#2. Conor McGregor at the UFC 264 pre-fight press conference
Dustin Poirier is no trash talker. Prior to the UFC 264 pre-fight press conference, hardly anyone would have been able to highlight any line in particular that the Louisiana native used to great effect in past promotional events.
Conor McGregor, by contrast, is the sport's most well-known trash talker. The Irishman is often credited with using trash talk to cause former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo to uncharacteristically lunge at him, leading to his thirteen-second knockout win over the Brazilian legend.
By the time the trilogy bout with Poirier was booked, fans had not seen McGregor's patented trash talk since his lopsided loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. With a litany of controversies and legal issues threatening to taint his image, 'The Notorious' had no choice but to present a tamer public image when he made his return in the aftermath of his bout with Nurmagomedov.
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When he faced Donald Cerrone, the Irishman was uncharacteristically respectful, as was the case in his first rematch with Poirier. By the time of his third bout with Poirier, however, McGregor was intent on getting revenge for 'The Diamond' publicly criticizing McGregor's failure to honor his promise to donate to Poirier's charity.
At the pre-fight press conference, McGregor was a pale immitation of his former self—much of his trash talk fell short of its past brilliance. When the Irishman was asked why he'd adopted a disrespectful approach for the trilogy bout, Poirier interjected, exclaiming that it was due to his foe suffering a knockout loss in their previous bout.
McGregor, uncharacteristically, had no answer. Poirier was quick to follow-up on his line and mock his foe's cardio program, McGregor FAST, by calling it 'McGregor Sleep'—a reference to 'The Diamond's victory over the Irishman.
#1. Israel Adesanya at the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference
The UFC 276 pre-fight press conference quickly became the Sean Strickland show. While the more hardcore portion of the MMA fanbase was well-acquainted with Strickland's outlandish persona and callous trash-talking style, the casual MMA fans didn't have a single idea about 'Tarzan'.
At the pre-fight press conference, however, they were quickly introduced to Strickland, and he was well received. Israel Adesanya is known as the middleweight division's current leading trash talker. While the reigning champion isn't particularly witty or clever with his trash-talking, he's incessant, often belittling his opponents and talking over them due to perceived slights he regards as unacceptable on their part.
Check out Strickland's antics below:
Sean Strickland wasted little time before taking aim at 'The Last Stylebender' during the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference. The middleweight contender disparaged Adesanya's preference for sexually explicit anime, mocked his fashion choices, and taunted the reigning middleweight champion's loss to Alex Pereira.
Strickland asked the Nigerian what he shouldn't do, before suggesting taking a nap in the octagon as a reference to Adesanya's knockout loss to the Brazilian kickboxing great.