Michael Bisping and the 8 Best Trash Talkers in the UFC

Michael Bisping may not be the original heel of the UFC, but he’s emerged as a guaranteed smack-talker with some zingers tucked away in wait. Sure Tito Ortiz paved the way, but his days as an elite trash talker are as far distanced as his days as an elite competitor.

Michael Bisping now holds the crown.

The outspoken Brit has an uncanny knack for getting under the skin of his foes, and it typically works. He called Jorge Rivera “an old man,” and promised the fight was nothing more than a “free payday,” Well, he was kind of right, on both points.

Before battering fellow TUF 14 coach, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Bisping made it known that he found his hair-dyed rival “quite annoying.” He also made multiple promises to brutalize the wild Mayhem while making the promotional rounds. He lived up to his word, pummeling the longtime veteran and former Bully Beatdown host.

The man’s let a ton of quality lines loose, and some have been rather memorable. The reason Bisping ranks amongst the absolute best trash talkers in the UFC is the fact that he works his prodding with startling effectiveness.

This guy really, really gets inside the heads of his opponents. If you can walk the walk after talking that talk, you’re a mobile marketing machine.

Chael Sonnen

Chael peeled a piece from Bisping’s fight hype book. While his humor is quite a bit different, he and Bisping share one major similarity: they both leave their opponents genuinely uncomfortable.

Sonnen can be a bit over the top and corny at times. But he’s always eager to embrace that outrageous talk.

His pre-fight banter aimed at Anderson Silva is the thing of legend, and that alone elevates him to the regions of trash talk greatness.

Josh Koscheck

Nothing Josh Koscheck says is actually funny. Oddly enough, that’s why it works. It’s mean-spirited and it pisses opponents off, significantly.

I’m not a huge fan of Koscheck as a person (he’s one hell of a fighter), but I’ll say this: his routine bullying of foes has proven successful in the past. Guys are intimidated by the man’s projected confidence (I’m not fully convinced that isn’t a guise meant to conceal his own insecurities), and that often gives the former American Kickboxing Academy rep an edge in competition.  

Quinton Jackson

Jackson’s a hot/cold talker. At times, he’s absolutely brilliant in delivering witty one-liners and grand physical comedy. At other times, he finds himself a little too tangled over his own tongue, and the joke misses the mark.

One thing can be said without doubt: if you pair this man up with Rashad Evans or Jon Jones, you’re going to get some nice, memorable moments. Most of which will be a product of Rampage’s work.

Just check out the vid if you need proof.

Frank Mir

Frank Mir might just be a genius. I mean that.

Frank’s actually a pretty personable guy, but when it comes interview time, he’s sure to sell an air of pretentiousness. That smug arrogance rubs opponents the wrong way, and you can bet the house Frank loves that.

Mir’s a gamesman. He knows how to play, and he knows that mental warfare is just about as relevant as physical. If he can throw an opponent off before the first bell ever sounds, his chances of victory increase astronomically.

He’s aware of this fact, and he uses it to the best of his abilities.

B.J. Penn

B.J. Penn just says some seriously crazy sh*t. No two ways about it: this guy will throw out lines that make the jaw drop. This dude’s quotes are not meant to be funny, they’re simply a form of Hawaiian ventilation.

He hurled insults at Nick Diaz after their UFC 137. He had a few nasty things to say about Rory MacDonald leading up to their UFC on Fox 5 bout, and the truth is, that kind of conduct spans numerous years.

Penn’s a cool cat, but when he loses his cool, he opens his mouth, and therein lies the controversy.

Nick Diaz

Wow. Nick Diaz. This dude will toss expletives at any man scheduled to fight him. It’s kind of his modus operandi.

Nick doesn’t typically mean most of the things he says. He’s admitted in the past that the moment he signs a fight, that man becomes his enemy, at least until the fight is over. That said, he’s a machine with his mouth, firing off as many barbs as he does body shots.

Plus, you’ve got to recognize the double middle-finger as a form of silent trash talk, and that’s a go-to move for the elder Diaz brother.

By the way, greatest Nick Diaz quote ever by the way? Just watch until the end of the video!

Nate Diaz

Nate likes to talk, just as his brother does, but there’s something a bit more frightening about Nate’s pre/post-fight insults. I think it’s the fact that Nate looks like he means it.

Nathan Diaz always looks angry, and when he’s in your face cursing up a storm, it’s got to be an uncomfortable experience.

Nate splits trash talk time in half: vocal and physical, and both are memorable. If you peruse youtube you should find more than a few examples of Nate’s intensity.

Tito Ortiz

He was the original. For awhile, he was also damn good.

It’s hard to forget the Grave Digger, or the profoundly insulting tee shirts Ortiz once donned. His early days delivering punch-lines also had a way of resonating with opponents...not named Chuck Liddell.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” ruffled everyone’s feathers. And while in his prime, it was quite an entertaining debacle to witness.

Sadly, as the years wore on and the injuries mounted, Ortiz lost a step in the originality department. For the most part, he kept his mouth running until the end, unfortunately it stopped being funny more than half a decade ago.

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