5 current UFC fighters who have led the new breed of trash talkers
The UFC is the premier promotion of one of the world's fastest-growing sports: MMA. As with every sport, trash talking is prevalent. At times, MMA trash talk is a tame product of the competitive fire between two fighters scheduled to compete in a bout that will decide the future of their careers.
In other moments, trash talk is more brutal and personal. Rivalries are common in all sports, but they're more present in combat sports as the athletes involved are determined to inflict physical harm on each other to emerge victorious. Years ago, the sport's primary trash talker was Chael Sonnen, who used his wit and verbal skills to build interest in his bouts and earn title fights.
Today, however, there is no trash talker with greater renown than Conor McGregor. The Irishman's trash-talking playbook proved so successful that a multitude of UFC fighters copied his style in the hope of achieving similar success. The latest generation of fighters has led to a surge in different breeds of trash talkers. This list examines five current UFC fighters responsible for a new wave of trash-talking.
#5. Israel Adesanya
Current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is arguably the sport's greatest striker. The sheer threat of his counter-striking proficiency has rendered his most recent opponents timid to engage due to the fear of ending up on his highlight reel, as Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa both have.
As brilliant as Adesanya is in the octagon, he carries a bit less finesse on the mic. 'The Last Stylebender' is a dedicated trash-talker.
"We know who's next! Next time I put you on skates, you gonna get frozen like Elsa!"
@stylebender keeps his post-fight interview short and sweet and sends a message to Alex Pereira! 👀
#UFC276 https://t.co/zppqne1xW9
His brand of trash-talking often evokes memories of Henry Cejudo's 'King of Cringe' gimmick due to the awkward phrases that 'Izzy' employs. While Cejudo intentionally renders his trash-talking awkward, Adesanya seems to genuinely believe that comments like the 'Frozen' references he made in both the pre-fight UFC 276 press conference and the post-fight interview afterward were clever.
His brand of unintentionally cringe-inducing trash talk might bust open doors for other fighters to unapologetically express themselves when trash-talking, as opposed to using pre-prepared lines as many often do. Perhaps Adesanya's most unapologetic moment, however, was his Twin Towers reference prior to facing Yoel Romero at UFC 248.