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For UFC fighters, mental conditioning is almost as important as physical. Entering a fight in the right mindframe is an immediate edge that lends a fighter better focus and bravery in the octagon.
Sometimes, after a devastating loss, a fighter retools and rediscovers their 'Eye of the Tiger' in the cage. With a newer, more aggressive side to them revealed, they restore their winning ways and even climb higher up the fighting mountain than ever before.
There are, however, other times where a fighter's sudden change in demeanor proves to be detrimental. From losing their focus to growing far too big for their boots, these personality shifts can lead to ruin.
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Fighting is a life-altering experience and, as these five fighters have shown, it can have a huge impact on one's personality moving forward.
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#5. Former UFC star Chael Sonnen
Often regarded as the godfather of trash talk in MMA, Chael Sonnen didn’t always have a motormouth. His initial run in the UFC proved to be a mixed bag. After going three for three in losses against Jeremy Horn at UFC 60, a young Sonnen was released from the company.
That all changed when Sonnen returned to the promotion in 2009. Gone were the days of the sensible, no-nonsense interviewee he’d been in years gone by. Instead, Sonnen, disappointed he was placed on the undercard for his UFC 104 clash with Yushin Okami, embraced a new side of himself.
Moving forward, Sonnen began to crack wise and joke about in interviews. His insults towards other fighters grew increasingly harsh as he successfully hyped up his contests.
While his win-loss record remained sketchy, Sonnen fast became one of the UFC’s most popular and discussed stars. While he never secured UFC gold (he had two cracks at middleweight vs. Anderson Silva and one at light heavyweight vs. Jon Jones), he remained an effective draw throughout his time there.
After a two-year run in Bellator, Sonnen announced his retirement following a second-round TKO loss to Lyoto Machida in June 2019.
#4. UFC BMF champion Jorge Masvidal
At UFC 217, Jorge Masvidal found himself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Stephen Thompson. He would not fight again until March 2019. In the meantime, Masvidal joined a Dominican reality television series called ‘Exatlon Estados Unidos’.
The series focuses on competitions to determine who is the strongest cast member both mentally and physically. Competitors are also subjected to extreme isolation from the rest of the world and grueling living conditions.
According to American Top Team founder Dan Lambert, Masvidal’s mind frame completely changed after he finished his time on the series. Now considerably more vicious and intense, the fiery Masvidal made his return to the octagon against Darren Till. ‘Gamebred’ scored a second round knockout win.
That same night, Masvidal gave fellow welterweight fighter Leon Edwards a “three piece and a soda” during a violent altercation. The combination of his display against Till and his vicious backstage brawl with Edwards turned Masvidal into a star.
The increasingly ruthless, focused MMA veteran silenced the once seemingly invincible Ben Askren next. Tired of Askren’s jokes at his expense, Masvidal sent him packing in just five seconds at UFC 239. He finished the year as the BMF champion following his UFC 244 win over Nate Diaz.
Masvidal revitalized himself and his career prospects with his change in mindset in 2019. Despite his more recent losses to Kamaru Usman, he remains a solid draw and fan favorite for the UFC.
#3. Former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
No more Mr Nice Guy.
To the shock of fans who’ve only seen ‘Bones’ in his more recent years, there was a time where he was very polite and humble. During his meteoric rise to the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, Jones was mostly a paragon of good sportsmanship.
The cracks began to show during the lead-up to his ultimately postponed UFC 178 clash with career nemesis Daniel Cormier (they instead fought at UFC 182). The pair famously got into a brawl at a press conference building up the match. Following a live interview later that day, Jones called Cormier a “p**y” and even threatened to kill him.
Much to the light heavyweight kingpin’s horror, the feed was still live and the whole world had just witnessed the typically well-mannered champ’s dark side. In the years since, Jones’ prime years as a super athlete have been rocked more than once by suspensions for a variety of issues.
With his reputation scarred, Jones has embraced his inner trash talker in recent years. Furthermore, he’s even gleefully admitted to the ugly fact that he has a habit of poking eyes in the octagon.
One of the greatest fighters in the UFC’s history, Jones has gone from being a top babyface to a top heel over the course of his career.
#2. Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington
There was a time when former US President Donald Trump’s biggest fan in the UFC was a humble and respectful talker. Most amazing of all was a younger Covington’s assertion that he would never partake in any drama outside of the octagon. That all began to drastically change after his unanimous decision win over Dong Hyun Kim in June 2017.
A suddenly much louder, much more aggressive Covington put the UFC welterweight division on notice in his post-fight interview. He cranked things up a notch following his decision win over Demian Maia in October 2017. A furious Covington buried the Brazilian audience and never looked back.
In the years since, Covington has ragged on every one and thing from UFC president Dana White to Michael Bisping’s prosthetic eye. He has brought personal lives and politics into his rivalries with the likes of Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman as well.
The incredibly brash, disrespectful former ATT standout has never been a bigger deal than he is now. Despite a lengthy break from fighting over pay disputes and other issues from 2018-2019, Covington continues to get huge opportunities.
Without having even fought since his TKO win over Tyron Woodley in September 2020, Covington is getting another crack at the gold. One can’t help but feel the former collegiate wrestling champ’s attention-grabbing ways had something to do with netting the Usman rematch so easily.
#1. Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor
Watching Conor McGregor go from hard grafting two-division champion in Cage Warriors all the way to multi-millionaire Twitter troll of late has been a whirlwind. In between those two phases of his career, McGregor ascended the featherweight and lightweight mountains in the UFC.
‘The Notorious’ lit up MMA with his charismatic self-promotion and often hilarious trash talk. One of the sport’s biggest over achievers, McGregor constantly sought out new challenges and new accolades in the octagon.
At UFC 205, McGregor became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles at once when he defeated then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. At the peak of his powers, McGregor took an extended absence from MMA for his 2017 superfight with Floyd Mayweather.
By the time he finally did return for UFC 229, McGregor was a different animal. His trash talk towards Khabib Nurmagomedov was some of the most personal and disrespectful ever seen in the sport. He took things even further by bringing up manager Ali Abdelaziz’s checkered past.
All of the mind games proved counter-productive for the increasingly volatile McGregor. Nurmagomedov submitted him with a neck crank in the fourth round. After another lengthy absence, McGregor returned with a brand new demeanor for UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone.
In a total 180, McGregor was now a more level-headed, noticeably more mild-mannered fighter with a strong sense of good sportsmanship. This new good guy image continued to grow until his UFC 257 loss to Dustin Poirier. McGregor reverted back to the explosive, derogatory figure he’d been heading into UFC 229 soon after the defeat.
Since his UFC 264 injury, McGregor has been relentless in his insults to the likes of Khabib and Daniel Cormier online. When he returns next year, it’s anyone’s guess which of his many personas he’ll run with.
