5 fights in the UFC where things got too personal

# 4 Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen was the best trash talker in his era and laid the foundation on which McGregor built his star.

“Oh Chael Sonnen. Chael. Chael talks too much. Because I think Chael believes what he say. Chael. Chael hands down. Nobody talks more s*** than Chael.”- Mike Tyson on who is the better trash talker, Sonnen or Muhammad Ali.

Chael Sonnen was the most gifted trash talker in the whole of UFC roster before McGregor and laid the foundation upon which the Irishman built his reputation.

Humorous and poetic in the most natural of ways, his trash-talking campaign against Silva before both of their fight means this has to be on the list.

Sonnen imposed himself in the first fight as promised in his pre-fight press conference and even dropped Silva twice.

Chael fell at the last hurdle though and got himself submitted via a triangle choke in the fifth round of a fight where he had been leading on all the judges’ scorecard (40–34, 40–36, and 40–35).

Anderson Silva would emerge as the winner even in their rematch, as Sonnen would end up being confined as one of the best fighters to not have won a UFC belt.

Silva meanwhile would end up losing his title to Chris Weidman two fights after his rematch with Sonnen and has never looked the same since.

Despite Sonnen’s trash talks, things never got too personal between them the way it would with our last three entries on the list.