Chael Sonnen worked hard during fights, but he spent just as much energy talking himself into them. If that seems like a gimmick that is considered unsportsmanlike, one would have to wonder why they know who "The American Gangster" is and if they watched his fights. Granted, he never fought to lose but if fans tuned in because of what was said leading up to the fights then he won on the business end of fighting.
Conor McGregor, Colby Covington, Henry Cejudo and even new to the game fighters like Dillon Danis all get accused of stealing the trash talk gimmick.