5 memorable moments between fans and fighters at a UFC press conference
Press conferences are an essential part of the UFC, especially in an era where the marketability and career of a fighter depend massively on their ability to talk trash.
We've seen several heated moments in UFC press conferences over the years, with fights like Michael Chiesa vs Kevin Lee, Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier and Georges St-Pierre vs Nick Diaz contributing to some of the most entertaining media moments of all time.
We have also seen fans get in on the action. Here are five memorable moments between fans and fighters at a UFC press conference.
#5 Conor McGregor has an old quote read out to him - UFC 257
Technically, this was a journalist and not an outright fan who was involved in the incident. But in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest UFC press conference moments of all time, superstar Conor McGregor was moved to tears.
As part of the "Mr. Nice Guy" act he was putting on ahead of UFC 257, McGregor responded to questions in an extremely dissimilar and respectful way to his previous press conferences. That set the perfect platform for the question, which can be seen in the video below:
"I've lost my mind on this game like Vincent Van Gogh dedicated his life to his art and he lost his mind in the process. That's happened to me but f**k it. When that gold belt is wrapped around my waist and my mother has a big mansion, my girlfriend has a big car and my kids' kids get everything they ever wanted. Then it will pay. Then I will be happy I lost my mind."
Bringing up the above quote by McGregor from 2013 which illustrates how far he has come, the journalist brought out an emotional side of 'The Notorious'.
#4 Fan trash talks Eddie Alvarez - UFC 205
At UFC 205, Conor McGregor became the first-ever simultaneous two-weight champion in the history of the promotion with a stellar performance against lightweight king Eddie Alvarez.
In the lead-up to the fight, we witnessed several instances of typical McGregor trash talk. But one of the highlights came not from the Irishman but from a fan who was clearly there to support his idol.
The fan confronted Alvarez over his comments about McGregor not having the cardio to go five rounds, pointing out that 'The Underground King' had lost one of his only two fights that had gone that distance. McGregor gleefully agreed with the fan as Alvarez struggled to find a reasonable answer.
#3 CM Punk gets called out by a fan - UFC on FOX 16
CM Punk's UFC career was dreadful to say the least. His two fights, both of which were astonishingly on the main card despite him having no prior MMA experience, ended in one-sided losses.
But being a WWE veteran, Punk's skills on the mic were superb. Ahead of UFC on FOX 16, he participated in a Q&A session where a fan named Dillon Pousson - who himself claimed he had been berating the fighter on Twitter - called him out for a fight.
Punk shut him down quite easily, saying he was the one contracted by the UFC with some choice words in between. Interestingly, the fan held an amateur MMA record of one win and three losses at the time of his call-out.
#2 Holly Holm gets serenaded - UFC 194
In another instance of a fan taking advantage of a Q&A session, an Irish supporter found it in his heart to serenade Holly Holm with a rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli.
While the sizeable crowd at the UFC 194 press conference happily joined in, Holm - who had recently destroyed Ronda Rousey in a massive upset - looked rather uncomfortable on stage but smilingly let the song take its course.
#1 Fan prepares a speech for Chael Sonnen - UFC 175
Holly Holm isn't the only fighter to have been wooed by a fan. Chael Sonnen, who amassed a massive cult following for his unique method of trash talking, found himself on the receiving end of a heartwarming speech.
Speaking in typical Sonnen style and reproducing several quotes from 'The Bad Guy', the fan elicited a smile out of almost everyone present. Sonnen too joined in on the fun, but his bout against Wanderlei Silva scheduled for UFC 175 fell through.
Please spend 30 seconds to answer this survey so that we can better understand how to serve your MMA needs.