The 5 Best Trash-Talkers in UFC History

There's no denying trash talk is an important part of MMA. Not only does it add drama to a fight, but it's also a kind of psychological warfare, as fighters seek to get under their opponent's skin and throw them off their game.

There have been surprisingly few truly effective trash talkers in the UFC. In fact, a lot of attempts at trash talking come across as bumbling and corny. However, there have been a few fighters who have truly mastered the gift of gab, much to the frustration of their opponents.

Here are the five best trash-talkers we've seen in the UFC.

5. Colby Covington

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Colby Covington is was one of the most infamous loudmouths in MMA history.

What's interesting, though, is that he's not remotely eloquent or clever. In fact, he often stumbles over his words and is prone to mixed metaphors.

What makes Covington an effective trash-talker in spite of all of that is that he's incessant. He's like a mosquito, buzzing in your ear and constantly evading a fatal swat. He will slowly drive opponents wild through sheer persistence.

He's also willing to stoop to levels most others wouldn't even consider. He'll say pretty much anything if he thinks it will drum up interest in a fight or help him get into his opponent's head.

4. Nate Diaz

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Nate Diaz is even less eloquent than Covington, and in stark contrast to his fellow welterweight, he is quite choosey with his words.

He's not the type to yap constantly. Instead, he tends to keep his mouth shut until he's got something he really wants to say.

What makes his trash talk so good is the coolness with which it's delivered. There is nothing forced about the way Diaz chides his opponents. It's pure, honest bravado. If he thinks his opponent sucks, he's not going to make any secret of it.

Unfortunately—and much like Covington—he increasingly fails to back up his talk in his fights, with many losses on his recent resume.

3. Chael Sonnen

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Chael Sonnen is arguably the most famous trash-talker in MMA history.

He began to turn it on ahead of his first fight with Anderson Silva and never really stopped. The result has been some of most memorable lines we've heard from a fighter.

Sonnen's trash talk is usually quite clever. His delivery is also fantastic, as he speaks with the sneering confidence of the best pro wrestling heels.

The only reason he loses points is that a lot of his lines are clearly planned ahead of time. That's not to suggest he spends hours in the mirror going over everything he's going to say, but you can clearly tell he does some prep work.

2. Conor McGregor

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Conor McGregor has been at the heart of so much controversy lately that it's easy to forget how loved he once was.

A decade ago, he captured the imagination of the entire sport. That was due in large part to his sizzling trash talk—and the way he tended to back it up in the Octagon.

In his heyday, McGregor was a master at getting under his opponent's skin. Dustin Poirier even admitted his trash-talking completely distracted him ahead of their first fight, which he ended up losing by knockout.

The Irishman was able to manipulate many of his opponents long before they ever stepped into the cage together.

Unfortunately, McGregor's trash talk gradually began to cross lines—particularly in the lead-up to his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, which he lost decisively.

Today, it feels like McGregor has produced just as many classless duds as he has unforgettable one-liners.

1. Michael Bisping

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Former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping's place atop this list might be somewhat controversial, but there's no question he's the GOAT of trash-talking in MMA.

Unlike the likes of Covington and Diaz, he has always been extremely well-spoken—enough to walk right into a commentary job when he retired. Unlike Sonnen, he doesn't seem to queue up any of his trash talk ahead of time, frequently delivering incredible zingers off the cuff. Who could forget the way he talked circles around Luke Rockhold ahead of their first fight?

Bisping also crossed lines less frequently than the likes of Covington and McGregor, relying on wit rather than pettiness and shock value. That's not to say every line he delivered landed, but he remains the gold standard for trash-talking in the UFC, and it doesn't look like anybody will be outdoing him anytime soon.