10 UFC Stars Who Couldn't Back Up Their Words

Those fighters sure do love making rods for their own backs.

By Gareth Morgan /

Talking trash about your opponent stands as one of the defining features of UFC competition.

Being given a live mic in a press conference or an unfiltered social media profile to let rip on - without being censored by a PG banner - helps take a potentially pedestrian match-up to the next level.

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But, what happens when your words don't sync up with your actions? Apart from becoming a walking meme, your statements can lose their weight and people soon stop investing in the hot air that pours out of a beaten loud mouth.

Look at Conor McGregor. The ever cocky Irishman tore Nate Diaz to shreds in the build-up to their first fight at UFC 196, before eating all of those words in defeat. He then had to rise up, eat some humble pie, and let his actions do the talking in the rematch, which they did (and I'm not talking about the bottle throwing).

That example alone proves that trash talking is by no means an easy game. You have to come across as confident in your ability to end any fight convincingly, whilst also not spewing out any dialogue that will come back to bite you on the ass.

Simple put, there's a fine line between being a Mystic Mac or just another person who can't walk the walk and these 10 stars have all found themselves on the wrong side of it.

10. Chael Sonnen

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It will come as no surprise to find Chael Sonnen on a list of this variety, so best to get him out of the way early.

In 2010, The Bad Guy was embroiled in a highly anticipated clash with one of the titans of the sport, Anderson Silva.

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Instead of shaking hands and agreeing to let the better man win, Sonnen took it upon himself to (attempt to) burrow under the skin of the Brazilian.

Coming out with arrogant remarks such as threatening to 'drag Anderson Silva out of a hotel and beat him up anytime (he) wants' and claiming he was 'the toughest guy in the company, period' Sonnen had put himself on quite the pedestal en route to UFC 117.

In the end, Silva submitted Sonnen in the Fight of the Year winner.

However, The Bad Guy clearly hadn't learned from his mistakes and waxed lyrically about how the two's 'skills were not even close', on the road to their rematch at UFC 148. Sonnen would lose that bout, too.

Sonnen hasn't been sighted outside of any of Silva's hotel rooms since and it's probably wise for him to keep it that way.

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