Best Insults: 5 Times MMA Fighters Got The Better Of Opponents With Their Trash-Talking Skills

While Mixed Martial Art (MMA) fighters rely on a combination of fighting styles to eke out a victory in the cage, they also tend to rely on their trash-talking skills to get under the skin of their opponents by dishing out insults in the pre-match media interactions.
Often labelled as barbaric and grotesque, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is much more than just two men fighting a bloodied war inside a cage. In fact, MMA is one of the most realistic and purest sports around which brings various martial arts, based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, together in a single bout. Initially created as a competitive stage to determine the most effective martial art, MMA soon saw the fighters incorporating multiple martial arts into their overall fighting style to gain an upper hand over their opponents. Today, MMA is one of the most popular and highly sought-after sports around the globe. And, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has allowed MMA to break new ground.  © ReutersWith pay-per-view events pitting some of the fiercest fighters from all around the world against each other, the UFC has managed to find fanbase in places that once didn't seem possible. But, while a UFC fight is ultimately decided inside the octagon in a span of 15 to 25 minutes, the MMA fighters have a tendency of kickstarting the mind games much before the bout. In a bid to gain some psychological advantage, the fighters have often been seen trash-talking and throwing insults at their opponents in press conferences, media interactions and weigh-ins. In a rare compilation, let's take a look at the best insults thrown by fighters in the history of MMA: The 'Ex-Wife's Mouth'  In January 2017, underdog Tito Ortiz defeated Chael Sonnen in the main event of Bellator 170 by a first-round submission. An emotional Ortiz looked like a man on a mission as he went for a takedown almost immediately, only to find himself in a headlock from Sonnen. But, the Oregon-born fighter failed to make the most of Ortiz's headlock position. Turning the position and evading a potential guillotine choke, Ortiz went into full mount and it didn't take long for Sonnen to give up his back. Working his grip into a rear-naked choke, Ortiz forced the tap-out from Sonnen in a matter of 2 minutes and three seconds into the first round. While Ortiz may have gone on to win the bout, it was Sonnen who undeniably won the war of words ahead of their clash. During a media interaction, Tito had claimed that Sonnen's MMA success was mainly because of his trash-talking rather than fighting skills. In response, Sonnen dished out the perfect reply: Tito always says I'm using my mouth to get my opportunities. The only person that I know that made money using their mouth was his ex-wife. The comment aimed Ortiz's ex-girlfriend and mother to his twin boys, Jenna Jameson, who had previously worked as a porn star.'Who The Fook's That Guy?'   This one's quite obvious, ain't it? When you talk about best insults in MMA history, the list isn't complete till you mention Conor 'The Notorious' McGregor. Taking a leaf out of great Muhammad Ali's playbook, the Irish lad continues to pay special attention to his image in the eyes of the fans and the general public. 'The Notorious' has a tendency of getting under the skin of his opponents with his trash-talking skills before finishing them off with his unbelievable striking power, especially the left-hook, inside the octagon. In June 2016, Jeremy Stephens got to know what happens when you take on a trash-talker like McGregor. During the UFC 205 press conference in New York, Stephens was sharing the stage with McGregor to talk about his UFC featherweight bout with Frankie Edgar. But, when a reporter asked McGregor a question, Stephens, jumped into the conversation to claim that he will give the Irishman the hardest time in the ring. In response, McGregor left Stephens red-faced by saying: Who the fook is that guy?.'The Tale Of Horseshoe'  Weighing over 120 kg and standing tall at 6 feet three inches, Brock Lesnar, over the years, has proved to be a nightmare for his opponents in the octagon. While 'The Next Big Thing' has shared numerous rivalries in the UFC, Lesnar probably shared his first with none than Frank Mir. Taking on Mir in his debut fight at UFC 81, Lesnar had a crucial point deducted for hitting his opponent in the back of the head. As a result, referee Steve Mazzagatti stood both the fighters back up that saw Lesnar losing his dominant position, a turning point in the fight that eventually saw Mir securing a win with a vicious kneebar. Furious by the referee's key decision, Lesnar got a rematch against Mir at UFC 100 where his superior strength and wrestling, eventually, decided the fate of the match in his favour, in under 2 minutes into the second round. After exacting his revenge via a TKO, an enraged Lesnar flipped off the crowd who were consistently booing him before delivering a message to Mir. Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass! I told him that a year ago. I pulled that sumb*tch out, and I beat him over the head with it!, Lesnar said in his post-match celebration. 'Never Been A Crackhead Like You'  The UFC has witnessed numerous fighters sharing intense rivalries over the years, but none comes close to the one shared by Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. Both the fighters will go down in history as few of the greatest MMA stars of all-time. But, while Cormier might have credited Jones for bringing out the best in him recently, there was no love lost between the two champions. Their rivalry is one for the books and movies where on one hand, you have a stereotypical protagonist in DC often labelled as a humble and an all-round good guy, pitted against UFC's perennial villain Jones, whose knack for flouting rules and repeated run-ins with the law made him 'the bad guy'. During a media interaction for UFC 217, DC and Jones were engrossed in the usual pre-match banter. Taking note of Cormier's massive weight loss for the fight, Jones took a dig at him stating that he looked like a junkie. However, Jones got a taste of his own medicine when Cormier, citing his troubled history with drugs, replied: I could look like a crackhead with a suit on, but I've never been a crackhead like you though.'50-YO Retired Skateboarder' Not at all surprising to see Conor McGregor again on the list of best insults in the MMA history. But, while he has been seen taking on some of the biggest names in MMA and cutting them a sorry figure with his trash-talking skills, some of his most hilarious banters have been quoted from his stint at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) as a coach on Season 22 alongside Urijah Faber. Seeing McGregor and Faber together on the show, the initial perception was that the two individuals aren't going to get along, especially after the Irish fighter had defeated Faber's teammate Chad Mendes at UFC 189 in 2015. But, despite that, McGregor and Faber ended up becoming good friends and shared healthy banter every now and then. During one of the episodes of the TUF, a hilarious banter between McGregor and Faber came to the fore. After Faber claimed that 'The Notorious' looked like an orange cotton candy, McGregor responded with a hilarious jibe, you look like a 50-year-old skateboarder. Well, friend or not, you don't take on McGregor in trash-talking - something Faber learnt that day.

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