An Illustrious List: Ranking the Top Five Trash-Talkers in MMA history
With UFC 158 fast approaching and the trash-talking exploits of title challenger Nick Diaz well-documented by now, time is right to take a look back at the greatest trash-talkers in UFC history. Sure, there have been many, but the fighters who make this list truly made their mark with their mouths rather than their fists. It appears an overarching trend is in place, one where the man with the biggest mouth definitely does not laugh last. Let’s take a look at the best mouth-runners MMA has ever seen, starting from the bottom:
5) Phil Baroni: “The New York Badass” is tailor-made for this list, perhaps creating the most overhyped saying in MMA history by stating, “I’m the best eva!” repeatedly after defeating Dave Menne at UFC 39. The once-surging beast has since went on to fade into obscurity with very a lackluster 15-16 record, last seen losing to Hayato “Mach” Sakurai in Dream last New Year’s Eve.
4)Tito Ortiz: “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was never one to hold his tongue throughout his lengthy UFC career. From his feud with Chuck Liddell that ultimately saw him knocked out viciously, to his famous back-and-forth war of words with UFC President Dana White, Ortiz was always there to fuel the fire with his mouth. But he does still hold the UFC record for most title defenses at light heavyweight, so I guess technically, he’s the fighter who backed up his trash talk the most.
3)Josh Koscheck: Kos gets the spot here because he’s just the prototypical fighter who everyone loves to hate. And from the look of things, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Just take his most recent interview with Karyn Bryant, where he basically thanks all of his haters for buying him a jet plane. Nice. Anyway, he parlayed his B.S. degree into a stint on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Georges St-Pierre, where he endlessly ran his mouth off to the champion. We all know how that ended. He was last seen getting pummeled by Robbie Lawler.
2) Nick Diaz: The outspoken, enigmatic triathlete from Stockton just cannot be left off this list. Sure, last week’s tirade against GSP on the UFC 158 media call was a great example of his profanity-fueled trash talk, but that’s just another page in the book for Diaz. He curses, pouts, no-shows, and fails drug tests, all the while complaining that’s he’s being mistreated and underpaid while GSP is pampered by people handing him waters. And that was after the UFC gifted him a title shot after he lost and then got suspended. Diaz is obviously talented and maybe the hardest worker in the game, and he has a chance to take his career to the next level this Saturday.
1) Chael Sonnen: Was there really any other fighter who could have graced the top of this illustrious list? No, “The American Gangster” from West Linn, Oregon, spews forth gems of smack talk like he was a Hollywood screenwriter. It’s hard not to love his endless quotes and anecdotes. This week’s “UFC Tonight” on Fuel TV was a perfect example, where he stated, “If Jon Jones, a potted cactus and a slice of pizza from my oven were all on ‘Jeopardy,’ Jon Jones would not make the final round.”
He almost backed it all up in 2010 when he nearly beat Anderson Silva, but he had T:E levels of almost 17 to 1. That’s more than Alistair Overeem had prior to UFC 146 for you stat checkers. In my mind, there will never be a better trash talker than one Chael P. Sonnen. He might get destroyed by Jon Jones, but you can rest assured his comments leading up to the fight will be legendary, just as those he directed towards Anderson Silva were.
Oh, and Ken Shamrock earns the Dishonorable Mention with his classic treasure, tellling Tito Ortiz, “I am gonna beat you into the living death.”
