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UFC press conferences have become spectacles of their own. This is especially true for pre-fight pressers that act as showcases for bitter rivalries, providing feuding fighters with the opportunity to verbally trash each other and generate hype for their upcoming matchup.
This is, in fact, one of the primary purposes of pre-fight press conferences. They are meant to drum up interest in bouts while enabling media members to pick the brains of fighters and ask promoters about any upcoming cards. Unfortunately, pressers can occasionally veer into the territory of awkwardness.
And 2024 had no shortage of odd press conference moments that were either head-scratchers or just bizarre.
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#5. Merab Dvalishvili goes nuclear at the UFC 311 promotional presser
It is safe to say that Merab Dvalishvili does not like Umar Nurmagomedov. Nevertheless, he must now defend his bantamweight title against the Dagestani star at UFC 311. Ahead of their bout, the two men took part in a press conference, during which Dvalishvili unleashed an avalanche of hatred toward his foe.
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"You have to be a man first! You are good fighter, but you're not a good man, you are a piece of sh*t! You are a piece of sh*t! You lost respect as a man for me."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's meltdown over Umar Nurmagomedov (10:06):
He repeatedly accused Nurmagomedov of disrespecting him and being a terrible person. However, this was rendered odd given that short of calling for his shot at Dvalishvili's title and demanding that he not avoid him, Nurmagomedov has been nothing but respectful toward the Georgian phenom.
Dvalishvili's unhinged hatred for Nurmagomedov has confused the MMA fandom to such an extent that it has even become something of a meme.
#4. Max Holloway's repetitiveness at the UFC 308 pre-fight presser
Max Holloway was confident in his chances of beating Ilia Topuria heading into UFC 308. However, at the pre-fight press conference, whenever asked for his assessment of his featherweight title clash with the Spanish champion, Holloway repeatedly said the following:
"We'll find out Saturday night."
He uttered the sentence so frequently that it became a meme in the MMA social media space, and Topuria, the reigning featherweight champion, pointed out that Holloway almost seemed to have nothing else to say.
"Max 'Find Out' Holloway. Find out, all the time. 'We will find out, we will find out.'"
Check out Ilia Topuria mocking Max Holloway's repetitiveness (26:29):
Ultimately, Holloway lost to Topuria come fight night, with the Spaniard becoming the first fighter to ever knock him out.
#3. Dricus du Plessis drives Israel Adesanya to tears at the UFC 305 pre-fight presser
The feud between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya added an extra layer of importance to their middleweight title fight at UFC 305. It was personal, so their trash talk was expected to reflect that, and it did. However, Adesanya, who fancies himself a genius on the mic, was broken down by the South African.
The pre-fight press conference saw du Plessis bring up Adesanya's privileged background in Nigeria, which caused 'The Last Stylebender' to become tearful.
"Are you taking the servants with you?"
Check out Dricus du Plessis' trash talk (28:11):
When an enraged Adesanya told du Plessis he knew nothing of his story, du Plessis claimed to simply not care about his story. This left Adesanya in tears. This isn't the first time that du Plessis has left his opponent in emotional distress, and he went on to submit Adesanya in round four of their bout.
#2. Belal Muhammad's short-lived excitement at the UFC 304 pre-fight presser
Belal Muhammad had waited a long time to face Leon Edwards in a rematch, especially given how their first fight ended. The pair clashed at UFC 304 for the Englishman's welterweight title. At the pre-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White announced that he would offer an extra bonus for fighters on the card.
The bonus entailed an extra $50,000 in the usual performance bonuses. During White's announcement at the presser, Muhammad exclaimed in excitement. However, Edwards was quick to silence him with a reminder.
"Belal, don't worry about that! You're knocking no one out."
Check out Leon Edwards dismissing Belal Muhammad (15:53):
Muhammad is no finisher. In fact, in 28 professional fights, he has just six finishes. It made the entire situation awkward as a fighter who is known for being a poor finisher has no reason to be excited about performance bonuses.
#1. Jiří Procházka accuses Alex Pereira of using black magic at the UFC 303 pre-fight presser
Ahead of his UFC 303 rematch with Alex Pereira, Jiří Procházka had a difficult time accepting his prior TKO loss to the Brazilian at UFC 295. This caused the Czech samurai to accuse Pereira of channeling spiritual help or black magic to help him win, which left many scratching their heads.
At the pre-fight press conference, a media member brought up Procházka's accusations, and it was a bizarre scene, to say the least.
"'Poatan.' Jiří said that you're using some sort of sorcery, some magic, some things from the beyond. That's what Jiří said about you."
Check out Jiří Procházka's accusation being repeated (16:34):
It marks one of the most outlandish excuses any fighter has ever offered for a previous loss, and it was made worse when Pereira knocked Procházka out anyway in the rematch.
