Chael Sonnen, Dana White and the 10 Biggest Loud Mouths in the UFC

There is no question that in this day and age of promotion and brand awareness, you have to be loud and proud to get your message out to listeners whose ears take in thousands of messages daily.

Mixed martial arts and the UFC presents such an interesting combination in that silence and calm demeanor at the heart of traditional martial arts, yet the ability to trash-talk and promote is equally as important to success in the game at times.

I recently heard Jon Jones put it in great perspective at the UFC 140 press conference held on Oct. 12.

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I would prefer each fight to be a little more respectful. It is martial arts. But I’m OK with the other side of it, too. I understand there are two different fan bases. Some people like more of that warrior spirit, discipline and honor, and other people like more of the cage fighter, I’m-gonna-knock-you-out type stuff. So I’m getting more comfortable with both of them, and it is what it is.

"

Mark me down as a fan in the warrior spirit side of the coin, but I do love the loudmouth characters who entertain leading up to certain fights. You can't have the yin without the yang, and love them or hate them, here are my top 10 biggest loudmouths in the UFC.

10. Nick Diaz

For a guy who doesn't like interviews much Nick Diaz is certainly a loudmouth with a lot to say when standing in for an interview.

Sometimes with Diaz he says all the wrong things at all the wrong times and then when given a platform where everyone will be listening to him he doesn't show up.

Whether it be screaming and chucking a shoe at Diego Sanchez, yelling and feuding with Joe Riggs in a hospital or brawling with K.J. Noons corner in Hawaii, Diaz sure does know how to run his mouth on his terms.

9. Frank Mir

Frank Mir knows how to run his mouth about mixed martial arts so well he has often gotten paid gigs to do it, and sometimes his analysis is right on the money.

Many times, though, Mir gets his mouth running and sounds like a know-it-all who simply loves the sound of his own voice on TV.

I think that with Mir it is mostly all in promoting the fight and making sure as many people check him out as possible, and it makes him the polarizing character he is.

8. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson can boast that he is one of the very originals when it comes to having a big mouth in the mixed martial arts game. From his early Pride entrances and interviews to the howling persona, Jackson was one of the first fighters to attract a microphone.

Rampage has carried that ability right into UFC and movie stardom, and his fighting skills have kept a good pace as well.

7. Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans has become one of the most hated fighters with UFC fans around the world, and many people accuse his big mouth of being the reason.

Evans is not a boring fighter by any means and he isn't the rude, disrespectful villain you would expect fans to hate.

From being a coach on The Ultimate Fighter and certain interviews since then, he does have a tendency to sound cocky at times, and that is why he makes this list.

6. Josh Koscheck

Josh Koscheck is a brash, trash-talking individual and he make no apologies for it. From the minute we met Kos on reality TV he was obviously the type of antagonist whose mouth could get under your skin.

Koscheck talked on the show, talked as a coach on the show and then talked in the lead-up to his big fight against Georges St-Pierre in 2010.

Koscheck is another one of those guys who has made a good living out of his persona and character as much as with his skills in the cage. Calling out a champion is one thing, but calling out a champion's city takes the kind of balls that lists are made of.

5. Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz has run the full circle of trash-talking and loudmouthing throughout his storied career. He used to target his opponent in a lead-up to his fight and then he started in on the boss Dana White for a few years after.

No one is safe when Ortiz has something to say about you and he doesn't care the volume he says it, either. He is starting to tame his trash-talking ways in the new and improved version of the star, but it's only a matter of time until somebody else becomes a victim of Ortiz's mouth.

4. Jason Miller

Jason "Mayhem" Miller has really only begun to hit his full stride as a loudmouth in this game but he has been entertaining over in Japan and promotions outside of the UFC for years.

They have been brighter the last few years and Miller has certainly seized the moment gaining a spot as a coach on TUF 14 and a subsequent fight with Michael Bisping. Miller is tailor-made for a mixing his mouth with his fist and making a lot of noise; let's hope he can continue his climb.

3. Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping is one emotional Brit and sometimes his filter between his brian and his mouth malfunctions when he is hot. Bisping has popped off at Dan Henderson, Jorge Rivera and now Jason Miller, to name a few.

It was only a matter of time before Bisping paid in pain for the failing of his mouth and Dan Henderson indeed delivered that message.

It hasn't seemed to stop Bisping as he has now turned his attention to Miller, and surprisingly Chael Sonnen, in his complaining and moaning about who is disrespecting him now.

2. Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen has propelled himself into the top pound-for-pound loudmouth in the last few years and in his saga with Anderson Silva. He even got a lecture from "The Axe Murderer" about respect in Brazil to try and keep tabs on his mouth.

It hasn't seemed to work in slowing Sonnen down too much as he has issued a new challenge to the champion in his post-fight interview after his destruction of Brian Stann.

Sonnen is a great fighter, close to a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter, but he is definitely the pound-for-pound king of the UFC loudmouths. 

1. Dana White

There is an old saying that one follows the example of his/her leader, and in the case of the UFC there is no one who has perfected the art of loud better than president Dana White. He is starting to gain more of a mainstream audience so he doesn't have to yell as loud to be heard, but White still likes to turn up the volume in every city the UFC is in.

From loudly promoting the sport to publicly feuding with fighters and rival promotions, White is never shy to tell it how it is and tell it loud in order to get his point across.

Dana White is still the No. 1 loudmouth in the UFC.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.