Guest baseball25 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 There have been 61 fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history whio were pro wrestlers at one point or another. There are nine on the current UFC roster. Of the six fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame, three – Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Mark Coleman – dabbled in wrestling. But UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is the only one vilified for it. It would be easy to say that the attitude Lesnar has displayed – and not his former profession – would be the reason for crowds’ reaction to him in his short UFC career. It would be easy to blame his actions in the cage after he beat Frank Mir at UFC 100 for the reaction of the crowd, fellow fighters and media afterward. Except it wouldn’t be entirely true. ADVERTISEMENT When Lesnar stepped out of the dressing room for his first match with Mir in February 2008, no debuting fighter in UFC history was ever so heavily booed. At that point, he had done nothing to be judged on in his UFC career – except that in his two previous careers, as a college wrestler for the University of Minnesota and as a pro wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment, he had risen to the top. The reaction was entirely based on the fact that he was a pro wrestler coming into the UFC. The reaction came from a fan base that judged him as somehow different from the pro wrestlers who came before him into UFC. Of course, none of the former pro wrestlers came into the company with so much publicity and such a rich contract. None walked in with the sort of name value and curiosity which led to what was, at the time, among the most purchased pay-per-view shows in company history. This is not a defense of anything he did after the fight. But the reaction to Lesnar’s postfight comments and his flipping the bird at fans is just the latest example of a double standard Lesnar has faced in his MMA career. What if the Lesnar and Dan Henderson fights and postfights on Saturday night were transposed? If Lesnar had thrown that totally legal but devastating second blow on an already knocked-out foe – and remarked in his interview that he was doing it to shut Mir’s mouth – people would have spent the past week demanding that he be banned from the sport. And would Henderson have gotten nearly Lesnar’s heat if he had pulled the same postfight antics as Lesnar? You want to deny there’s a double standard here? As Georges St. Pierre continually took down Thiago Alves in their welterweight title fight, the crowd cheered every takedown. Even when St. Pierre wasn’t doing damage on the ground, he was being cheered wildly the entire fight. In round two, as Lesnar had Mir on the ground and was punching his face in less than 30 seconds before the fight was over, there was a loud chant aimed at referee Herb Dean of “stand them up.†This was a first in UFC history. Not the chant itself, but it being done when a fighter was pummeling the other and actually seconds away from winning. It was the first time a crowd hated a fighter so much that they were willing to pervert the entire framework of what the sport is supposed to be – that a fighter should do what he can to finish a fight – simply because they wanted that fighter to lose so badly. Of all the pro wrestlers who have come into the sport, only two – Lesnar and non-UFC fighter Bobby Lashley – have ever been disrespected by fellow fighters for being a pro wrestler. In Lesnar’s four UFC fights, only one opponent didn’t throw some kind of variation on “It’s not the WWE,†at him before the fight. In hyping the match, Mir implied Lesnar was strong but clueless when it came to fighting. Heath Herring and his camp had complained behind-the-scenes to company officials that it was a joke he was even put in the ring with a fake pro wrestler, and made public comments about how the punches were going to be real. The only opponent who didn’t disrespect Lesnar before the fight was Couture. The only opponent Lesnar didn’t trash talk afterward was Couture. Coincidence? And Mir probably won’t be the last, given the fact that his potential next opponent, Shane Carwin, already has played the pro-wrestling card in starting the hype. “We have no scripts in this port, no predetermined earning amount and no predetermined outcomes,†Carwin said. Saturday night’s perfect storm was a moment that will be remembered in the sport’s history. It marked the first time that a UFC fighter was the single most talked-about sports personality in the world, as pundits who spent years hyping the likes of Barry Bonds and Randy Moss suddenly found their moral compass and badmouthed Lesnar. Lesnar never asked to become the biggest villain the sport has ever seen, but he’s also smart enough and experienced enough at it that he knows it’s not all a bad thing. While running down Bud Light – UFC’s leading sponsor – was not the best of judgment, he’s turned out to be one of the greatest things for building the popularity of the sport. Just as tennis had John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, and boxing had Muhammad Ali, and football has Terrell Owens, it is good for the sport to have a great villain. You don’t want a sport where everyone is like him; but when push comes to shove, Lesnar is great for the sport, just as St. Pierre is in a very different way. The duality of the reaction of the crowds, in comparing the reactions to what Lesnar and Henderson said, and how Lesnar and St. Pierre formulated their winning game plans, says something pretty significant about the sport and its fan base. The history of fights which have garnered the most interest and drawn the most money in UFC history, matches built by inflammatory interviews fashioned out of pro wrestling, are what made the sport and saved the sport. The examples are endless – from Tito Ortiz’s grudge with Ken Shamrock, to Couture spanking Ortiz at the end of their match, to Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans nearly coming to blows in the crowd. It’s a lesson very much worth examining for anyone arguing about what is good or bad for the future of the sport. That’s not even a bad thing. But it’s simply accepting the truth of what all of this is, as opposed to living in a world of pretend – and then complaining about somebody because he used to be a pro wrestler. With UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's impressive UFC 100 win over Frank Mir, many MMA fans are pointing to Russian Fedor Emelianenko as the only man capable of toppling the former professional wrestler. During the most recent episode of HDNet's weekly "Inside MMA," host Bas Rutten discussed the possibility of that contest with Emelianenko in the first half of a two-part interview with the WAMMA champ. And while Emelianenko says he's interested in the bout, he still feels the UFC is not in his immediate future. "That (fight with Lesnar) interests me a lot," Emelianenko said through an interpreter. "He's a serious guy and a good fighter. I would definitely be interested in testing my skill." Of course Emelianenko will first need to defeat Josh Barnett at the Aug. 1 "Affliction: Trilogy" event in order for fans to continue calling for the matchup. Even then, Emelianenko will need to make his way to the UFC, a process that has long proven difficult. He needs to realize we want to see him in the UFC, If he's the best HEAVYWEIGHT out there than fight in the UFC , UFC is the best orgnaization out there its the nba,nfl,mlb, of this sport he doesn't need to fight in the CBL,CFL, thats what organization he's in rightnow so to be the best he needs to start fighting the BEST and fight in the BEST organization its getting old FEDOR.... "At the present time, I don't think [i'll be in the UFC]," Emelianenko said. "I don't think you'll see me in the UFC, just because the terms and the manner in which those terms are offered are not acceptable today." However, things may soon change in the stalemate that exists between Emelianenko and the UFC. Following this past weekend's UFC 100 event, UFC president Dan White seemed focused on bringing "The Last Emperor" to the UFC. "This Fedor thing has gone on and on and on," White said in the post-UFC 100 press conference. "Eventually, Fedor's going to be here. I want Fedor. I want him to come to the UFC and everything else. "This guy (Brock Lesnar) just won the heavyweight title, and we'll end up getting that deal done. And then we'll do Brock vs. Fedor, and it'll be a huge fight."
venom33 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 or maybe he doesnt want to sign his life and likeness away to the ufc... :-\ he can either fight for the ufc or fight for every other organization at the same time and still be able to keep his soul. i want to see the fight as much as anyone but using the word "scared" to describe fedor is ridiculous!
LUFAN Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Venom, The folks at UFC level do not sign their name away more than in any other sport... You are a bone head if you think so.. Their contract is not that bad and if it was.... why are their still tons of fighters wanting to be in the UFC... Have you read some of the demands that Fedor has made... If not go fly a kite....
venom33 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Venom, The folks at UFC level do not sign their name away more than in any other sport... You are a bone head if you think so.. Their contract is not that bad and if it was.... why are their still tons of fighters wanting to be in the UFC... Have you read some of the demands that Fedor has made... If not go fly a kite.... lufan, ummm i think were all boneheads unless you have some kinda metal plate in your head and i dont believe theres enough wind to fly a kite today! :'( sooooo i will just type. how do YOU know what their contracts say? are you under contract with the ufc? the "tons of fighters" you talk about have no other choice than to bend over and take whatever the ufc has to offer, fedor doesnt have to. weve had this arguement in soooo many other threads, fedor does not need the ufc to cement his legacy in mma, BUT every hw in the ufc and the world HAS TO beat fedor if they ever want the #1 ranking! like i said before its kinda like if gsp left the ufc, he would still be the #1 ww in the world and possibly the #1 p4p fighter... it doesnt matter where he fights hes still gsp! i find it amusing how white has to go outside of the ufc to find a fighter he thinks can beat lesnar! what is that saying to the fighters he has under contract? theyre not good enough? he doesnt have enough faith in them? they arent ready? how would you take it? fedor has a big test in front of him in barnett and lesnar and white needs to tend to the ufc hw division and who will pummel lesnar first, cain,carwin,or crocop.
Guest baseball25 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 Whats up venom, i am talking crap bout him being scared but seriously if he wants to be recongnize as the best EVER then he needs to atleast fight in the UFC and fight Brock, thats all i am saying, I mean joe calzaghe waited so long to fight in the US and he fought guys that were over 40 when he did come and thats hurts his legacy if he would have fought bhop and roy in there prime his legacy would be sealed, now if fedor wants to be known has the greatest then come fight in the UFC bec if he doesnt all the media and fans will say BUT HE NEVER FOUGHT in the UFC the best MMA organization he fought for the lower TIER thats all I am saying, you don't see Tom Brady saying no to the NFL and playing in the CFL he wants to play against the best athletes in the world so FEDOR needs to fight for the best Organization in the world and against the BEST Heavyweights in the world. IF he is the best than he needs to fight, Carwin,lesnar,velsequez,coutore,Mir, and all the top UFC guys that would be crazy but it seems to me he's way to greedy, Floyd mayweather came back bec pacman is showing everyone he's the number 1 boxer in the world and now floyds wants to prove to those people he's not so thats they will fight in a yr or so, so why not fedor have the courage to come fight in the UFC.
venom33 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 with overeem,barnett,rogers,crocop(healthy),carwin,cain,lesnar,fedor,kimbo,etc,etc we as fans should be in for some "superfights" on the horizon! i just hope everything works out and the fans get the fights they want to see.
Guest baseball25 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 only way us fans get what we want to see is your BOY fedor nuts up and signs with the UFC.....
LUFAN Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 They do have a choice... If the UFC was so shitty then every great fighter would have signed with other orgs... There have been many other orgs that they could choose from. Go back and read sherdog and mingle with all the other UFC haters. UFC Would not have the majority of the best fighters in the world if their contracts are that bad they would have no fighters...
venom33 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Posted July 16, 2009 only way us fans get what we want to see is your BOY fedor nuts up and signs with the UFC..... easy!!! >
silentassasin Posted July 17, 2009 Report Posted July 17, 2009 LUFAN, what venom is saying about signing their likeness away is that for example if you look at the UFC video game Tim Sylvia is a character you can play with and yet he has not been with the UFC for two years since he lost against Couture. Same with other fighters. Part of the UFC contracts state that when you sign with them you sign your rights to your likeness over to them for marketing but you don't get them back when you leave. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because it looks one way it is that way. I have read plenty of articles written both in favor and against the way the UFC treats its employees (fighters) differently depending on who they are. I still believe it is the best one out there, but for me I have been on sherdog and in my opinion both venom and baseball are just as if not more knowledgeable as anyone on that site. The other part is, I believe, that Fedor is smart. He knows he can beat the guys in Affliction and the other minor organizations for that matter. So with the air of superiorty surrounding him, justifiably so mind you, he can sit back and demand all he wants and knows that Dana White has to give in to him to get him in the UFC. Not many fighters in the world can honestly say that Dana White is their B****, which is what Fedor is doing to Dana now. Dana is going to have to come up with a contract for Fedor that makes Lesnar's look small in comparison to get him to sign. I do think that after August 1 you will see a huge bidding war going on with the UFC coming out on top of it with Fedor under contract. I also see that once that happens you will see Fedor fighting for the belt at the very next PPV possible afterwards.
venom33 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Posted July 17, 2009 LUFAN, what venom is saying about signing their likeness away is that for example if you look at the UFC video game Tim Sylvia is a character you can play with and yet he has not been with the UFC for two years since he lost against Couture. Same with other fighters. Part of the UFC contracts state that when you sign with them you sign your rights to your likeness over to them for marketing but you don't get them back when you leave. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because it looks one way it is that way. I have read plenty of articles written both in favor and against the way the UFC treats its employees (fighters) differently depending on who they are. I still believe it is the best one out there, but for me I have been on sherdog and in my opinion both venom and baseball are just as if not more knowledgeable as anyone on that site. The other part is, I believe, that Fedor is smart. He knows he can beat the guys in Affliction and the other minor organizations for that matter. So with the air of superiorty surrounding him, justifiably so mind you, he can sit back and demand all he wants and knows that Dana White has to give in to him to get him in the UFC. Not many fighters in the world can honestly say that Dana White is their B****, which is what Fedor is doing to Dana now. Dana is going to have to come up with a contract for Fedor that makes Lesnar's look small in comparison to get him to sign. I do think that after August 1 you will see a huge bidding war going on with the UFC coming out on top of it with Fedor under contract. I also see that once that happens you will see Fedor fighting for the belt at the very next PPV possible afterwards. best post in a loooong time! thank you!
silentassasin Posted July 17, 2009 Report Posted July 17, 2009 Gee I wonder why you like it so much/ I am still waiting for baseball to invite us all over for the next fight on PPV.
Guest baseball25 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Posted July 17, 2009 Got to play it by ear fellows we start getting football stuff together next thurs so it all depends on the football schedule and what days we will be up at the school and etc i will let yall know..
venom33 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Posted July 17, 2009 Gee I wonder why you like it so much/ I am still waiting for baseball to invite us all over for the next fight on PPV. could you imagine all of us in a room watching mma.... baseball, where do you coach?
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