5 times trash-talking UFC fighters got humbled inside the octagon

Trash-talking is an integral part of the UFC. The verbal back-and-forth between athletes goes a long way in selling pay-per-views. Fighters who are good at trash-talking are also usually more popular than their more respectful counterparts. Whether you love or hate these fighters, it's hard to ignore them.

The UFC allows its fighters to talk trash to each other in press conferences ahead of fights to create hype. Over the years, we have witnessed some wild verbal exchanges, sometimes even physical exchanges between fighters at press conferences.

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor's popularity rose beyond imagination because of his famed trash-talking skills and the ability to back his words up inside the cage. However, sometimes trash-talking goes too far, and more often than not, fighters end up looking like fools.

Fighters on the receiving end of verbal abuse sometimes get their revenge inside the cage, humbling their trash-talking opponents. In this article, we look at a few instances when trash-talking UFC fighters got owned inside the octagon.

5) Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm (UFC 193)

UFC 193: Rousey v Holm

Ronda Rousey was at the top of her game when she fought Holly Holm for the women's bantamweight title at UFC 193. Rousey was undefeated and arguably hadn't lost a round in the UFC before the fight. She dominated and finished all opponents before Holm.

In the build-up to the fight, Rousey was very hostile to Holly Holm, who claimed she wouldn't verbally disrespect the former. 'Rowdy' tried to incite a physical altercation with Holm at the weigh-ins and later claimed she would beat 'The Preacher's Daughter' in devastating fashion. She even refused to touch gloves with Holm before the fight.

While Rousey was the overwhelming favorite to win, what transpired in the fight shocked fight fans across the globe. Holm lit up Rousey like a Christmas tree, bloodying her face before finally putting the former champ to sleep with a perfectly timed head kick.

That was the beginning of the end for the seemingly indestructible Rousey, who fought once more and lost before retiring from MMA.

4) Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva 2 (UFC 148)

Silva vs. Sonnen 2 was a fight that involved arguablythe greatest fighter of all time, against his biggest nemesis pic.twitter.com/bDcvnXncvW

— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) July 21, 2016

Chael Sonnen is one of the most gifted trash-talkers in the UFC. When he fought the legendary Anderson Silva at UFC 117, Sonnen was very close to beating 'The Spider,' but the Brazilian survived with a submission win in the final round. The fight was so close that fans demanded an immediate rematch.

Heading into their second bout, Sonnen took his trash-talking to another level entirely. He would roast Silva at every available opportunity and claim that he'd get the job done emphatically. Silva chose not to retort and instead did the talking inside the cage.

In the highly anticipated rematch, a silly mistake from Sonnen cost him the fight. An attempted spinning back-fist by Sonnen went horribly wrong as he fell and landed on his back. Silva capitalized on the opportunity and kneed Sonnen in the face to claim victory via TKO.

After all the trash-talk in the build-up to the rematch, Sonnen ended up looking very silly at the end.

3) Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman (UFC 245)

Colby Covington is nicknamed 'Chaos' for a reason. He is known for his outspoken nature and often indulges in heated verbal exchanges with fellow fighters. Ahead of his fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245, Covington proclaimed himself as the real champion.

Colby Covington called Usman fake for speaking proudly about his Nigerian heritage and claimed that he's such a boring fighter that people would rather watch 'flies' instead of his fights. The insults and verbal abuse continued right until the fighters stepped inside the cage.

In the fourth round of the bout, Kamaru Usman landed a flush right hand which broke Covington's jaw and thus ended the fight. Some fans called it poetic justice, and most agreed that it was satisfying to watch Usman beat up a ruthless trash-talker.

2) Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson (UFC 100)

At the biggest UFC show of all time #UFC 100, Dan Henderson landed the H-Bomb on Michael Bisping in a brutal KO pic.twitter.com/G8efXxRQOG

— IconicMMAPictures (@IconicMMAPhotos) January 27, 2015

Michael Bisping doesn't shy away from getting in people's faces and was known for using trash-talk to get under the skin of his opponents. What he didn't know was that at UFC 100, trash-talking would land him on the receiving end of one of the most horrific KOs in UFC history.

In the build-up to the fight against Henderson, Bisping referred to him as 'Decision Dan,' referring to the former's alleged inability to finish fights.

Bisping also claimed that Henderson wouldn't be able to hurt him in the fight and bragged about never getting knocked out in his career. Come fight night, Henderson was about to change that big time. A straight right from Henderson landed flush on Bisping as he immediately crashed onto the canvas.

Henderson followed it up with another devastating strike in the face as Bisping's entire body went completely stiff. It was a horrific sight to witness, but Henderson got his revenge.

1) Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC 229)

UFC 229: Khabib v McGregor Press Conference

Conor McGregor is the king of trash-talking in the UFC. He has repeatedly proven that trash-talking can be used as a lethal weapon to get inside the opponent's head. But he is also the biggest example of trash-talking gone wrong in the UFC.

In the build-up to the biggest fight in UFC history, Conor McGregor took trash-talking to a whole new level. McGregor insulted Khabib Nurmagomedov's religion, country, family and teammates heading into the fight. He also called the devout Muslim a 'mad backwards c**t' and offered him alcohol, which he knew Nurmagomedov doesn't drink owing to his religious beliefs.

UFC president Dana White said it was the 'darkest' press conference he was ever part of. Although things got personal, Nurmagomedov didn't retort but said he wanted to 'humble' McGregor inside the octagon. That is exactly what he did when the rivals locked horns inside the octagon.

Khabib Nurmagomedov completely mauled McGregor before submitting him in the fourth round. The Russian then attacked McGregor's coaching team while Nurmagomedov's teammates jumped the Irishman. Following the fight against Nurmagomedov, we saw a more respectful McGregor against Donald Cerrone and Dustin Poirier.

Khabib's prophecy turned out to be true. He humbled the Irishman.