A unicorn is easier to appreciate when it’s not among horses with plastic horns crudely affixed to their heads.
Conor McGregor’s influence on the UFC cannot be oversold. While trash-talking opponents has been an ever-present method of promoting fights, ‘The Notorious’ brought that element to another level.
The chasing pack saw the unrivalled success this technique brought the Dubliner and naturally, copycats began to emerge. However, after the blockbuster UFC 217 card which saw three new champions crowned, there is a notable dearth of champions who disrespect the title challengers prior to stepping into the Octagon with them.
The acerbic-tongued Michael Bisping was dethroned by the uber-respectful Georges St-Pierre, Cody Garbrandt, who relentlessly talked smack about his former teammate had his crown usurped by TJ Dillashaw and Joanna Jedrzejczyk was annihilated by Rose Najunas, the woman she called ‘mentally unstable.’
No shame in it #UFC217 https://t.co/RyRwvExzro
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 7, 2017
Looking down the list of current UFC belt-holders, there aren’t very many who engage in mental warfare.
Being the heavyweight king means Stipe Miocic should lay claim to the ‘baddest man on the planet’ accolade, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Cleveland native is arguably the pound-for-pound nicest person in the sport. He still fights fires in his day job and has shaken the hand of both contenders he’s faced before knocking them out. He didn’t score any verbal jabs in the build-up to either fight against Alistair Overeem or Junior dos Santos.
Despite not being the most popular champion, family man Daniel Cormier has a penchant for being respectful to just about everyone he takes on who’s not named Jon Jones. The only two other men he has had any sort of beef with were post-retirement Anthony Johnson and Jimi Manuwa, who looks unlikely to get a crack at the belt anytime soon.
GSP’s unlikely to get a heel for his first defence if he decides to remain at 185 lbs. Here’s how interim middleweight king Robert Whittaker greeted him when the two met him backstage at Madison Square Garden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnOfoucpsNo&feature=youtu.be&a=
Tyron Woodley has the potential to be a heel, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to capitalise on the public’s perception of him so far. His three title defences have come against Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia, two of the classiest gentlemen in the sport, which has meant the trash talk has been at a minimum. His reluctance to entertain Colby Covington’s offer means he is lining up for another fight void of drama in its promotion.
Max Holloway can cut a promo, but he hasn’t made much noise lately. His first defence of the unified featherweight championship coming against Frankie Edgar, who no one has any bad things to say about, means we’re unlikely to hear any insults out of ‘Blessed’ prior to UFC 218.
Bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes had a somewhat heated rivalry with Valentina Shevchenko, but after edging her in two contests, it is expected that the rivalry will end with ‘Bullet’ dropping down to the soon-to-be-introduced women’s flyweight division.
As for Demetrious Johnson…
Cris Cyborg is a bit of a wildcard. The women’s featherweight queen has had a huge chip on her shoulder since joining the world’s premier MMA organisation. She’s been very vocal in her criticism against the UFC, has struck up a rivalry with likely next challenger Holly Holm and who can forget that time she decked Angela Magana at the Athlete Retreat?
Other than that, the only division with a champion who’s guaranteed to bring hostility to a press conference is the most populated one. The beauty about lightweight is it has not one, but two champions who are partial to spitting venom.
After it’s earned through battle, McGregor and Tony Ferguson will usually be respectful towards their opponents, but while the hype is building, they are sure to fire put-downs out of two smoking barrels. It’s an unpredictable sport in which belts change hands very quickly, but right now, both men atop the 155 lb pile will know that their style of promotion is going to be rare in UFC title fights.
That will likely play in their favour when it comes to generating interest, although it’s not like McGregor ever had a problem doing that.
