King Mo and the 5 Twitter Controversies That Rocked Zuffa

Twitter can be a beautiful thing. Where else can you reach out to your favorite athletes and entertainers—and have them reach right back?

But Twitter is also a dangerous game. It's great for marketing and outreach, but can backfire badly when keeping it real goes wrong.

Of course, cage fighters are potentially volatile individuals. Sometimes that passion gets the better of them. These are five of those times.

5. Bryan Caraway Takes a Shot at Ronda Rousey

When Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate went at it on Twitter and in interviews before their recent title bout, it was kind of fun. Worst case? Bad blood would consume them and we'd get a great fight out of the bitter, bitter rage. Wait, that's the best case too.

Of course, someone always has to take it too far. That person was Tate's fighter boyfriend Bryan Caraway, who tweeted:

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@colbub and if she wants to challenge a man I'll knock her teeth dwn her throat the break her arm!

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My main man Jeremy Botter had a few words for Caraway in response:

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Do I believe Caraway is a bad guy? No, I don't. Caraway and Tate have been happily dating for many years and he's never been more than the model boyfriend and trainer.

But it's obvious that Caraway could really benefit from those "How NOT To Use Twitter" classes the UFC conducts at their yearly Fighter Summit at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas each summer. Caraway missed the last one due to the Ultimate Fighter.

Someone at Zuffa better make sure he attends the next one, before he says something he'll really regret.

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4. Oh Miguel Torres, That Is Not Funny!

“If a rape van was called a surprise van, more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises."

That was Miguel Torres on Twitter back in December. Later that day, Torres would have a lot more time for Twitter and Facebook, and probably Pinterest too, as he was let go from the UFC by president Dana White, who told SI.com:

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I cannot defend Miguel Torres. I cannot defend what he said. What he said makes no sense other than when he says, "It was a joke." Well, I don’t think that’s a funny joke. I think it’s disturbing.

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Torres has since made amends and is back in the UFC's good graces.

3. Oh Tito Ortiz, That's Just Not Something I Needed to See!

Tito Ortiz posted an awfully revealing picture last year on his Twitter account. How revealing you ask? Do a Google search and see for yourself if you dare. TMZ, Terez Owens and the usual suspects were all on the story, as was the New York Daily News:

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The image shows 36-year-old Ortiz standing completely naked in a room with a smile on his face.

"Someone hack my f--king phone," he tweeted after apparently realizing what happened.

But both the initial tweet, with the photo, as well as his explanation, have since been deleted from his account's feed.

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2. Forrest Griffin Is Misunderstood

Forrest Griffin is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. He seems like a funny, self-deprecating and generally stand-up guy. Behind the scenes? It's a little different story.

Catch Griffin on the wrong day and it's bound to get ugly. Some fans on Twitter learned that the hard way last year. Jezebel breaks it down:

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"Rape is the new missionary." Griffin wrote, then added insult to injury by being a jerk to people who objected — when one follower wrote, "Yeah just unfollowed @ForrestGriffin bc he said rape is the new missionary, inappropriate," he shot back, "keep it to yourself nobody cares." He later claimed that "following him is a privilege." He only apologized when a woman tweeted at him that she was a rape survivor. Now he's deleted the offending tweet and all others from that day, saying "I'm sorry I'm gonna go ahead and put myself of twitter restriction until next week."

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Griffin successfully explained himself to UFC president Dana White, but is possibly, probably, maybe on super-secret probation.

1. King Mo Picked the Wrong Day to Speak out

March 27 was a very bad day for "King" Mo Lawal. Not only did he get hit with a nine-month suspension for a failed post-fight drug test, not only did he get fined $39,000, he also ended the day with a pink slip. 

Mo didn't like the way he was treated by the Nevada Athletic Commission and spoke out on Twitter. MMA Junkie has the details:

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"I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist bitch asking me if I can read or speak english," Lawal tweeted. "Go on somewhere with that [expletive]!!!"

Lawal later explained the tweet, stating he believed the line of questioning was racist due to his past experiences.

"Its funny how people are tryna say that I'm callin the commission racist," he tweeted. "No!! They aren't. But there was one person on the panel that was out of line with the question she asked me. I found it insulting, prejudice, and a lil racist. I say racist from my past experiences, I have been asked that in the past as an insult."

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While some of his Twitter followers were amused, his bosses were not. Mo was fired later in the day. The lesson? The day you get suspended for using drugs isn't the right day to go on the attack.