The Five Most Memorable Insults in ‘TUF’ History
The next season of The Ultimate Fighter will be coached by Brock Lesnar, a grumpy heavyweight who probably won’t spend a minute longer on set than he has to, and Junior dos Santos, a Brazilian powerhouse whose English doesn’t stretch much past “I believe too much in my boxing.” So we’re not expecting a war of words on the level of Tito vs. Ken or Rampage vs. Rashad. Still, it’s TUF, and somebody always gets told eventually. Here are the five lines the TUF 13 cast will have to beat.
#5: “You’re like an expert swimmer who’s never been in a pool.” (TUF 4)
Matt Serra’s dressing-down of Marc Laimon was his star-making moment on The Ultimate Fighter 4, and a public slap at every sideline critic who talks tough with no intention of ever backing it up. A year later, Serra was coaching the show himself.
#4: “Bro, you’re a male nurse.” (TUF 12)
Josh Koscheck’s jab at Georges St-Pierre’s striking coach, Phil Nurse, is the reality-TV equivalent of a song you hate but can’t get out of your head. It’s annoying, it’s juvenile, and around here it now gets used on everybody, whatever they actually do for a living.
#3 (tie): “I’m gonna smash your little head.” / “Shut up, monkey.” (TUF 3)
Ken Shamrock’s attempts to keep up with Tito Ortiz’s mind games on TUF 3 were sad, a little embarrassing and oddly endearing. Tito’s head is famously large, so “little head” was a strange choice of insult. The “monkey” line landed, though.
#2: “T**ties!” (TUF 10)
Where Shamrock’s taunts fell flat, Rampage Jackson’s nickname for Darrill Schoonover on TUF 10 was one of the most brutally effective rebrandings of a human being ever seen on television. Say “Darrill Schoonover” to any fan of the show and watch what comes back. Schoonover eventually snapped at Rampage and came within inches of throwing down with a coach, and honestly, who could blame him?
#1: “You fatherless b*****d.” (TUF 1)
On the very first season, Bobby Southworth knew exactly where to hit Chris Leben, while Josh Koscheck cackled in the background and kept the mockery going with his housemates. More than five years and a dozen seasons later, it’s still the cruellest line in the show’s history.
Can Brock and Junior top any of these on TUF 13? We’ll find out soon enough.