5 of the most cringeworthy post-fight interviews in UFC history
In the world of the UFC, a strong post-fight interview can be as important as a major win in terms of turning a fighter into a superstar with the fans.
While plenty of UFC fighters have used post-fight interviews to their advantage, over the years we’ve also seen some hugely cringeworthy moments on the microphone that simply didn’t help anyone.
Often, the fighters involved appeared to either think they were much funnier than they actually were, or that they had a much larger following than they actually did.
Here are five of the most cringeworthy post-fight interviews in UFC history.
#5. Yoel Romero vs. Lyoto Machida – UFC Fight Night 70
When Yoel Romero absolutely crushed former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in his first UFC main event, it probably should’ve propelled him to super-stardom. The win was the Cuban’s fifth in a row in the octagon, and signaled that he was a very serious threat to the middleweight title.
However, his post-fight interview confused – and offended – the fans more than it helped to cement ‘The Soldier of God’ as a big star.
In a strange rant shouted largely in broken English, Romero didn’t really talk about his win over Machida, instead focusing on telling the fans in Miami to “wake up,” asking “what happened to you, USA?”
After then making a reference to Jesus Christ, the Cuban then appeared to shout “not for gay Jesus, people!”
Many fans took this as a reference to same-sex marriage, which was legalized just days before the event.
"No gay Jesus USA" - Yoel Romero #UFCFlorida #yoelsays
Whether or not this was Romero’s intention remains a question mark, particularly as he didn’t really clear the issue up at the post-event press conference. Indeed, some fans believed that the rant had more to do with ‘The Soldier of God’ suggesting that people should “not forget Jesus,” with Romero’s broken English causing confusion.
Either way, the rant had literally nothing to do with MMA or the Cuban’s bout with Machida, making it highly strange and highly cringeworthy, too.
#4. Jacob Volkmann vs. Efrain Escudero – UFC 141
In the eyes of many UFC fans, MMA and politics just don’t mix well, even if there have been plenty of examples over the years of fighters looking to push a political agenda before or after their bouts in the octagon.
One fighter who memorably attempted to get political in his post-fight interview was Jacob Volkmann. The rant that he unleashed after his 2011 win over Efrain Escudero remains one of the most cringeworthy moments in the promotion’s history.
‘Christmas’ had already become somewhat infamous after calling out then-US President Barack Obama following his win over Antonio McKee. It was a moment that was then lampooned on The Tonight Show. After beating Escudero, he went even further.
10 years ago today, Jacob Volkmann called out Barack Obama after his win at UFC 125 ... and then Obama exacted revenge on the Tonight Show https://t.co/ZLpU6uXIgu
Volkmann cracked a crude and bizarre joke about Obama needing a “glassectomy." He then explained that he meant the President should have a piece of glass put into his stomach “so when you have your head up your butt, you can see where you’re going.”
Unsurprisingly, the fans in attendance didn’t get the joke at all, greeting ‘Christmas’ largely with confused silence and leaving Joe Rogan cringing.
Unfortunately for Volkmann, the rant didn’t exactly fall on deaf ears, as it led to him being put on “administrative leave” from his other job as a high school wrestling coach at White Bear School in Minnesota.
#3. Ben Rothwell vs. Matt Mitrione – UFC Fight Night 68
Early in his UFC career, Ben Rothwell simply didn’t seem to be a fighter who had that much charisma. A big, heavy hitter with a penchant for either knocking out his foes or putting on sloppy fights, by 2014 it seemed like his career was on the downswing.
That year saw him return from a drug suspension to face the heavily-favoured Alistair Overeem. In a big upset, Rothwell managed to knock out his foe, essentially saving his spot on the roster.
When he then submitted Matt Mitrione in mid-2015, Rothwell decided to attempt to flip the script. He cut one of the most cringeworthy interviews in octagon history.
In hindsight, the signs that ‘Big Ben’ had gone a little off the rails should’ve been clear when he eschewed his usual heavy rock entrance music for a classical piece from the soundtrack to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Nobody could’ve expected him to also attempt to channel the legendary vampire on the mic, though. After claiming that “only politics could hold him down,” he then unleashed a horror movie-inspired evil laugh that left most fans baffled more than anything else.
Video: Muahahaha! Relive Ben Rothwell's evil post-UFC Fight Night 68 laugh dlvr.it/B7R9zS via @MMAjunkie
Quite what Rothwell was thinking was anyone’s guess – especially when things got stranger moments later, as he casually discussed the fight. Either way, the interview didn’t work out the way he’d planned, and only made everyone cringe.
#2. Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Aldana – UFC 57
Catchphrases that fans can chant along to are commonplace in the world of WWE. The likes of Steve Austin and The Rock are responsible for some of the more famous ones. Unfortunately, the UFC’s fighters have never quite caught onto the trend.
Part of that might be down to former heavyweight title contender Paul Buentello, who attempted to establish a catchphrase back in 2006. Instead, he had the moment blow up in his face, creating a truly cringeworthy situation.
After his first two wins in the octagon, ‘The Headhunter’ had used the line “don’t fear me, fear the consequences,” but evidently, it hadn’t quite gotten into the heads of the fans as much as he figured it had.
So when he stopped Gilbert Aldana and then attempted to have the crowd finish the line for him, he was greeted with absolute silence, clearly embarrassing both himself and Joe Rogan, who was conducting the interview.
Buentello attempted to brush the moment off, but it was clear that even he was probably cringing inside. Unsurprisingly, when ‘The Headhunter’ returned to the promotion in 2009, he never attempted to use the catchphrase again.
#1. Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler – UFC on ESPN 5
Colby Covington has become widely known as a big-time trash talker. However, the truth is that many of his post-fight interviews simply consist of him ranting wildly into the microphone, and the insults that he throws are often aimed at the lowest common denominator.
In reality, Covington’s brand of trash talk is about as far removed from the more cerebral fare of the likes of Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen as it gets. However, there’s no doubt that his most cringeworthy moment came after his win over Robbie Lawler in 2019.
Sure, he didn’t throw any racist insults as he’d done following his 2017 win over Demian Maia. Instead, he took a shot at former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes.
At the time, Hughes was still recovering from a horrific accident that saw his truck struck by a train at a rail crossing – something that clearly hadn’t gone unnoticed by ‘Chaos’.
When he defeated Hughes’ training partner and friend Lawler, he was quick to state that Robbie “should’ve learned from his good buddy Matt Hughes, you stay off the tracks when the train is coming through, junior."
The insult was remarkably offensive, particularly given that Hughes was widely considered a UFC legend and was well-liked by not only the fans, but the majority of the promotion’s management, too.
Unsurprisingly, however, Covington was unrepentant after the event, claiming what he’d said wasn’t offensive and that the fans shouldn’t be “snowflakes”.
As for Hughes, he remained respectful – making a congratulatory post to Covington on social media that stated that “people trash talk and you gotta have thick skin.”
Despite this, the moment was still hugely cringeworthy, and remains a real low point even by Covington’s standards.