Chael Sonnen and the Best Trash Talker of Each UFC Division

The hardcore fans love the sport of MMA because of the fights. They love watching technical and hard-fought battles play out in what can only be described as the purest form of man-to-man physical competition on the planet.

One thing the casual and hardcore fans can appreciate together is the buildup to a fight. Nothing on earth can get more people to tune in than a heated rivalry between two fighters chalk full of trash talk and general disdain for one another.

Historically, the biggest fights put on by the UFC are usually the ones with the most pre-fight hype, of which trash talk plays a big role. Just look at Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II, Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck II or Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans. Those fights were sold on the rivalry between the opponents, whether it was manufactured or not.

In light of Chael Sonnen's "Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck" comment last night in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, let's have a look at the best smack talkers in each of the UFC's divisions.

Bantamweight Fighter Miguel Torres

Maybe the bantamweight division hasn't been around long enough in the UFC for there to be a ton of quality trash-talking tough guys, but former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres certainly fits the bill.

Although it appears as though Torres' best fighting days may be behind him, he is a natural trash talker, even if he's a good-hearted individual.

Read his response to questions about boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a Cagewriter interview conducted by Maggie Hendricks.

"I would love to fight Mayweather, just because of the simple fact that I think he's a cocky ass****," Torres told Hendricks.

As if it's not enough to call out the guys in his own division, Torres has to trash talk the boxers too.

Alex Caceres Got Under a Lot of Peoples' Skin in the Ultimate Fighter

"I think these guys love to hate me. There has to be one guy in this house that somebody loves to hate," was what Alex Caceres had to say on the set of The Ultimate Fighter Season 12.

Caceres has lost twice in as many outings inside the Octagon and is probably one fight away from being cut from the promotion.

He's testing out the waters in the bantamweight division next, so he doesn't really qualify as a featherweight anymore, but there aren't really any other trash talkers out there in the division to replace him.

The UFC featherweight division, like most of the lighter weight classes, seems to be full of nice guys.

Nate Diaz Talks Trash During the Fight Not Just Before It

"Come on Joe, get to work, b**ch," were the words Nate Diaz had for Joe Stevenson during their Ultimate Fighter 9 finale fight in 2009.

For most fighters, the trash talking ends on the day of the fight. Diaz prefers to continue his trash-talking antics inside the octagon, and this is what earns him the moniker of best trash talker in the lightweight division.

Josh Koscheck Represents the Welterweight Divisions Resident Loud Mouth

Josh Koscheck isn't a likeable guy. Since his one-sided beat down against welterweight Georges St-Pierre, he seems to have tapered off a bit. He didn't really have one bad thing to say about Matt Hughes leading up to their fight at UFC 135.

In his fight with St-Pierre, I don't think I have ever witnessed an entire arena spew so much venom against one athlete. It was phenomenal.

We will see how long the quiet Josh Koscheck lasts now that he has gotten back to his winning ways. If the UFC ever manages to set up a fight between him and Stephan Bonnar, expect the trash-talking Koscheck to be at his best ever.

In a welterweight tilt against Paul Daley, Koscheck's whispers into the ear of Daley during their fight pushed Daley to the point of throwing a punch after the final bell. These actions upset UFC President Dana White beyond forgiveness, and Daley was promptly cut from the UFC.

If you can upset an opponent to the point of reckless abandonment, you've got to be doing something right in the trash-talking department.

Honorable mention: Dan Hardy.

Chael Sonnen Wins, but Michael Bisping Is a Close Second

Chael Sonnen really embraces the theatrical side of his career. Watch the interview with MMAfighting.com's Ariel Helwani, and you'll see why he's the best trash talker of the middleweight division.

In fact, Sonnen is probably one of the best trash talkers in the UFC bar none.

Whether he takes everything he says as truth or not (that would be hard to believe), anyone who can turn all of team Black House against themselves and, through that, turn an entire country in Brazil against themselves, they have to be doing something right in the trash-talk department.

Micahel Bisping of England was a very close second; just watch him on the three seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, and you'll see why. Chael still gets the nod as the top guy, though.

For Quinton

From his rivalry with Rashad Evans to his recent spy-gate accusations of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is the light heavyweight equivalent to Chael Sonnen.

Do a Google search on Rampage and trash talking, and you are bound to find a ton of footage where he is wise-cracking opponents, fans and the MMA media.

Frank Mir Has Gotten Himself in to Trouble Because of His Mouth

If anybody had a chance to follow the pre-fight hype leading up to the UFC 100 main event between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, one quickly gets a sense of how much trash Mir can talk.

Mir didn't manage to back his trash talk up, but the feud between him and Lesnar and the willingness of Lesnar to reciprocate made for a pretty highly anticipated rematch between the two.

Mir also managed to get himself on the bad side of Cheick Kongo prior to their show down and even got on the bad side of his boss, UFC President Dana White.

"I want to fight Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries," were the words Mir had for Brock Lesnar on the Pittsburgh-based Mark Madden radio show.

White, who at the time had been trying to sanction MMA in Ontario and is still working on New York to this day, wasn't happy to hear Mir's comments at the time.

Mir maybe crossed the line with his comments towards Lesnar, but it is because of his lack of respect towards his opponents and his willingness to voice them on a public forum that he earns the title as the best trash talker in the UFC heavyweight division.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the B/R MMA interview team, Follow @Leon_Horne