Video: NBA star Kristaps Porzingis talks MMA fandom, UFC 297, 'lines crossed' in trash talk, more

TORONTO – Boston Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis thinks he’s probably the biggest MMA fan among active NBA players.

Porzingis is a close follower of the UFC, and like many fans of the sport is eager to see what happens in Saturday’s UFC 297 headliner when Dricus Du Plessis challenges Sean Strickland for the middleweight title in the main event.

The Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors on Monday in the same Scotiabank Arena that will host the title fight, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+, and after the game talked to MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn about his passion for the passion, the upcoming title bout, and his thoughts on the fiery and personal track talk between Strickland and Du Plessis leading into UFC 297.

“I’ve seen it lately that there’s a lot of talk about (trash talk in MMA),” Porzingis told MMA Junkie. “It works. It sells the fights at the end, but to what level do you want to do that? I don’t know. It’s up to the fighters. I’m in a different game. There’s of course trash talk on the floor and things like that, and also sometimes there’s lines crossed. That’s what we do. We’re competitors and sometimes those boundaries get pushed.”

Watch the complete interview with Porzingis above ahead of UFC 297.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.