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In the UFC, trash-talking has become the most reliable method of drumming up popular interest in a fight. Fighters throughout the promotion engage in trash talk in an effort to draw more fans to their matchups. They hope that doing so will persuade the UFC to value them enough to offer them better contracts in the future.
Conor McGregor famously used trash-talking as his foundation for superstardom. Of course, 'The Notorious' also backed up most of his claims with stellar performances inside the octagon. Not only did he tell fans what he'd do to his foes the moment they clashed, he did most of the things he promised he would.
The same cannot be said for many other trash talkers. It's not uncommon for UFC fighters to make hyperbolic claims about what they'll do to their opponents. It's also not uncommon for most of these fighters to fail to meet the expectations they set for themselves. This list explores five fighters who are guilty of doing so.
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#5. Chael Sonnen, former UFC middleweight/light heavyweight
Chael Sonnen is one of the most prominent trash talkers in UFC history. The strength of the former NCAA Division I wrestler's trash talk was such that he managed to talk himself into a title fight with Jon Jones despite losing his prior bout. Despite the infamy of his trash talk, his performances didn't always match it.
In the leadup to UFC 148, 'The Bad Guy' made it a point to differentiate himself from Anderson Silva. He described the Brazilian great as a martial artist before referring to himself as a cage fighter. In another instance, this time against Michael Bisping, the two-time UFC title challenger made another claim.
In a hyperbolic statement, he stated that fighting him is hazardous to his opponent's health:
"I don't walk around looking into cameras and telling people I'm the best fighter in the world just to hear myself talk. I say it for the same reason they put warnings on packages of cigarettes, and fighting Chael Sonnen may be hazardous to one's health."
While his trash talk is legendary, it doesn't line up with his fighting style. 'The Bad Guy' is mainly a wrestler who pursues takedowns.
He's been accused of using a boring lay-and-pray style. The retired trash-talker only has eight knockouts and four submissions across 49 fights. Out of his 31 wins, 19 were decisions. As evidenced by his record, Sonnen was never the killer he claimed to be.
#4. Colby Covington, UFC welterweight
Colby Covington is known for his inflammatory trash talk. The former UFC interim welterweight champion is known for targeting anyone and everyone. However, 'Chaos' saved his most vitriolic words for Jorge Masvidal. The two men were once close friends and training partners.
Unfortunately, their friendship imploded, and they eventually crossed swords at UFC 272. Before the bout, Covington expressed his desire to hurt his former friend quite badly. He promised to inflict a significant amount of pain on 'Gamebred', but the promised beating never came.
While Covington certainly won the fight, it was a standard affair where he outpaced and outwrestled him as his previous opponents. However, there was little damage dealt in the way that 'Chaos' promised. Instead, he repeatedly took Masvidal down and smothered him.
In a karmic twist, Covington was dropped in the fourth round but managed to recover and ultimately won the decision.
#3. Marvin Vettori, UFC middleweight
It's no secret that Marvin Vettori is a hothead. He's not necessarily a trash-talker. Instead, he's a short-tempered fighter who responds to any slight with anger. This became more apparent when he faced Israel Adesanya in a rematch.
Their initial bout was close, and 'The Italian Dream' held on to that for years. At the time, he had given 'The Last Stylebender' his toughest-ever MMA bout. When the UFC booked them into a rematch for the middleweight title, Vettori was vocal about his supposed superiority over his Nigerian rival.
Vettori promised to tear 'The Last Stylebender' up when the two crossed paths. Similarly, he criticized Paulo Costa after his bout with Adesanya.
Moreover, prior to their bout, 'The Italian Dream' promised to KO 'Borrachinha'. He claimed that his punching technique was such that if he caught his foe rushing in, he'd KO him.
Also, Vettori claimed that if he didn't secure an early KO, he'd slowly overwhelm the Brazilian and break him down en route to a finish. This is curious trash talk from a fighter who hasn't had a KO or TKO in seven years. Vettori has only had two KOs/TKOs across his 25 MMA bouts.
He's neither a powerful striker nor a strong wrestler. Instead, he's a generalist who relies on his cardio and toughness to force opponents into gritty affairs against the fence.
#2. Israel Adesanya, UFC middleweight
Israel Adesanya is a different fighter now due to his evolution as a mixed martial artist. In the past, he was flashier and prone to taking risks. However, the more successful he became, the safer his fighting style became. 'The Last Stylebender' became content to stand at long range and throw jabs and low kicks.
This has led to a low percentage of finishes in recent years. The former middleweight titleholder hasn't finished any opponents since 2020. Prior to his last KO, which came against Paulo Costa, the former kickboxer faced Yoel Romero. During the leadup to the bout, he made an ill-conceived 9/11 reference.
He promised to make 'The Soldier of God' crumble like the Twin Towers. Not only did this draw significant criticism, but so did his performance against the Olympic silver medalist. He never pushed the pace and secured a decision win due to low kicks. It was a low-volume affair, often cited as one of the most boring fights in UFC history.
In a similar vein, he promised to defeat Jared Cannonier in a decisive fashion. He told fans to expect a performance similar to Anderson Silva's one-sided beatdown of Forrest Griffin. Unfortunately, his win against 'Tha Killa Gorilla' was another low-volume decision.
He made similar statements when he faced Marvin Vettori in a rematch but won an uninspiring decision instead of the crushing win he predicted.
#1. Sean Strickland, UFC middleweight
Sean Strickland has become something of a meme in MMA culture. He's a skilled fighter who has achieved a level of notoriety that his fighting style couldn't. While he's fairly successful in the cage, 'Tarzan' isn't the most exciting fighter.
He's not quite been described as boring, but there's a lack of urgency in his fighting style.
He marches his opponents onto the backfoot before overwhelming them with a high volume of jabs.
Despite his serviceable striking skills, 'Tarzan' paints himself as a far more destructive force. In recent years, he's engaged in truly hyperbolic levels of trash talk. He often talks about his manliness and how violent he is, to the point that he claims to have murderous thoughts:
"I would love nothing more than to kill somebody in the ring. Nothing more. It would make me super happy."
While his trash talk paints him out to be an ultra-violent maniac, he doesn't fight like he talks. Out of his last seven wins, only two have been finishes.
Despite his conservative finishing rate, his trash talk creates expectations for something like the Tony Ferguson of old.
