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.
Showing posts with label fights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fights. Show all posts
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
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.
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.
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