5 of the greatest storytellers in UFC history

Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping are among the UFC's greatest-ever storytellers
Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping are among the UFC's greatest-ever storytellers

#4. Matt Hughes – former UFC welterweight champion

Matt Hughes' crazy autobiography means he's one of the UFC's best-ever storytellers
Matt Hughes' crazy autobiography means he's one of the UFC's best-ever storytellers

On the surface of it, you wouldn’t expect former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes to appear anywhere near a list like this.

Despite becoming somewhat of a villainous character towards the back end of his UFC career, for the most part, Hughes was a largely stoic fighter who preferred to do his talking inside the octagon. However, in terms of crazy stories about the UFC, it’s hard to top Hughes’ 2008 autobiography Made in America.

Not only does the book detail some truly crazy stories from Hughes’ childhood, particularly during his college days, but it details plenty about his UFC tenure.

Hughes tells stories about fixing matches in the famed Abu Dhabi grappling competition and picking on Tim Sylvia when he first began training. He also explains how one of his UFC opponents begged him to “take the arm” and submit him to end a prolonged beating.

The most fascinating story, though, details the infamous UFC legend of British fighter-turned-gangster Lee Murray knocking out then-UFC light-heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz on the streets of London in 2002.

Unfortunately, Hughes has never really detailed any of these wild stories verbally. That means that to fans who don’t know a lot about the book, he remains the somewhat stoic fighter he always was. Beneath the surface, though, he’s undoubtedly one of the UFC’s greatest-ever storytellers.


#3. Joe Rogan – current UFC commentator

Joe Rogan has some truly crazy stories to tell about his tenure with the UFC
Joe Rogan has some truly crazy stories to tell about his tenure with the UFC

Given that he’s one of the most popular podcast presenters on the planet, as well as one of the UFC’s longest-tenured commentators, it’s hardly a surprise that Joe Rogan is an excellent storyteller.

However, the sheer amount of crazy stories that Rogan has to tell about his time in the UFC may well stun UFC fans. That's because they often detail plenty of things that haven’t really been touched upon before.

Given that Rogan has been around the UFC since 1997’s UFC 12, it’s clear that he’s seen a lot more inside the UFC than many fans realize. Some of Rogan’s best UFC stories are enough to make anyone raise their eyebrows.

There’s the story about how he accepted a fight in the octagon with actor Wesley Snipes. There's also the time he witnessed Dana White blow, and then win, millions of dollars on the blackjack table. Not to mention when he smoked weed in a hotel room with Jon Jones prior to ‘Bones’ becoming a UFC champion.

As with Chael Sonnen, whether Rogan is always sincere in his stories is a bit of a question mark. However, the former Fear Factor host certainly makes his tales sound wildly entertaining.

And so with that in mind, there’s no disputing that Joe Rogan is one of the greatest storytellers in UFC history.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard