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The UFC has always been home to some of the world’s most outspoken athletes, and since the rise of Conor McGregor a decade ago, even less charismatic fighters are now trying their best to talk trash.
Despite the fact that trash-talking is clearly now en vogue in the UFC, there are still a number of high-level fighters who prefer to keep quiet – letting their fists do the talking for them in the octagon.
Does their reluctance to brag on the microphone hold these fighters back in the eyes of the fans or the promotion itself? It’s arguable. However, when they step into the cage, there’s no disputing that they’re usually must-see attractions anyway.
Here are five current UFC stars who prefer to let their fighting do the talking:
#5. Arnold Allen – UFC featherweight contender
When Arnold Allen defeated Dan Hooker in impressive fashion at the UFC’s Fight Night event in London in March, his performance hardly came as a surprise to hardcore fans of MMA. After all, ‘Almighty’ had already defeated the likes of Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Melendez and looked like one of the best prospects in the featherweight division.
However, more fair-weather fans probably didn’t see this breakout performance coming at all – perhaps because the native of the UK has simply never been a big trash-talker despite his excellent abilities in the octagon.
This lack of natural charisma and ability on the microphone could explain why, before his bout with Hooker, any main card spotlight had been hard to come by for ‘Almighty’. Allen is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, but just three of those wins came in feature bouts.
It’s unlikely that Allen’s avoidance of trash talk will change in the near future, too. Prior to his most recent visit to the octagon, ‘Almighty’ stated his goals for the future – and they were notably humble compared to some of his peers.
In Allen’s words, he wants to be the best fighter in the world – but he’s not willing to “call people names over the internet” to get there, and he “doesn’t necessarily want the fame that comes with being the best.”
Whether this stands in the way of Allen’s climb to the top is probably a fair question to ask in the current climate, but if he continues to defeat opponents as he did to Hooker, then even his silent approach probably won’t stop him.
#4. Gregor Gillespie – UFC lightweight contender
When UFC lightweight contender Gregor Gillespie went off on former interim titleholder Tony Ferguson in an expletive-laden rant earlier this year, slamming ‘El Cucuy’ for reportedly turning down a fight with him, most fans were gobsmacked.
Gillespie – who has been with the promotion since 2016 – had previously stated that trash-talking makes him uncomfortable and admitted that even a respectful call-out of former champion Anthony Pettis in 2019 wasn’t easy for him to make and “broke his own rules.”
Put simply, ‘The Gift’ appears to be one of the few fighters these days who prefers to let his skills in the octagon do his talking for him. One of the most highly-credentialed amateur wrestlers in MMA right now – with an NCAA Division 1 National Championship to his name – Gillespie is currently 14-1 in his career, with seven of those wins coming in the UFC.
However, when it comes to talking trash, ‘The Gift’ happily admits he’s a bit of an amateur. Following his loss to Kevin Lee in 2019, Gillespie outright stated he was no longer interested in even mild boasts on the microphone, admitting that he’s “not a sh*t talker” and prefers to promote himself on social media with his fishing videos.
Whether his recent rant at Ferguson – which seemed to be based around ‘El Cucuy’ mentioning wrestling during a call-out of Michael Chandler – marks a change in this is a question mark. Still, it seems doubtful that Gillespie will embrace his inner Conor McGregor anytime soon.
#3. Stephen Thompson – UFC welterweight contender
When UFC fans and journalists covering the promotion are asked to make lists of “nice guys” who fight in the octagon, one name that tends to make its way to the top is former welterweight title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
The obvious reason for this is that throughout his career with the promotion, which dates back to early 2012, it’s hard to even recall one piece of memorable trash talk from the lifelong martial artist.
Whether he’s facing a fellow soft-spoken athlete like Gilbert Burns or a trash-talker extraordinaire like Jorge Masvidal, ‘Wonderboy’ likes to keep things professional, preferring to let his striking skills do the talking for him.
Fans usually assume that his aversion to any verbal warfare comes from his background in traditional martial arts, and for the most part, they’re right.
In a 2020 interview, Thompson stated that he avoids trash talk because he sees himself as a role model for the children he teaches martial arts to – wishing to teach them self-control – and because it simply isn’t in his nature.
More to the point, ‘Wonderboy’ also claimed that the fact that he not only refuses to go on the verbal offensive but refuses to let vocal opponents get under his skin actually “reverses the effect” – meaning his foes get frustrated that they can’t get to him.
Either way, with an impressive octagon record of 11-6-1, it’s hard to deny that his approach has worked well over the years.
#2. Rob Font – UFC bantamweight contender
These days, it seems that even the least charismatic fighters in the UFC are active on social media, meaning that plenty of cringe-worthy trash talk and call-outs are thrown out each week, with many of them not working at all.
One fighter who has stated that he won’t be seen on social media behaving in this manner is current bantamweight contender Rob Font. The native of Boston, who is currently ranked at No.5 in the 135lbs division, prefers to let his fists – and feet – do the talking for him inside the octagon.
After his win over Cody Garbrandt in 2021, Font was hugely respectful when discussing two of his fellow bantamweight contenders – labeling Cory Sandhagen “the most dangerous guy in the division” and TJ Dillashaw as a “dog who always brings it.”
He then stated that he was in no rush for a title shot of his own. When asked about his lack of social media activity, Font claimed he wasn’t too worried about that, asserting that he’d let his performances “speak for themselves.”
This attitude was immediately displayed when Petr Yan – who Font had called out following the Garbrandt fight – took to Twitter to hit out at the Boston native for his failure to knock out “Cody No Chin.”
Font’s response? Naturally, he didn’t bite, sticking to his pledge to avoid social media for better or worse!
#1. Vicente Luque – UFC welterweight contender
While many UFC fighters don’t live up to their nicknames, plenty certainly do, and one of them is in action this weekend in the main event of the promotion’s latest Fight Night event. That fighter is Vicente Luque, who goes by the moniker ‘The Silent Assassin’.
Essentially, the Brazilian – who has been with the promotion since his stint on the 21st season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2015 – is the very definition of a quiet killer. Luque has never talked any trash during his octagon career, and in fact, it’s rare to even hear a call-out from him.
However, when he gets inside the octagon, ‘The Silent Assassin’ is one of the most dangerous welterweights on the planet. Not only is his record of 14-3 one of the best that the 170lbs division has to offer right now, but his finishing rate is almost unmatched in the UFC, with just one of his wins going the distance.
So why does ‘The Silent Assassin’ choose to remain, well, silent? In a recent interview with Aaron Bronsteter, Luque suggested that he could talk trash, but he respects his peers too much to do so.
He also stated that while talking is easy, going into the octagon to do what he does is the “really hard thing to do” – a statement that essentially sums up his style.
