UFC 135 Fight Card: Jon Jones, GSP and the 10 Cockiest Fighters in UFC History

It takes a certain amount of self-confidence to fight in front of thousands of screaming fans, but there is definitely a fine line between confidence and cockiness—and some believe that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has crossed that line.

The dominant kid from New York has quickly risen through the ranks in the UFC in a way no other fighter has accomplished before. He not only completely dominated every fight he has been in for the organization, but at 24 years old, he is also the youngest fighter to ever hold UFC gold.

Along with the meteoric rise of his career, however, many believe that Jones’ demeanor has also changed.

Critics would say he has transformed from being a humble, green fighter, who was thankful for the opportunity to fight in the UFC, into an arrogant individual who has lost all sense of what it means to be humble and believes that he is unstoppable.

But as cocky as Jones can be at times, he is still growing into his place as one of the cockiest fighters in UFC history. There are others who have actually been more obnoxious than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.

These are the 10 cockiest fighters in UFC history. 

Be sure to check out Bleacher Report for all things UFC 135. B/R is your home for MMA, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, and post-fight analysis...which you can check out at our event hub.

10. Paul Daley

English fighter Paul Daley is now out of the company due to an unbelievable show of disrespect following his fight against Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, but even that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the cockiest fighters in the sport.

Daley went an impressive 2-1 during his run with the UFC with victories over Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett, knocking out both fighters in the first round. However, the loss to Koscheck will always be most fans’ first memory of this talented fighter.

9. Georges St-Pierre

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and is typically known for being one of the most respectful fighters as well, but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had his fair share of cocky moments.

Most memorably, following Matt Hughes’ victory over BJ Penn at UFC 63, St-Pierre stepped into the cage to let the champion know that he, the No. 1 contender, was “Not impressed by [Hughes’] performance.”

St-Pierre isn't cocky in the same way as some of the other fighters on this list, but the way that he almost insists on taking on his opponents and beating them at their own game is a testament to how confident he is in his own abilities. Then again, that same confidence is also what got him knocked out against Matt Serra.

He doesn't insult his opponents' skills often, but whether fans want to admit it or not, St-Pierre is a bit cocky. 

8. Josh Koscheck

It’s hard to argue that a guy is cocky when he openly admits it himself. Josh Koscheck did just that coming into his bout against Paul Daley at UFC 113.

"I'm not afraid to go in there and stand toe-to-toe with him," Koscheck told the UFC. "I just may do that. I just may prove a point. I'm that egotistical, you know. I'm that cocky."

Of course, Koscheck would then proceed to take Daley down in every round, frustrating the Brit until he finally exploded in anger after the bout and smacked Koscheck with a cheap shot to the jaw.

7. Jon Jones

Is it confidence? Is it cockiness? Maybe we just don’t know yet.

Jon Jones is still very young at 24 years old, but some of his words and actions have already rubbed fans, critics and opponents the wrong way.

Both Rashad Evans and Jones’ opponent tonight, Rampage Jackson, have pegged the champion as being “too cocky,” also stating that they believe he is “fake.”

In response to the comments, Jones told MMAWeekly that he believes Jackson is simply “jealous.”

6. Nick Diaz

Self-awareness is one thing, cockiness is another, but what Nick Diaz has gone past either of those on numerous occasions.

“I’m the most overworked, over-trained, underpaid fighter,” Diaz told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani in a memorable interview leading up to his final Strikeforce welterweight title defense against Paul Daley.  

It’s not just that he believes that he is underpaid, either. Diaz has also gone out of his way to call out fighters like Georges St-Pierre, then proceeded to completely skip numerous media appearances, forcing the UFC’s hand in removing him from the UFC 137 main event.

But even after his own actions cost him the fight, Diaz posted a video of him driving in his car where he responded to being booted from the fight. He titled the video, “Looks like someone don't want me to win!”

He just doesn’t get it.

5. Michael Bisping

Coming after Paul Daley before him on this list, these two British superstars have done nothing to help get rid of the stereotype that their country’s fighters are “too cocky.”

Bisping has confidently entered his every fight in the UFC with the intention of knocking out each opponent. While this is great for fans, it has also gotten him in quite a bit of trouble in the media, as well as in the cage.

The middleweight contender has been very successful in the Octagon, but he got absolutely blasted in his UFC 100 bout against Dan Henderson when he chose to stand with his heavy-handed opponent.

4. Anderson Silva

Never before have we seen anything like Anderson Silva.

The skill differential between Silva and every single one of his UFC opponents is just unbelievable. It’s to the point where many of us actually feel bad for the guys that have to step into the cage with his Matrix-like phenom.

Silva is always respectful to his opponents after their fight, but what he does during the fight is a completely different story. Not only does he completely outclass his opponents, he does it in a way that must just be humiliating for them.

We have seen Silva literally dance while avoiding strikes from top-level fighters like Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin. He has also made it a habit to drop his hands and dare his opponents to try to punch him before often times knocking them out with a strike of his own.

We may never again see anything like this. Enjoy it while it lasts. 

3. Tito Ortiz

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz still exudes tremendous cockiness before every one his bouts, even though he has won just one fight since 2006.

Somehow, despite fighting almost exclusively top-10 opponents, Ortiz’s words have been able to convince fans that he has a great chance of winning any fight he is in, even if we have watched him get picked apart many, many times over the past five years.

It’s Ortiz’s ability to sell a fight that has made him one of the most popular and well-known fighters in the world, but sometimes his mouth is just a bit much.

2. James Toney

I almost hesitated to put this guy on the list, just given the complete lack of skill this guy has in the sport of MMA.

But former boxing champion James Toney did fight in the UFC. Once... And he got completely schooled by Hall of Famer Randy Couture. That came after Toney disrespected the entire sport of MMA on numerous occasions.

“They were afraid to come into my game, so I’m coming to yours,” Toney told the media prior to the fight against Couture. “They said a boxer couldn’t beat an MMA fighter, so I’m coming here to prove that wrong.”

Good job, James. You almost made it 3/4 of the way through one round. 

1. Chael Sonnen

You had to see this one coming, right?

Chael Sonnen is without question the most cocky fighter in UFC history and likely the most cocky in the history of the entire sport. It’s not even very close.

The difference between Sonnen and other “cocky” fighters is that what he does, he does in such a hilarious manner that we always want more.

Even if some people hate him and want to see him get knocked out, deep down they have to admit that they want to hear more from him.

“[Anderson Silva] has got a black belt under the Nogueira brothers. I think a black belt under the Nogueira brothers is saying like, ‘I got a free toy in my Happy Meal’,” Sonnen famously said prior to his bout with the UFC middleweight champion.

Even after the fight in which he got submitted, Sonnen has continued to hurl insults at the Brazilian, even proclaiming that he believes he actually won the fight because he landed so many more punches, while Silva only “wrapped his legs around his head for eight seconds.”

Sonnen will likely have a chance to redeem that loss against Silva if he is able to get a win over Brian Stann at UFC 136, as the UFC has made it apparent that he will get another shot at the title if he comes out victorious.

But until he walks out of the cage with the UFC middleweight championship, Sonnen’s cockiness will continue to rub most fans the wrong way.