurprisingly, the fans were instantly all-in on the possibility of a McGregor vs. Diaz bout – and the UFC obliged, putting it together in early 2016 when dos Anjos suffered an injury.
The two rivals went onto two classic bouts, and drew an insane amount of money in the process – making this one of the most effective trash-talking moments, too.
#3. Nick Diaz claims Georges St-Pierre is scared (UFC 137)
Nate Diaz might be renowned for his trash-talking abilities, but it’s arguable that his older brother Nick is even more effective on the microphone.
Diaz rose to fame in the early 2000’s and would often talk trash at his opponents during his fights, even gaining a warning for this in his 2004 clash with Robbie Lawler.
In 2011, though, he produced one of the most memorable pieces of trash-talk in octagon history when he called out then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre after a win over B.J. Penn.
‘GSP’ was on the shelf with a serious knee injury, meaning his planned fight with Diaz was unable to go ahead. The Stockton-based fighter, though, clearly didn’t believe this was the case.
After yelling “where you at Georges,” he claimed St-Pierre wasn’t hurt, he was scared.
While ‘GSP’ was unmoved, even sarcastically making the “scared” gesture to the camera, Diaz’s rant instantly made the fight into a huge one.
When it eventually happened, it ended up drawing over a million buys on pay-per-view, showing that Diaz was a true master of building a fight up.
#2. Conor McGregor’s “red panty night” quip (UFC ‘Go Big’ press conference)
Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star in UFC history. While his fighting skills took him to the top of the promotion, his abilities on the microphone are arguably the reason he reached heights that no other fighter was able to do.
‘The Notorious’ has more memorable trash-talking moments than almost any other fighter, but it’s arguable that his best was aimed at then-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos.
During the ‘Go Big’ press conference in late 2015, ‘RDA’ decided to call out McGregor, despite both men being booked in separate bouts at the time.
In response to dos Anjos labelling the Irishman “easy money,” McGregor hit back by explaining exactly why everyone was desperate to fight him, essentially confirming that he was now the biggest star in the game:
“I can make you rich, I can change your bum life. If you fight me it’s a celebration! You ring back home, you ring your wife, baby, we done it, we’re rich, Conor McGregor made us rich! Break out the red panties. We’re rich, baby!”
‘The Notorious’ then called himself the money fight, and he wasn’t wrong. Given that this moment spawned the phrase “red panty night” and showed McGregor’s incredible wit and charisma, it has to be considered one of the greatest pieces of trash-talk.
#1. Chael Sonnen calls out Anderson Silva (UFC 136)
With respect to Conor McGregor, it’s arguable that Chael Sonnen remains the greatest trash-talker in UFC history.
Taking cues from pro-wrestling legends like Ric Flair and Billy Graham, ‘The American Gangster’ transformed into a true master of the microphone during his rivalry with longtime middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
However, while the promotion produced an entire video dedicated to Sonnen’s witty trash-talking, his most memorable moment definitely came after he defeated Brian Stann in 2011.
Itching for a rematch with Silva after he’d lost in the dying moments of the final round in their first meeting, Sonnen took to the microphone and called out ‘The Spider’ in remarkable fashion.
“Anderson Silva...you absolutely suck! Superbowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business! I’m calling you out, Silva, but we’re upping the stakes! I beat you, you leave the division...you beat me, I will leave the UFC forever!”
The rant stunned the fans in attendance, and while Sonnen did not live up to his promise after losing the fight with Silva, it remains probably the greatest moment of trash talk in octagon history.
