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In the heat of a UFC fight, combatants are high on adrenaline and likely in severe pain from their opponent’s offense. By the time the end bell has been rung, neither athlete is quite the same compared to before the fight.
Interviews are a key part of any sport; they’re a window into the mind frames and future objectives of the athletes at hand. However, in the UFC, the sport on offer typically involves brutal knocks to the head. Furthermore, to fight at the professional level, one has to have a level of confidence and aggression most never will.
When one puts these two things together, the results can be volatile to say the least. In more recent years, many have argued injured and/or KO’d fighters should not be interviewed post-fight. As fair as this reasoning is, there are plenty of victorious fighters who’ve also surprised and infuriated viewers for a very different set of reasons.
Here are five controversial UFC post-fight interviews:
#5. Daniel Cormier at UFC 214
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier is one of the most bitter and seminal rivalries in UFC history. These two men, polar opposites in many ways, truly hated one another heading into both of their clashes.
The first time around, Jon Jones secured a unanimous decision victory at UFC 182. Following Jones’ suspension, Cormier won the vacant title and embarked upon his own championship reign in the division.
At UFC 214, the long-awaited, roadblock-laden rematch arrived and the hatred between the pair was more heated than ever. Cormier came out swinging in the first two rounds, doing some serious damage to the typically unstoppable Jones.
In round three, however, one kick to the head brought everything to a crashing halt for DC.
Jon Jones was (briefly) light heayweight champion again, this time having finished his arch rival. A distraught DC, who was likely still seeing stars after that kick, was quickly interviewed by Joe Rogan. While Rogan did acknowledge interviewing freshly knocked out fighters isn’t ideal, he pushed ahead anyway.
A weeping Cormier simply said:
“If you win both fights, there is no rivalry.”
Cormier has nothing to be ashamed of here but the interview raised eyebrows due to the state of his health. Clearly rocked by the punishment he’d received and emotional from the setback, many felt he should’ve been left alone after the bell.
#4. Conor McGregor at UFC 264
In the time since Conor McGregor’s shocking loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, much criticism has been shot the Irishman’s way. Ever the trash talker, McGregor has made his verbal warfare more personal than ever in 2021.
After breaking his leg towards the end of round one, a clearly furious McGregor was interviewed by Joe Rogan. In the space of about two minutes, McGregor unleashed more profanities than the average Tarantino character and threw shots at Poirier and his wife, Jolie.
The rant had everyone talking and wondering what was next for McGregor after such a devastating setback. What really makes this post-fight interview questionable is that fact that it happened at all. Similar to Cormier at UFC 214, McGregor was clearly not in a good place here.
The agony of a severely broken limb would throw anyone off and could even lead to shock. When Anderson Silva suffered a similar injury at UFC 168, there was no immediate interview. The badly hurt former middleweight champion was stretchered out as quickly as possible and McGregor deserved the same.
Regardless of Joe Rogan’s claims that McGregor wanted the interview, someone in his state at the time arguably should not have been put under the spotlight.
#3. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Controversy and crass jokes are going to cling to Aljamain Sterling like a bad smell until he finally defends his belt in October. At UFC 259, Sterling took a ferocious knee from Petr Yan while he was grounded.
As a result, Yan was disqualified and Sterling became the first fighter in UFC history to net a title via DQ. It was a shocking turn of events and one that was met by criticism and frustration from fans, fighters and pundits alike.
Many have even gone as far as to call into question the severity of Sterling’s injury following his post-fight celebrations. In a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, an exhausted and emotional Sterling acknowledged the disappointing nature of his victory.
Rogan pointed out that two of the judges had Yan ahead of Sterling on the scorecards. Sterling claimed he was in too bad a shape following the knee to continue and that pursuing the fight further would’ve been unwise.
The result and subsequent interview have been a key figure of debate in the fighting world ever since.
#2. Colby Covington at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida
One could probably make a top five or even top 10 strictly out of UFC welterweight Colby Covington’s wild antics on the mic. Following his grueling unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia in October 2017, Covington decided to give the Sao Paulo crowd a piece of his mind.
Amidst scattered jeers from the audience, Covington called the nation of Brazil “a dump”. To the audience he then said “All you filthy animals suck!”
If the Brazilian crowd disliked him before, they outright detested him at this point. A furious Covington then vowed to take out then-champion Tyron Woodley. A bemused Daniel Cormier acknowledged the heat from the crowd before quickly trying to change the subject to Clovis, California.
Clovis is Covington’s hometown where, as Cormier pointed out, the former ATT disciple maintains a more positive fan following.
The ardent Trump supporter managed to insult and belittle an entire country in less than two minutes with this one. In the years since, Covington’s outrageous brand of trash talk has only swelled. The man himself has claimed his burial of Brazil rejuvenated his career when he was in danger of being cut.
Given the level of success he’s gone on to have in the years since, it’s safe to the UFC’s most controversial welterweight does not regret his decision.
#1. Brock Lesnar at UFC 100
‘The Beast’ certainly knew how to get people talking during his stint in the UFC. After spending far too much time on the receiving end of Frank Mir’s jokes, the WWE legend grounded and pounded his nemesis into mush.
In doing so, Lesnar made a statement to the rest of the heavyweight division that he was not a fighter to be joked with. He also avenged his frustrating UFC debut loss to Mir in 2007.
Clearly overjoyed with his terrifyingly dominant performance, a hyperactive Lesnar was interviewed by Rogan shortly after the closing bell. Amidst heavy boos from the UFC faithful, Lesnar buried Mir and the UFC’s sponsor, Bud Light.
While Dana White and co. probably weren’t hugely fussed about the Mir comments, the sponsorship insult was likely heart attack worthy. Lesnar revealed that he’d be downing a Coors Light after the show because “Bud Light won’t pay me nothing.”
A jovial Lesnar later had to apologize at the post-fight press conference for his antics. One of the UFC’s biggest, most polarizing stars, Brock Lesnar’s interview here, while outrageous, was a testament to why he was such a huge draw. Unpredictable, sometimes funny and always dangerous, Lesnar was in a league of his own when it came to raising eyebrows on the mic.
