Nick Diaz and the 10 Worst Company Men in MMA History

"Play the game." Those were the words uttered by UFC President, Dana White, in reference to Nick Diaz not showing up for a press conference.

Most fighters know that "playing the game" is just a part of the sport. The last thing fighters want to do is media calls and press conferences after being stuck in a sweaty gym seven days a week.

Regardless of their desire, the majority of fighters accept that part of MMA and willingly do it. The people on this list do not fit that category.

Whether it has been a case of them being difficult throughout their careers or a few instances, these people simply refuse to "play the game."

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar was a huge PPV draw during his tenure with the UFC, but he wasn't exactly the most media friendly person.

Lesnar isn't a rude person, he just enjoys his privacy and most people in the media world know that getting some of Lesnar's time is a big deal.

Some of Lesnar's time in front of the UFC microphone has been pure gold for MMA journalists; but not in a good way. His post-fight antics at UFC 100 were almost a bigger story than the fight itself.

I'm not sure how Dana White got him to agree to be on camera for the duration of The Ultimate Fighter but it was clear the UFC and Spike TV didn't get what they were expecting when they saw Lesnar's name appear as a coach.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko may be one of the greatest fighters of all time, but it hasn't been without some difficulty.

The man himself isn't difficult. He shows up to fight and puts on a show every time he steps into the cage (or ring). But Emelianenko's management, on the other hand, has been very difficult.

The chronicles of Dana White vs. Vadim Finkelstein are well documented. Although Emelianenko himself doesn't always come out and state his opinion, his management is a reflection of him.

Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz may have made the UFC a lot of money during his tenure, but it isn't exactly "easy money" for Dana White and Zuffa.

Ortiz and White have been at each other's throats for years, but it didn't visibly impact their working relationship for the most part. But it's not just the fact Ortiz makes his boss mad.

It's the fact that every time Ortiz loses, he has some ridiculous excuse like a "fractured skull" as the reason why he lost.

Pulling out of his scheduled rubber match with Chuck Liddell mid-season on The Ultimate Fighter didn't do him any favours, either.

But I guess he did us a favour in that one as nobody wanted to see them fight for a third time.

Frank Mir

Frank Mir knows how to "play the game." He's one of the most proficient fighters behind a microphone. But that's exactly what contributes to him being a bad company man. Always available for a great soundbyte during any given interview, Mir talks a big game.

Unfortunately for fans and the UFC, when the time comes for Mir to back up his talking, his performances often leave more to be desired. His bout against Mirko "Cro Cop" was an embarrassment to MMA and his fight against a "sick" Roy Nelson was unimpressive as well.

Maybe he's bringing back "The Old Frank Mir" as he suggested in the post-fight press conference after he snapped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm.

Backing up all the talk would definitely get Dana White back in his corner.

B.J. Penn

Although B.J. Penn will go down as a sure Hall of Famer and one of the best lightweights in MMA history, he should probably stay away from the book writing for a little while.

In 2010, Penn published a "tell-all" type book chronicling his career. In the book, Penn didn't hold back any punches and ripped into UFC brass like Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta.

The comments, of course, made White angry and he openly disputed the claims made by Penn.

Penn speaks his mind and it's not like he's a guy who fights to live, but rather lives to fight. His strong financial situation allows him to be more outspoken than some of his UFC counterparts.

Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett is a pharmacy's dream. Not only did he fail his drug test after winning the UFC Heavyweight title, but he failed it due to having three banned substances in his body.

Barnett apparently didn't learn from his mistakes and failed another drug test before his planned bout with Fedor Emelianenko.

Just like the Kimbo Slice loss in Elite XC, Barnett's loss against a drug test helped bring about the end of the Affliction promotion.

Besides his failed drug tests, Barnett and Dana White haven't always seen eye to eye, which likely won't help their professional relationship.

Randy Couture

Randy Couture has had a Hall of Fame career and made himself look like a natural while competing.

He's arguably one of the top five most popular UFC fighters of all time but from 2007-2008, Couture was in the UFC's doghouse.

Couture made a lot of claims and complaints about his pay compared to others and decided to sever ties with the UFC after winning the heavyweight title.

The language in the disputes between UFC and Couture was something only an accountant or lawyer would know, so most fans have no recollection or idea that the intense court battles ever happened.

Eventually, Couture returned to the UFC and all was forgiven, but the battle between Zuffa and Couture was ugly to say the least. On the positive side, it was one of the few times fans have been privileged to the full information about fighters and their pay.

Frank Shamrock

Frank Shamrock is truly a legend in the sport of MMA. He's an accomplished fighter, but his legacy may have more to do with his contributions outside of his fights.

One of those legacies will be his feud with Dana White and the UFC.

After beating Tito Ortiz in one of the greatest matches in MMA history, Shamrock retired and dropped the UFC title. This was due in large part to Shamrock and the new owners of the UFC (Zuffa) not agreeing on the future of the sport.

B/R's own Jonathan Snowden covered the Shamrock-White feud in an article. After reading it, there was clearly a different set of ideas for the sport of MMA and it has led Shamrock to be completely removed from the UFC history books.

Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz moves to the beat of his own drum. That's why fans love him or love to hate him. He doesn't fit the cookie-cutter mold of the majority of fighters.

Diaz's first run with the UFC ended after three straight losses and one fight in the hospital with Joe Riggs.

He didn't stop with the drama during his Strikeforce tenure. Not only was he involved in the infamous Nashville brawl, Diaz also had a post-fight scuffle of his own following his bout with KJ Noons.

When Diaz returned to the UFC in 2011, he proved that he still wasn't willing to "play the game" as Dana White said. Diaz no-showed a press conference for his UFC 137 bout and no-showed a UFC Countdown show as well.

Karo Parisyan

Karo Parisyan was at one time, a top-level fighter. During his first run with the UFC, a lot of people were talking about how Parisyan was going to run the UFC welterweight division like Georges St-Pierre has done.

But Parisyan has had quite a turbulent career following his loss to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13.

Parisyan's win against Dong Hyun Kim was turned into a no-contest after blood tests revealed a mini-pharmacy of pain killers in his blood system.

The failed drug test was preceded by Parisyan pulling out of his bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida minutes before the scheduled weigh-ins.

His bout against Dustin Hazelett was supposed to be a judo vs. jiu-jitsu match but instead Parisyan pulled out of the fight the day before the weigh-ins. This lead to Parisyan being released from the UFC.

Parisyan's problems are a real concern in the MMA world and his drug problems have cost him a potentially great career in the UFC.