(Video courtesy YouTube/UFC.com)

When it comes to trash talking, fighters typically fall under one of three categories: those who rely on their pre-fight banter to make up for their inferior skill set, those who don’t necessarily need to talk smack, but do because they have the skills to back up their mouths and those who should stick to fighting and leave the posturing to the pros.

Set to lock horns at UFC 113 May 8 in Montreal are two of the sport’s smack talking idiot savants, Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley. Both definitely can sell fights without saying a word, but the entertainment value of hearing the two of them go at it verbally before either throws a punch, is nearly as good as the fight itself will likely prove to be.


In the 113 preview show video above, Koscheck starts the ball rolling by dismissing Daley’s knockout power as being a myth and intimating that he may prove his theory May 8.

"Bullshit. Who has he fought? Who the hell has he fought? One guy I already knocked out. I weakened his chin two years ago. I’m not afraid to stand toe to toe with the best of the guys in this game. I’ve proven that, and I’ll prove it again. I’m not afraid to go in there and stand toe-to-toe with him. I just may do that. I may prove a point. I’m THAT egotistical. I’m THAT cocky, right? I’m the cocky guy. At the end of the day, you’ve got to step in there and fight. You can talk all you want. You don’t like me and I don’t like you, so let’s do it. Let’s get this on."

Maybe someone should explain to Josh that not being afraid to do something in a fight and actually fighting a smart fight are two different things, but the second one likely won’t get you put to sleep. He needs to look back on his loss to Paulo Thiago to see how far that attitude will get him in this fight. Koscheck hasn’t exactly fought a long list of strikers with strong chins himself. He’s actually referring to Dustin Hazelett as the fighter whose chin he weakened, like it’s some major coup that he knocked out a lanky jiu-jitsu fighter.

Daley’s game, although a lot less inflammatory since he talks mostly about what he’s planning to do in the fight rather than fall into Kos’ insult slinging game, is just a bit better. Maybe it’s the accent it’s delivered in, but feigning concern for Josh’s health get him my nod in the war of words before the fight.

“There are no disguises to my game. I aim to do the same coming into every fight, which is to take your head off, whether it’s using my foot or my fists. I just hope for his well being, that he doesn’t enter this fight thinking he can stand with me. Once that Octagon door closes on Josh Koscheck, he don’t know if he’s going to wake up back home thinking that it’s 1967 or something.”

I’m not sure if it’s something in the urine at the Team Nogueira gym, but it seems like their fighters have begun to imitate guys like Daley and Koscheck lately. First Anderson Silva takes a page out of Brock Lesnar’s "If you don’t like it, screw you!" book by stating that he owes no one an apology for his lackadaisical showboating non-fight against Demian Maia. Now we have UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida on the preview show stating, despite what nearly everyone who watched it thought, that he definitively beat Mauricio “Shogun” Rua the first time they fought last year.

“I felt that I was winning the fight. I felt I definitely won the first three rounds and I could have won the fourth round. At the end of the day, I was the champion and he was the one coming after MY belt. People say Shogun showed how to beat Lyoto Machida. Then WHY DIDN’T HE beat Lyoto Machida? Well now, he gets the opportunity and the chance to redeem himself.”

I’m not sure where the whole “you have to definitively beat the champ to take his belt” mentality came from, but I don’t buy it. A win is a win, no matter how you do it within the Unified rules and scoring criteria.
Rua refutes Machida’s statements, but does it like a pro by pointing out the damage he inflicted on the opponent.

“Lyoto left the Octagon with broken ribs, bruised legs, a cut mouth. And how did I leave the Octagon? Ready to fight again and unscathed.”

Like urine, the truth and the facts are tough to swallow, huh Lyoto?