Jackson Vs Ortiz: Bellator continues to fall behind the 8-Ball

In my best Paul Harvey voice here. Hello fight world! This is the Crypt Keeper. Standby for craaaappp! Before you get all defensive, read on further as I'm talking about one bout in particular. And in my sites today is the red-headed step child that's always behind the 8-ball, Bellator MMA.

Bellator directly in my site.

Before I get into the match I'm loathing, let me get those of you who don't know me up to speed on my opinion on Bellators current state. With Zuffa's purchase and integration of Strikeforce into the UFC, a lot of fighters were let go for various reasons. Some good, some bad, but none the less there were a good number of fighters looking for a new organization to call home. Bellator had the opportunity to really step up here, add some weight to their roster, and gain some main line credibility as a viable threat to the UFC just as Strikeforce was before their buyout. Bellator dropped the ball. Fighters that should have been picked up were left to walk. And instead of looking at a strong future, they pulled a play out of Dixie Carter's book, and started snatching up big names that should be retired or are just garbage. Essentially Bellator is now the TNA to UFC's status as the WWE of cage fighting. Is sad. It's not to say Bellator doesn't have any good fighters. They do. Their overall product just isn't up to par, and they're too blinded by the well polished turd in their hands to realize it's a turd.

So fast forward to the fight I'm talking about. The recently announced debacle between Quinton Jackson versus Tito Ortiz. What the french toast? Now that we know what match has my blood pressure up, lets take a look at the fighters. Then I'll go into the match.

Lets start with Jackson, who I have respect for. He stepped away from the UFC and admitted he just can't hang with the big dogs anymore. He's close to retirement and is looking at that horizon. He probably has one good fight left in him, but essentially he's done. His attitude reflects this as well. So now he has a contract that allows him to test the waters of the fight world to see if it's really still worth it to him, and he can start making a transition to "professional wrestling" with TNA. A world where his name can still pack an arena, and net some big money. He's at that stage where a crowd chanting, "One more time" actually means something. Rampage, more like Junkyard Dog these days, is a good veteran to Bellator to test its people against to see if they really are ready for that next level. Could Jackson hold a belt? Possibly, but he probably wouldn't hold that strap for very long.

Now for the Huntington Beach Bitch Boy. This classless dingle berry just needs to leave the fight world. It doesn't matter if he wins or loses, he's a bad sport and brings down the fight world anymore. Win, lose, or draw he always has a story about how he broke this, strained that, or some other training mishap that took away from his a game, but he fought anyways. Hey jackass, this isn't the WWE! You don't have to play a heel character! This guy has an excuse for everything. If it was just when he lost, it would be one thing. You could chalk it up to being pissed about the loss. But even when he wins he has something ugly spewing from the suck on his face. Then look at his record. Over the better part of the last decade, his loss record has quickly added up to almost match his win record. Some of those loses are to fighters that are not even up to Jackson's caliber. It's sad. Very, very sad.

The fight itself is good purely for nostalgia purposes. But really it's nothing more than a trip down memory lane as both are far from their prime. It should in no way be the Main Event status it's being given. It's like watching Hulk Hogan go one more round with Ric Flair. Will Tito do the Flair Flop? It's ridiculous. For me, it shows just how involved Spike TV/ Viacom really are with their programming. This fight is entertainment, not a fight. And I know I'm not alone in this opinion. If Bellator really wants to be taken seriously as a fight organization, and not as a stepping stool to "professional wrestling" they really need to change their game up.

TNA Wrestline Sting Vs Hogan. Purely a nostalgic match. So Sad.

This "fight" has the potential to go either way. It could be a money maker provided Tito takes it seriously, and does everything he can to actually deliver a fight. Or it could be just another match on Jackson's path to TNA. Either way, it's a gamble that Bellator has placed way too much in. Queue the music, I'm out. In the words of Paul Harvey, "Good Day."

Champion or Belt Holder

Big talk in the world of MMA as of late has been lingering on the bout between Silva and Weidman at UFC 162. For those who are unfamiliar, I'll just do a quick recap. Silva has been the undisputed Middleweight Champion for years now, and is arguably considered by many to be the greatest MMA champ of all time. Weidman is an up and coming fighter with an incredible record as well. Long story short, Weidman turned out Silva's lights in the second round to win the belt.

It was talked about during the bout, that UFC head Dana White said that Silva would have a guaranteed rematch if he lost. Something that's quickly been confirmed as the two are being scheduled to fight later this year at UFC 168. I have an issue with this.

While some will argue that he only lost because of his antics, I feel he should lose more. Taunting is one thing, but Silva not only disrespects his peers, he dishonors the sport of MMA. It wasn't that long ago, that he displayed this same antics. It talked trashed, pranced around the ring, and times even walking behind the ref and acting like they were a human shield. If you don't know the bout I'm referring to it's UFC 112 where Silva faced off with Demian Maia. Dana White was so embarrassed, he left before the fight was even over. It's the only time I can remember where he didn't give the strap to the champ himself. After the fight Silva offered up half-hearted apologies  for his behavior, claiming he wasn't himself. It was a lie then just as much as it is now. The guys just a jerk.

The difference this time, is that he got knocked out and lost the strap. While it should be a chance for him to finally learn some humility, it's more likely he's chalking it up as a fluke. In my opinion he should be fined for this behavior. Other sports do it. There's a point where it's too much, and the UFC needs to recognize this. In addition, since this is a repeated offense, Silva shouldn't get an immediate rematch. Instead, he should be pushed down the line and forced to wait. The man is an embarrassment and needs to learn that not only does the world not revolve around him, but what humility REALLY is. I can understand there being talk about a possible rematch initially. But once the fight was underway, that talk should have been shelved post hast.
Much like Brock Lesnar talking about going home and having sex with his wife post fight, Silva needs to be punished. End of story.

Now, had Silva taken the fight seriously, it would have been a different story. Instead, now Weidman has a questionable title win that could possibly be nothing but a stain on his career. Then again, he could prove to be a true champ. (Which I hope he does) On the same note, had Silva taken it seriously, he very well could still be the champ. As is, it is my opinion that we have a good caliber champ who won the strap in a fashion that only Vince McMahon would be happy with. And we have an ex-champ being spoon fed his matches in the hope that he can capitalize, get ratings, make new, and ultimately earn money, but is not a real champion, but a jerk that's been handed a number of garbage matches, with only a few real matches.

It is my hopes, that Weidman holds the title for at least a few fights to prove he is truly a champion, not just a fluke winner. And I hope that Silva not only loses in his rematch, but is knocked out again and forced into some fights that will truly test his mettle until he can become an actual champion (not just a belt holder) OR retires. There's just too much wrong with this situation that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Ultimate Badasses

You have to love how people respond to the question of who their all time favourite MMA fighter is. The responses are hilarious, and highlight how little the average fan know about the sport. While I'm not putting down the fighters, as many are pretty damn good, I am sitting here wishing the average fan would vest a little more time getting educated before opening their sewers. Typically responses include the likes of Couture, Liddell, GSP, Silva, Bisping, etc. Fighters that for the most part are still fighting, or in some form still a face for the UFC in general. Sometimes you'll get a name from the recently defunct Strikeforce, but that's about it.

The average fan doesn't give a thought to other organizations such as Invicta, and even more rarely female fighters such as Michelle Waterson or Holly Holm. But the Holy Grail that isn't but a whisper are the early days. I'm talking the tournament style fights that occurred long before Dana White got involved, and actually had UFC banned in many places, and had the far east fall in love with Pancrase . Styles where fighters would gather, and then have multiple fights in a night where they would climb the ranks to be the ultimate bad ass in the land. We're not talking some 5 minute round, where the ref would stand you up if he didn't like what he was seeing after a few seconds. We're talking knock down, drag out, 30 non-stop minutes of beating your opponent senseless. Back when men like Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, and Tank Abbott ruled the cage.

You have the great Gracie family who have not only shown that size isn't always a factor in a fight, but have given the world what it knows as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Dan Severn who would tie his opponents up like a pretzel and ended his career recently with over 100 wins to his name. Now you're probably looking at the other names and thinking to yourself, "What the hell is he smoking?" So I'll start with Ken Shamrock. Yes, he's an obnoxious ass who needs to get away from the sport. However, if you take a look at his early career, his prime if you will, he was a great fighter. He racked up wins and was a submission machine. Up until his first retirement, he was a top fighter. I had a discussion with a friend the other day about Tank Abbott, who made a valid point. Tanks career is similar to Shamrocks in that he started off as a man to be feared. While his record was never spectacular, he was a man that would win or lose in spectacular fashion, and almost never allowed a fight to be left in the hands of the judges. Win or lose, someone was getting knocked out, or choked out, end of story. And this kept pace until his first retirement as well.

Retirement is where Shamrock and Abbott are virtual mirror images. Both went to "pro wrestling" organizations for brief runs. And then both returned to the world of MMA to pretty much trash their records, and look more like street thugs than fighters. Both talk an incredible amount of crap, which doesn't work well since they don't win often. And neither one of them seems to believe that they have nothing left in them. The only reason they get fights is so small organizations can put a name on the marque to generate a little more money.  Which is sad. Apparently some managers think they'll be able to recreate the Rocky movies with an old MMA fighter.

My point is this, while these are fighters that have either had good endings to their careers or crap, they were pioneers that rarely get credit. For MMA they are the Babe Ruth, Roger Staubach, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer, and Hulk Hogan. Fans need to look at the history of the sport, commentators and practitioners need to teach the history when they can, and owners should make it a point to remind people of the fighters that made today’s sports possible. I love Mir, Nelson, and many of today's other fighters. But lets not forget the days of old either. Tribute is due. And knowledge brings more enjoyment, and pride to the sport.

MMA Underdog

MMA. Love it or hate it, it's the sport that's taking the world by storm for the past decade. While it was breaking ground, and gaining momentum, you have to give Dana White credit for launching it into the spot light. Minus the hair, he really is the Don King of cage fighting.  But today I'm looking at one of my favorite fighters Big Country Roy Nelson.

Why? Because he is opposite of what people want in a fighter. He's not a big trash talker. That mantel has been taken by Chael Sonnen, and is continually targeted by many others. He isn't an arrogant, spoon fed, neanderthal. Brock Lesner not only got that crown, but is too stupid to realize it. Nor does he have the look that makes the groupies go nuts. I'm pretty sure GSP has owned that for a while now. No, he's a average guy, with a head for fighting, that's built like Dan Conner with a mullet. Essentially, he's carrying all the cards that make for a good underdog in that respect.

Here's a guy that's had quality training, and was an IFL Champion. But ended up in highly contested bouts, and in organizations that couldn't even make it through breakfast before they closed shop. Then he tried out for, and qualified for The Ultimate Fighter. Hey, a little recognition, great! But then that starts to get shot because here comes Dana White mocking him, and making it clear he doesn't like him. Basically Dana comes in and pulls a page one how to be a douche bag out of Vince McMahon's book by judging the book by it's cover. Now while the show went out of it's way not to promote Roy, it did have a few points where he got to show his mind. In one such scene he's at the TUF house explaining to the other fighters the concept of fight smarter, not harder. He explains you don't have to set out to hurt the other guy if you don't have too, you just have to keep working him over. Clearly it was brushed off by the others. In what I felt was a genius move to prove his point, he showed it in a fight against Kimbo Slice. Basically he laid on top of him in a crucifix position, and continually hit him in the head in a manner that was basically tapping him until the ref was forced to call the fight. Brilliant!

Then came the moment of truth, his fight for a contract. Knock out of the night! He made Dana White eat crow! The boss said, no way. And he showed him up big time. Then he says he's going out for some burgers while rubbing his belly. You have to respect that. Then, in order to try to wash him out of the UFC, Dana tried to feed him to a supposedly better fighter. KO of the night again! His legacy in the UFC has been highly understated in my opinion. The only three fights he's lost have been to decision, and even one of those was awarded fight of the night. And they were to other top rate fighters. Every single win however, has been via KO or TKO, with every KO and one TKO being awarded knockout of the night.

Any way you cut it, he's a dangerous guy to get in the cage with. Aside from promotion, his biggest flaw is typical of a big man. He gets gassed really fast. That's just my opinion though. He's an underdog if for no other reason than the fact that Dana White doesn't care for him and wants him gone. And I love an underdog.

Super Joke

Super Bowl or Super Joke?

I mean really. What the hell are we watching. The NFL has come up with with ridiculous rules over the years. Safety related my ass. And in my opinion these guys are payed WAY TO MUCH! Yes, I'm yelling like Sam-MothaFuckin-Jackson again.

But they seriously delay the game because some lights went out. Are they afraid someone in the stands will miss the game because of that? This crap annoys me to no end. Do these guys not remember playing on dark fields, after sundown, in the rain, WITH NO PADS? I can still remember it like yesterday. Poor babies might break a sweat. Skins versus Shirts ring a bell for anyone?

What happened to love of the game? This is love of the almighty dollar! If the pampered pansies get a hang nail, they may be looking at a career ending injury. And what's the focus on the coaches being brothers? Yeah, it's been mentioned. So fucking what! Get over it! Instead of calling it the Super Bowl they should call it Harbaugh Bowl. Even the Pirate Bowl didn't have that much attention payed to something so mundane.

Reflect on this seasons Army/Navy game people. Passion, camaraderie, leadership, true heartbreak, everything that a ball game should be. Then we see this crap to finish off the season. I'm let down.

Shit the money spent on ads alone should be illegal. That's money that would be better put towards taking care of a number of things such as our homeless, the deficit, and about a million other things.

Now let's take a small look at the joke they called a half time show. Now I know they want to tone things down since the Janet Jackson/ Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction. That was a pretty crappy show in itself. But I swear that ever since that happened, they've gone out of their way to make sure that half time shows suck more dick than a well rounded porn star. Shit sound, shit stage shows, a bunch of lights, and auto-tuned sluts in skimpy outfits do not make a good show. Vince McMahon could put together a better show with 98 year old women. Right now, I'd rather be watching the Lingerie Football League. At least they have some drive.

Hockey season may be short this season, but at least I can look forward to the occasional fight. And athletes that don't lay down like they're dying every time they get bumped or find a piece of grass stuck in their shoes. Plus, MMA is year round baby. Dana White, you sir need to create your own football league, so that the sport can have some testosterone, and respect again.