The Appeal of Keith Jardine

by Luke Thomas on Mar 2, 2009 11:34 AM EST in MMA News

For those who wonder whether such a thing actually exists, Jake Rossen identifies it:

Bizarrely, it’s this kind of collective public coma that makes me want to root for the guy. Jardine puts in his hours at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, sweats and bleeds in just as much volume as anyone in the sport and enjoys few of the fringe benefits. I’ve yet to see him endorse a corporate giant (Rashad Evans and Microsoft), bag the ring card girl (do your own research) or throw an after-party (everyone else).

Maybe his lack of a niche is his niche: the blue-collar guy who doesn’t feel the need to invent a persona or take big risks in order to rally a following. He goes to the gym and does his job: no fanfare, no fireworks, little attention. That’s 95 percent of the working population.

...

...We’re too quick to assume that everyone in the sport clamors for the accompanying attention and ego inflation. In some cases, athletes enjoy the competition -- and the relative anonymity of flying under the radar.

One advantage to being the invisible man: no one sees you coming.

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My wife loves Keith Jardine because he’s the man who made Forrest cry.

"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"

by Kid Nate on Mar 2, 2009 11:47 AM EST reply actions

That’s why I love him. That and the fact that he killed Liddell’s rise up the LHW ladder towards an unwarranted title shot.

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill

by FlyByKnight on Mar 2, 2009 4:50 PM EST up reply actions

Houston Alexander Hearts Keith Jardine.

by Kierkegaard on Mar 2, 2009 11:53 AM EST reply actions

The problem with Jardine is that nobody wants to be him. Effective as he is, he moves in a very weird and ugly way. Nobody daydreams of being Jardine.

by toxic on Mar 2, 2009 12:00 PM EST reply actions

He comes across like a real strange dude from his Facebook status messages. I can tell you that…

by Bigperm on Mar 2, 2009 12:15 PM EST reply actions

I root for Jardine for much the reasons outlined here ...

He’s a pro. On a given night, he can beat the very best of the best (Griffin, Liddell). He lacks pretension and, like all the guys at Jackson’s, doesn’t take himself too seriously.

He’s a self-made guy. He lacks the natural gifts of Rashad, and also was much cooler about another fighter in the same weight class joining the gym than was Diego, that’s for sure.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Mar 2, 2009 12:26 PM EST reply actions

Well, I can say this whole heartedly…

Having after parties and then having douchey pictures taken of you all the time… does not help. So, kudos to Keith Jardine… for not becoming the CB Dolloway, Jamie Varner of MMA.

Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com

by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 12:30 PM EST reply actions

His nick name sucks.

I like his beard though.

by Bandaka on Mar 2, 2009 12:31 PM EST reply actions

We all know it should be ‘Techno Viking’ !

by natyong on Mar 2, 2009 11:37 PM EST up reply actions

“…enjoys few of the fringe benefits. I’ve yet to see him endorse a corporate giant…”

might have something to do with looking like a GOBLIN.

by woooburn on Mar 2, 2009 12:53 PM EST reply actions

On the flip side...

..he was in the Toby Keith movie Beer For My Horses.

by aaronallday on Mar 2, 2009 12:55 PM EST reply actions

Keith is great.

by Nick Thomas on Mar 2, 2009 1:02 PM EST reply actions

This is what frustrates me about him – he’s so awkward, that while it makes him a bit unpredictable, he can’t hit the easy targets. I like Jardine, I want him to do well, and it’s refreshing to have a fighter who doesn’t need to hype everything.

Of course, this fight would have ended here if we had knees on the ground! </beating dead horse>

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 2, 2009 1:13 PM EST up reply actions

The best part about that is the cityboxing advertisement on his ass. haha

Swinging like a drunk old man falling over in a parking lot with a boxing sponsor on your ass = big money.

by DirtyML on Mar 2, 2009 1:57 PM EST up reply actions

LOL

I can’t believe I ever missed this… wow. Just… wow.

Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com

by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 4:20 PM EST up reply actions

Sure, beating on the crown wont get you knocked out but it sure does get you look like getting beat up. Damn Vera.

by Johann on Mar 3, 2009 1:22 AM EST up reply actions

Jardine...

my personal favorite stat is that Jardine has not lost a fight in the UFC that has lasted more than a minute. I know technically he lost the decision to Bonnar but I’ve watched that fight so many times and not once have I been able to score it for Bonnar so in my eyes Jardine is undefeated in the UFC if he can survive the first minute.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Mar 2, 2009 1:28 PM EST reply actions

The odds of him surviving the first minute with Rampage are sketchy.

I am thinking he will get the Eastman treatment from Rampage.

by DirtyML on Mar 2, 2009 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

I'm rooting for him because....

I think lyoto machida deserves the title shot, not rampage.

by adamdd on Mar 2, 2009 1:46 PM EST reply actions

I want to see Machida get a shot too,

but I still want Rampage to win. Then we can see Rampage vs Rashad & then that winner gets the joy of fighting Machida. Good times man.

Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics, even when you win you are still retarded.

by dnevil001 on Mar 2, 2009 2:33 PM EST up reply actions

I respect Keith as a fighter but that doesn’t change the fact that his fights are boring.

by polevaultking on Mar 2, 2009 2:02 PM EST reply actions

I like Keith. He actually seemed like a really soft spoken guy on TUF.
I’m pulling for him on this one.

by BadB on Mar 2, 2009 7:45 PM EST reply actions

Despite his lack of charisma, Keith Jardine has solid marketability. The combination of his awkward fighting style, his slightly threatening appearance, and his background (e.g., he was formerly a bounty hunter) make him an ideal candidate for a villain-type character. His victories over fan-favorites like Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell also provide support for his position as spoiler.

(formerly TheFightJournal)

by Lucas2 on Mar 2, 2009 10:10 PM EST reply actions

Considering that he is soft spoken and affable in interviews, I find that possible characterization unlikely.

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Mar 2, 2009 10:14 PM EST up reply actions

Now if we could get him to talk like Randy Savage……………..OH YEAH!!

"Negative, negative. I gotta stay lean and lightning and ready to fight." Capt. H.M. Murdock

by BadB on Mar 2, 2009 11:52 PM EST up reply actions

Keith

Had the opprtunity to meet Keith at UFC87 in Minneapolous… and till this day one of the things that sticks in my mind of this great night was meeting Keith. Sitting in the 1st row, and coming all the way from Sydney Australia, I got to meet sooooo many UFC stars! Every one of them was so courteous and willing to pose for photos and have a chat. Keith was sooo quite, sooo reserved I thought he was different from everyone else. I have since really watched Keith in all his fights and watched him train and he really is the quite achiever. There does’nt need to be fan fair for sucess – but is this what we want – what we require for someone to be a star?

by gaffa on Mar 3, 2009 4:21 AM EST reply actions

Kind of reposting from a different discussion

Keith is the consumate spoiler. His style is ugly and unpredicatable, as are the outcomes of his fights.

He seems quite capable of getting the win when it will derail his opponents upward momentum (or the need to create some):

Liddell
Griffin
Vera

However, he seems to get dominated whenever he is in position to build some solid career momentum for himself:

Alexander
Wandy

Considering that in this fight he doesn’t really stand to gain by winning, but Page stands to loose alot by losing…I’m giving the edge (based on history and the above) to Jardine.

by Razreshat on Mar 3, 2009 9:19 AM EST reply actions