Fighters have likely been trash-talking their opponents since the days of Roman gladiators, though it was Muhammad Ali who elevated pre-fight taunting to a no-holds-barred art form.
Boxing and MMA stars proudly continued this blustery tradition in 2015 to hype their brawls and get inside the other combatant’s head—not that the best smack-talker always won.
Check out the slideshow for the year’s most brutal combat sports beefs.