Welcome to another episode of Monday’s MMA Musings, except you are probably reading this on a Tuesday. That’s just me trying to screw with your head. This post got up later than normal, but that will be our little secret. Today we go three rounds with my profound thoughts on some of the news circulating throughout the fighting world. Be prepared to be enlightened and drink the Kool-Aid.
Round One – Ronda Rousey
I start with my take on UFC 157 and a certain historical main event. The “Rowdy” one took on Liz Carmouche in what was the very first Women’s MMA fight in a UFC Octagon. Rousey has been the focal point in the UFC hype machine as of late, and all of that almost came crashing down when Carmouche slapped on a rear naked choke that turned into a vicious neck crank. You have to believe Dana White and the rest of the UFC brass were holding their collective breath, crossing their fingers, and praying to the God, Buddha, Allah, whoever was listening.
That one minute in time probably felt like a lifetime for the UFC President. Although Rousey was able to get out of it and show great resolve, all the eggs in the basket were looking like they were going to crack. In the end, Ronda did what she does best, she got Carmouche down, and she softened her up with punches and immediately went for the arm. Once Rousey was in her office, it was just a matter of time before we were going to see 7-0 all by arm bar.
Ronda defended her UFC women’s title and I am not sure if we have ever seen anyone like her in this sport, male or female. The only reason why the UFC is in the WMMA business is because they have someone that is marketable and dominant. She has become a spectacle onto her own, and that is why she was the headliner of a pay-per-view. So for all of the naysayers who doubted and said that she shouldn’t be headlining a UFV PPV; you have all been proven wrong. What the UFC is building here is a super star, and she will eventually become a PPV darling. Although many are patting Dana White on the back for finally allowing women to compete in the Octagon, don’t get a head of yourself. The UFC is in the Ronda Rousey business, and all of that almost came crumbling down in one moment of time.
What’s next for Rousey? I’d like to see Sarah McMann get a shot because it would be cool to see two Olympic medalists go toe-to-toe. Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano go at it in April 13th at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale and maybe the winner of that fight gets Ronda and the loser gets Liz Camouche? Whatever the case, there is Ronda and everyone else.
Round Two – Jon Fitch
Apparently the UFC is cutting fighters from their roster. It started last week, and Dana White has said there is still fat to trim. According to many sources, the UFC will axe around one hundred guys as they go through a major restructuring of their divisions.
Now that some of Strikeforce’s assets have been dissolved into the UFC, the directive has been to cut guys to make room for the new. What I don’t understand is why Jon Fitch was on the list. To me this is not about Fitch’s record (24-5-1-1) which in itself is impressive. This cut seems to come from a personal point of view.
Dana White says that Fitch was the victim of finances, but I don’t buy that for a minute. On average Jon makes about $66,000 a fight to show, and maybe another $60,000 or so to win. He has never made a percentage off of PPV even when he fought GSP for the welterweight title in the Main Event of UFC 87. So I don’t buy what the UFC President is selling.
Ultimately I believe it has come to down to something more personal and how most fans view Fitch’s fighting style. I think Jon has got a bad rap by fans that deem him as boring for his” lay and pray style.” Sure there were times where Fitch could be criticized for being a not so flashy fighter or a guy who likes to grind out decisions, but the fact of the matter is he put wins in the win column and not all his fights were boring. Take for instance his bout with BJ Penn at UFC 127, which was a very entertaining fight that unfortunately ended in a draw. Fitch looked dominant against a young but entertaining fighter in Erick Silva at UFC 153. Not all of his fights have been snooze fests.
Yes the last year or so Fitch has been inconsistent, but what about guys like Dan Hardy who lost four fights in a row before finally getting on the winning side of things. Don’t even get me started on Chris Leben. I could name many guys I would cut way before Jon Fitch.
So what was the real reasoning? Only the UFC knows, but if I were to surmise, it came down to personality and fighting style. The UFC is always looking to make their brand more exciting, and Jon Fitch had the reputation that goes against that motto. He has also had some issues with UFC brass in the past regarding his contract and the UFC Video game. In fact he was cut by the promotion back in 2008 for not signing a contract allowing THQ to use his likeness in their video game. Eventually all of it got worked out and Fitch signed with a gun to his head, and his removal from the roster lasted a mere twenty-four-hours. This time it’s going to be a lot longer before we see Fitch back in the Octagon.
For now he is on the outside looking in, and many people are curious on why. Dana White is selling a bill of goods that I feel is complete BS. Jon is a free agent now and my guess he will probably end up in Bellator but that is not even a for sure thing. White claims Fitch is on the down side of his career, but in the end it will be up to Fitch to climb his way back into the big show. Something tells me we will see him again in the Octagon. What this can be seen as is a wake up call to all fighters in the UFC, don’t get comfortable, because anyone is expendable.
Round Three – Nick Diaz
I first want to say that I am a fan of Nick Diaz, but his antics are getting rather old if not sad and pathetic. Here is a guy that has been calling out GSP but for some reason when it comes to hyping the fight and doing what is asked of him, he continues to no show. It’s almost like he wants things to blow up in his face. I have always said as good as Nick Diaz is he is also his own worst enemy. Maybe reality is setting in and Nick is realizing quickly that a fight with GSP is a terrible match up. After losing to Carlos Condit back at UFC 143, you wonder if the Diaz camp is maybe looking for a way out of the GSP fight that doesn’t require them from actually dropping out of the fight?
Okay I don’t truly believe that, but the optics look bad.We have seen this song and dance before. Diaz was supposed to be fighting GSP back at UFC 137 but decided to no show an important press conference in Toronto. Dana White had no choice but to remove Diaz from the fight. Here we are again, and Nick has no showed three UFC Primetime interview sessions. According to Dana each one of those no shows cost the company $50,000. Ultimately it could lead to the UFC making another very tough decision to remove Diaz from the fight. That won’t sit well, and he can pretty much write his own walking papers if it ends up happening.
“I hope we don’t come to that,” said White said at Saturday’s post fight media scrum. “I’m close, man. I’m really close. And I don’t want to be. You know, it sucks, none of this is easy, these two girls worked their asses off this week, man, and I know what it feels like, it’s not fun. It’s part of the job.”
I don’t care if Nick Diaz is the “Stockton Bad Boy” or “misunderstood,” show up and do your job. This is a professional sport made up of professionals. If you don’t want to play the game, tear up your UFC contract, retire, go spend your days smoking weed and doing Jiu-Jitsu. The act is no longer cute, or funny. It’s rather embarrassing and to be honest where are his coaches and friends to hold him accountable? Nick is representing a team of guys and I’m curious where is his support system?
A lot of this can be thrown at Cesar Gracie who I feel is not doing his students or clients any wonders. Cesar may run a good gym, but he is an absolutely horrid manager. You can talk to any real agent or manager and they would tell you that there is no way they would allow their client to commit career suicide as much as Nick Diaz has over the last two years.
Nick is tough, he is talented and yes he is a tad strange. He is a fighter who likes to talk trash, but most of the time that is all it is, complete lip service. He called out GSP, so all he has to do is show up, promote the fight, make some money and let’s see how he measures up. He got the champs attention, so now it’s time to man up.
If the people around Nick were smart they would have an intervention, and help him find someone to aid in managing his career. Cesar Gracie can’t even manage himself, so how can we expect him to manage anyone else? Also, what is with Nick’s lawyer? The UFC is not going to lie about missing important dates, so don’t go public and tell a bold face lie and say that it isn’t true. Why would the UFC and Dana White lie about that? What is there to gain? Instead they are losing money on a guy who apparently hides from the spotlight and the people around him don’t seem to care.
I have never been a Cesar Gracie fan. I’m sure he is a great coach, but as a manager he is God awful. You have a talented fighter who is in the prime of his career with a ton of earning power, and you can’t get your guy to show up for an interview? I find it rather ironic that Nick complains that he doesn’t get the same publicity as other fighters and doesn’t make enough money, but at the same time he shoots himself in the foot and walks the line completely backwards. No it’s not Nick being Nick, it’s a dude who has some serious mental issues and the people around him seem oblivious to the fact. That’s too bad because right now it’s time to strike while the iron is hot, but all he would rather do is get burned. Let’s hope that some of what Nick smokes in the next little while is some common sense.
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You can listen to Trevor on MMASucka Radio heard weekly on MMASucka.com and Sportsnet.ca. Follow him on Twitter @tdueckMMA
