Trash talk has long been a part of the sports landscape, especially in combat sports. With big-money UFC fights often propelled by bad blood and worse language between fighters, Jared Gordon believes that some athletes are getting complacent with their words. Gordon, who will face Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282 this weekend, explained to MMAFighting that some insults could get you killed where he comes from.
“I’m not trying to sound crazy but a lot of guys say certain things and they use certain words, which where I’m from you don’t fight in a legal, UFC bout when you’re using those words.
Jared Gordon: Some UFC Trash Talk Could Get Fighters Killed
These words come with real consequences. Some of the things I hear people say, like, I would stab you for that, or I know someone that would stab you for saying those things.”
Jared Gordon has been very open about his struggles with addiction and the law. At one point, he faced charges that came with a potential sentence of 25 to life. Gordon explained that, when he sees fighters crossing the line, he knows that they’ve never truly been threatened.
“Certain things, I don’t want to fight you in a legal fight for saying certain things, like when you’re not looking, I want to stab you in your back. That’s where I’m from. I’ve heard people call each other motherless dogs and say suck my you-know-what, and that’s something that where I’m from, it’s something you get really hurt for, or maybe killed.
In jail, if you call someone a b**** or tell them to suck your [d***], those are killing words. When I hear certain things, we’re not gangsters. We’re all professional athletes. We’re on the main stage, we’re in the UFC.”
Gordon continued, citing Conor McGregor’s legendary trash talk as a prime example. It helped sell McGregor’s fights, making the Irishman a pay-per-view superstar, but it made him few friends.
“I get it – crap talk, build up the fight, say what you’ve got to say, but certain things should be left unsaid.
That’s just how I grew up and where I’m from. You can tell Conor’s never really been in jail. You can tell. He might have did a couple of hours in Brooklyn when he threw the dolly at the [bus], but he never went to main jail or a real prison.
You can just tell by the way he talks and by the way some other guys talk. It’s like I can tell you’ve never been certain places because if you were in certain places, you would hold yourself in a different way, carry yourself in a different way. Because you would be worried about someone trying to hurt you, someone trying to kill you.”
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