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UFC fighters take an enormous amount of pride in what they do. Mixed martial arts is one of the most grueling and physically demanding sports in the world. It's only sensible that MMA fighters, regardless of the promotion for which they fight, take a great deal of pride in their body of work. This is especially true for UFC fighters.
Given that they represent the very best that the world of MMA has to offer, fighters competing under Dana White's banner also tend to be the most sensitive. Any disrespect, whether real or imagined, is enough to fan the flames of a long-lasting feud. The rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier comes to mind.
'DC' entered the sport demanding to be respected and perceived an awkward joke from 'Bones' as an insult that served as the foundation for the enmity between the pair. Given their sensitive nature, it's only natural that fighters sometimes take issue with the commentary team.
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#5. Chase Hooper, UFC featherweight
Featherweight Chase Hooper was once known for being an exceptionally young mixed martial artist competing at the highest level. Nearly four years since his UFC debut, he remains one of the youngest fighters on the roster at 23. In his second win in the promotion, 'The Dream' secured a third-round heel hook win.
However, prior to his win, the 23-year-old struggled against Peter Barrett's striking, especially his onslaught of low kicks. Color commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier were under the impression that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist was heavily compromised by his foe's low kicks.
The commentators were critical of Hooper's poor defensive striking. Afterward, the young mixed martial artist was open about how difficult it was for him to listen to people he idolized be so critical of him in commentary. He characterized it as brutal before conceding that some points were valid.
#4. Marvin Vettori, UFC middleweight
Marvin Vettori didn't compete at UFC 266. Instead, the one-time middleweight title challenger watched the event from the comfort of his own home. That, however, didn't stop him from taking issue with some of the commentary. He took specific issue with how former fighter Paul Felder chose to narrate the fights.
During Dan Hooker's clash with Nasrat Haqparast, 'The Italian Dream' expressed his frustration with the former lightweight's handling of his commentary duties. This led to a retort from 'The Irish Dragon', who taunted the 185'er by asking him if he was using too many big words after being called the worst commentator ever.
Vettori accused Felder of being biased in Hooker's favor before expanding on his personal feelings about how the retired 155'er has commentated on his fights in the past. He even confronted 'The Irish Dragon' prior to his UFC Fight Night 196 bout with Paulo Costa over the issue.
#3. Justin Gaethje, UFC lightweight
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is a brutally honest fighter who always voices his opinions. Prior to his title fight with then reigning champion Charles Oliveira, 'The Highlight' warned the top brass that he would riot if Conor McGregor earned a title shot before he did.
At UFC 286, he faced Rafael Fiziev in a thrilling co-main event bout, but he had no issue with the commentary on his own fight. Instead, 'The Highlight' took issue with former middleweight champion Michael Bisping's coverage of his teammate Kamaru Usman's matchup with Leon Edwards.
Not only did Gaethje believe that Usman did enough in the main event to emerge victorious, but he claimed that Bisping was unfair and biased towards Edwards—a fellow Englishman—and even described him as unprofessional.
#2. Sean O'Malley, UFC bantamweight
Rising bantamweight superstar Sean O'Malley is one of the most exciting strikers in the promotion. He recently defeated former divisional kingpin Petr Yan in a split-decision war that earned him the respect of many others. Very few people expected him to emerge victorious, but 'Sugar' stunned the world.
Prior to that, the narrative surrounding the 135'er was that his legs were vulnerable targets that every opponent should take advantage of. Ever since his loss to Marlon 'Chito' Vera, the likes of Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier have frequently commented on his legs and his perceived weakness towards low kicks.
During an appearance that he made on the DC & RC Show, he expressed his grievances towards the commentary's insistence on his supposed weakness towards low kicks. He claimed it drove him crazy how often Cormier and Rogan resorted to the same rhetoric.
#1. Conor McGregor, UFC lightweight
UFC 229 marked the most successful PPV in the promotion's history. The event was headlined by a grudge match between all-time great trash-talker Conor McGregor and unbeaten lightweight phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov. How the bout proceeded and ended was unsurprising to most MMA fans.
The Dagestani grappler emerged victorious after dominating the Irishman for several rounds en route to a neck crank. During the first round, however, 'The Notorious' landed an illegal knee on his opponent's head during a sequence on the ground. Despite the deliberate nature of the strike, referee Herb Dead did nothing.
Joe Rogan, however, noted the illegal nature of the blow. Three years after the bout, the Irishman took to Twitter to express his own pride in landing the knee. He also branded Rogan a fool before mocking him for noting the illegal nature of the blow.
