Conor McGregor, Cub Swanson and extra: 5 UFC fighters who completely pulled off odd press conferences

While the attract of the UFC is basically primarily based across the motion that goes down contained in the octagon, the promotion’s largest occasions have at all times been helped by the hype behind them. Press conferences, each earlier than and after large fights, are half and parcel of that.

Over the years, although, we’ve seen numerous bizarre occurrences within the UFC’s press conferences, with some fighters behaving in genuinely weird methods. Most of the time, these fighters went on to some blended leads to the octagon, leaving some followers to query their mindset coming into their bouts.

With that in thoughts, listed below are 5 UFC fighters who completely pulled off odd press conferences.

#5. Conor McGregor – UFC 246

It’s controversial that former UFC light-weight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor has extra memorable press convention moments than some other fighter within the promotion’s historical past.

His trash-talking antics, typically geared toward fighters he wasn’t even about to face like Jeremy Stephens and Donald Cerrone, have entered into UFC legend. The incident that noticed him launch plastic bottles at opponent Nate Diaz previous to their 2016 rematch was really wild.

However, it’s controversial that McGregor’s oddest habits in a press convention got here previous to his eventual battle with Cerrone, which occurred in January 2020.

Given that ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Cowboy’ had been concerned in a heated verbal change again in 2015, followers anticipated fireworks between the 2 at their pre-fight press convention, however these fireworks merely didn’t occur.

Instead, McGregor was uncharacteristically respectful, stating that “so much had changed” since his first change with Cerrone. He went on to state how a lot respect he had for ‘Cowboy’ earlier than predicting that whereas blood could be spilled of their battle, “it would not be bad blood.”

Remarkably, the Irishman didn’t even try to stare his opponent down for the cameras, with the 2 males as a substitute posing collectively like co-stars in a Hollywood film.

Quite what prompted McGregor to behave in such a respectful manner stays a thriller of types, but it surely clearly labored for him as he went on to cease Cerrone with a blitz of strikes in beneath a minute.

Since then, unsurprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ has gone again to his trash-talking methods.

#4. Cub Swanson – UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araujo

This weekend sees Cub Swanson make his debut within the UFC’s bantamweight division after spending nicely over a decade battling as a featherweight. However, if followers anticipated to study something about ‘Killer Cub’ and his transfer to 135lbs on this week’s pre-fight press convention, they had been mistaken.

Instead, in a really weird scene, Swanson arrived to media day carrying darkish glasses and refused to say a single phrase about the best way he’d ready for his bout with Jonathan Martinez.

To make issues stranger, the California-based veteran really used teammate Dan Argueta as his mouthpiece when it got here to questions posed to him, with Argueta suggesting that Swanson wished to “test him” and see if he may reply issues accurately.

Argueta then went on to element a few of Swanson’s plans for the battle, together with stating that he was aiming for a first-round knockout, all whereas ‘Killer Cub’ sat stoically with out transferring a muscle.

Whether Swanson was taking part in a recreation, wished to deliver extra consideration to his bout with Martinez, or has merely gone off the deep finish stays a thriller for now. Safe to say, his efficiency stands as one of many weirdest within the historical past of the UFC’s press conferences.

#3. Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa – UFC ‘Summer Kickoff’

When the UFC introduced their ‘Summer Kickoff’ press convention in 2017, no one anticipated that lightweights Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa would find yourself stealing the present.

After all, the press convention featured fighters who had been set to be in motion throughout a number of occasions that summer season, together with superstars like Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, Amanda Nunes, Justin Gaethje and Holly Holm.

However, Lee had evidently determined that moderately than behave in a respectful method – as he’d at all times completed prior – he’d try to channel his inside Conor McGregor.

Arriving carrying a loud, open shirt, bandana and yellow shades, ‘The Motown Phenom’ instantly began to speak trash when he was given the prospect. The mere point out of the mom of his upcoming opponent Chiesa turned out to be a step too far.

‘Maverick’ immediately snapped, hurling expletives at Lee whereas leaping to his toes. Seconds later, the 2 lightweights exchanged blows and needed to be separated.

Whether the state of affairs was deliberate with a view to put extra highlight on their conflict – as some followers suspected – stays unknown. If that was the case, it positively labored. Literally no one anticipated such weird behaviour from a pair of fighters who had normally been fairly calm.

In the top, it was Lee who bought the final snigger. He submitted Chiesa within the first spherical of their battle – all in entrance of his mom, who was certainly in attendance.

#2. Dominick Cruz – UFC 207

While the vast majority of odd performances from fighters within the UFC’s press conferences have come previous to large fights, it was Dominick Cruz’s habits after his defeat to Cody Garbrandt in 2016 that actually shocked observers.

Cruz suffered his first defeat in almost a decade by the hands of ‘No Love’, dropping his bantamweight title within the course of. Many individuals had been questioning fairly how ‘The Dominator’ would react to the loss.

Few individuals anticipated what they really bought, although, which was Cruz – carrying a sensible swimsuit and darkish glasses to cover the injury he’d taken within the octagon – refusing to sit down down and waxing lyrical not solely concerning the battle, however on life usually.

In one of the vital fascinating insights into the thoughts of an elite MMA fighter that followers had ever been given, Cruz said that he’d “enjoyed every second” of the bout with Garbrandt. He then paid huge tribute to his foe, stating that he had a “good heart.”

After discussing precisely what’d gone incorrect for him within the battle, ‘The Dominator’ went on to state that he’d have to search out positives within the loss, earlier than admitting that “part of life is losing” and it was about how he may come again from his defeat.

Cruz’s efficiency on the press convention wasn’t controversial or weird, but it surely was nonetheless unusual to see a fighter speak in such a manner. In the eyes of many, it was refreshing, too.

#1. Dana White, Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez – UFC 279

It’s controversial that essentially the most weird press convention in UFC historical past didn’t come as a result of a single fighter determined to behave in an odd manner. Instead, UFC 279’s pre-event convention was bizarre as a result of, in line with Dana White, all of the fighters concerned behaved oddly, albeit not within the public eye.

The followers and media in attendance anticipated to listen to from the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson and Li Jingliang about their upcoming fights. So, everybody was shocked when the one two fighters to emerge onto the stage had been welterweights Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez.

Once the 2 males exchanged some lighthearted insults and had their faceoff, a short delay occurred earlier than White introduced that the remainder of the press convention was cancelled, apologizing and stating that “this has never happened in the history of this company.”

So what occurred? It later emerged that there had been numerous backstage altercations between the fighters and their varied camps, apparently involving bodily contact with quite a few objects being thrown.

Reportedly, the 2 fighters most concerned had been Chimaev and Holland, who – at that time – weren’t even scheduled to face each other!

White went onto declare that it may’ve been harmful for the press convention to go forward; therefore it being scrapped earlier than it’d actually begun.

While the reality of what went down backstage has nonetheless not been absolutely confirmed, one factor is certainly for sure: UFC 279’s press convention was essentially the most odd within the promotion’s historical past, even when it may’ve been crazier had it really gone forward.