5 Times MMA fighters talked their way into title fights
More often than not in the world of mixed martial arts, you have to earn your way into the title picture, which is understandable given the amount of talent on display in any given promotion. However in some instances, most commonly the UFC, there's been a few occasions in which Championship bouts have been put together based mainly on one thing - someone's ability to talk.
It's a tactic that is utilised extremely well in the world of professional wrestling, however, MMA fans prefer for fighters to prove themselves in the Octagon instead of jumping to the front of the line. It's not always a bad thing and sometimes it works out for the best with the underdog winning the championship, but it's a lose-lose situation for the UFC in terms of the criticism they receive.
Some fans will end up saying that the Champion isn't fighting top level contenders, meanwhile, if they end up losing the belt they'll argue that the ranking system now means nothing. Look, we applaud these fighters for managing to somehow worm their way up to the top of the card, but it's still not a thrilling prospect when it happens.
With that being said, here are five times MMA fighters talked their way into title fights.
#1 Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva
After coming so close to defeating Anderson Silva during their first encounter, it seemed painfully obvious that Chael Sonnen would get another shot at the Middleweight Championship. Thankfully for The Bad Guy, that day did come, but looking back it is a tad surprising when you consider that he tested positive for increased testosterone levels coupled with a controversial win over Michael Bisping.
So what pushed the UFC into making the fight? Sonnen's mouth.
The guy could talk for days and days and at times resembled a professional wrestler as opposed to a mixed martial artist, but that didn't matter to Dana as all he could see was dollar signs. Obviously, the fight didn't turn out how many expected or hoped, but good for Chael managing to find his way into another title opportunity. Sort of.
Over to the females now for our next entry.