Danillo Villefort - Words From a Cut Fighter
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 22, 2009 1:01 PM EDT
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At UFC 101 Danillo Villefort lost via TKO to Jesse Lennox following a deep cut opened by an accidental headbutt. It was a fairly evenly contested fight up to the end and just seconds before the stoppage Villefort was close to finishing the fight with an armbar. While the fight did feature a lot of backpedaling on the part of Danillo I was shocked to hear that he had been cut from the roster. Judging by this piece over at MMAJunkie the ATT fighter felt the same:
"I thought my manager was kidding me," Villefort said. "I was already really sad due to the loss. I know it wasn't my best day inside the cage, but from my perspective, the fight wasn't that bad. I have seen worse fights without the participants being released."
...
"This was a huge shock for me," Villefort said. "I didn't even have the courage to tell my family at first, but I told them after a week. That was a hard week.
"I had tears in my eyes, and I had the feeling that I failed my mission, my friends and my team. But I know I will be back, and I will not make the same mistakes."
The last quote is hard to read. It was very possible if the accidental headbutt doesn't occur that Danillo takes the fight on the judges scorecards. Instead a misstep by the ref results in his receiving the loss and then getting the call from the UFC that he had been let go. This is the reason why the new instant replay rules are so important. In the end this call by the ref will cost Villefort a large amount of money. But it's more than simply taking a loss that has Villefort on the market as a free agent and he is aware of it:
"Alex told me that Joe does not like to have to cut people, but this is a tough business – tough for them, the promoters, tough for us, the fighters," Villefort said. "Like in any other business, you need to please your customers. If you don't, you will not have them; you will not make money and stay alive.
"I understand that as a professional fighter, its not always enough to win; you also need to entertain. I tried to do some different things like spinning back kicks, elbows, and a couple good knees. Next time I will just try to finish the fight as fast as I can."
Of course this raises all the old questions about forcing a certain "promotional style" on UFC fighters. Was Villefort in the wrong for fighting as he did rather than going balls out for an early finish? Was the fight so bad as a curtain jerker for the card that Danillo shouldn't have been given another shot to prove himself? Does the fact that he was close to finishing the fight in the third mean that maybe his strategy was actually working?
The truth is, the UFC answered all of these questions with their decision to release Danillo and fighters need to take it as a warning that, right or wrong, in the days of big PPV numbers the promotion doesn't have time for fighters that they feel don't deliver for the fans.
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Somewhat sad, then, that it has become acceptable for the UFC to cut fighters simply because they fight like professionals instead of amateurs.
For sure.
I just have this silly idea that MMA should be more of a sport than a spectacle, and the inconsistency and favoritism with which the UFC handles its contracts points to the latter. I understand the practicality of it, what with having to maintain the business end of a fight promotion, but I believe there’s a middle ground that only Bellator has seemed to touch on. Not every fighter is going to be a champion. Some guys just like to fight and sometimes they are good at it. I thought it was a good fight for as long as it lasted, but it lacked the drama that the spectacle-driven crowd likes to see. From a business stand-point it makes sense, but from a sporting perspective it’s despicable.
I find this comment ridiculous.
If you want everything to be done “from a sporting perspective.” he lost, that’s the end of it from a sporting perspetive.
You can’t be upset that they keep fighters they determine “exciting” and then at the same time want them to ignore the results of a match (no matter how “wrong” the result can be).
That is a load of crap.
Villefort, along with a bunch of other fighters, was cut to make room for all the Affliction guys that Zuffa picked up. The UFC only has room on their schedule to give about 150 guys consistent work, and with the Affliction acquisitions, their roster swelled to nearly 200 guys. Somebody had to go, and like in most professions, the low man on the totem pole is the most likely to get the axe.
In business, hard decisions have to be made, decisions that can have a massive impact on the people involved. It sucks for Villefort, but he is a young fighter from a great camp. He’ll get another opportunity as long he continues to take care of business.
by Steve4192 on Aug 22, 2009 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Like I said...
I understand the practicality of it. Just saying that if I ran an MMA promotion (which I do not), I wouldn’t be quite so in favor of cutting guys at the first sign that they aren’t going to sell 500,000 PPVs or more in some theoretical situation where he has an impact on the ratings of their events. And I don’t want to hear that “make room” bullshit. Dana himself has said that he wants weekly shows. They have both the money, the medium, and could have the fighters if they wanted. I’m not saying they should keep Villefort and do weekly shows; just that there’s room for more gatekeepers.
you're the only one mentioning the real reason
they can’t keep everybody….. you want akiyama??? then you’re losing thales. making room for affliction and other fighters the fans want. i never heard people clamouring for villefort to be in the ufc. let’s be realistic… it’s a sport, like all other, in which people are cut.
by cagefightonacid on Aug 22, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm clamouring for Villefort to be in the UFC
Apparently you haven’t watched this guy fight before in the IFL or WEC? He is pretty damn entertaining! This was a bad cut from the UFC. They easily could have chosen someone of lesser caliber and certainly less entertaining than this guy.
you’re right, I haven’t seen him fight. but I’m talking about the reality of having a limited roster of fighters. when affliction collapsed the ufc picked up a lot of their fighters, as well as continually picking up prospects, which causes them to cut fighters to make room for new ones. I’m not saying villefort isn’t entertaining at all, just saying it’s part of the sport
by cagefightonacid on Aug 22, 2009 9:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh no I agree with you on the limited roster. They could easily cut some of the guys that had contracts with Affliction though, just as easily as they did with an entertaining fighter that already has a contract with the UFC. This cut really doesn’t make sense. Out of all of the cuts, even in the last year, I feel that this one was a bad one. I would take Villefort over Thales Leites any day. He’s an exciting and very good fighter. Something tells me that the UFC reverses this one or they bring him back very soon as a “fill in”.
I didn't watch the fight
“I understand that as a professional fighter, its not always enough to win; you also need to entertain. I tried to do some different things like spinning back kicks, elbows, and a couple good knees. Next time I will just try to finish the fight as fast as I can.”
I heard that Villefort was emulating Kalib Starnes in that fight. If true, then he shouldn’t have been surprised by the cut.
That's quite the overstatement...
he was throwing high kicks, and did throw some fancy strikes. He wasn’t wanting to full on engage on the feet…but it was FAR from a Starnes style display.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 22, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Not true at all
I was there live…I wouldn’t characterize Villefort as “running away” at any point in time. Was he being careful and tentative a bit? Yes…but certainly not to the point where many fans were booing. Most people seemed to enjoy the fight, particularly when Villefort nearly secured the armbar only to have Lennox power out of it.
You don’t have to be wreckless to try and finish a fight. I don’t see why exciting has to equal stupid or wreckless. The “certain style” the UFC wants is just an entertaining fight, and they want fighters that fight to win, not fight to not lose.
The fight was pretty boring. He is a fringe fighter and isn’t ready for the UFC. If he wins a few fights in a row he’ll be back. Its not like it is the end of the world.
Meh. Honestly, Villefort is never going to make a run at the belt and he isn’t a fan favorite. I would like to have seen them do the right thing and give him 1 more fight because of the cut, but I have no problem with them giving someone else a chance either.
It is simple in this landscape, either you win or put on a show. That is the realism of it. If we know this, the fighters should as well and in most cases I think they do. Best of luck to Villefort and I’m sure we will see him again at some point.
On a side not, if I am a fighter on the UFC “fringe”, I am never more than a few days out of fight shape and ready to step in. I think that is where guys like Villefort will get their next opportunity.
www.knees2thehead.com
Check it out!!
Good point
A few months from now a fighter may pull out due to an injury or failed drug test and he could get the call.
The only think I don’t like is inconsistancy. What did Al Turk, or Stojnic, or Foupa Pokem do in their fights to earn a second fight? Al Turk is supposedly going to get a 3rd fight because of the eye poke.
Well doesn't that make sense about Al Turk?
They should have had instant replay for that fight.
Well...
I think it has to be understood that it’s not ONLY about guys who can “make a run at the belt” it’s about having a full roster full of role players.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 22, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely, but that is what I meant by giving someone else a chance. If you are a lower to mid level UFC type fighter, I have no problem with you being let go to fight elsewhere and another guy being brought in to fill your role, with the same end result or perhaps find another eventual contender.
www.knees2thehead.com
Check it out!!
If Thales Leites can get cut for being boring than Villefort should not be surprised that he got released.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Aug 22, 2009 1:42 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
This is sad news, I wish the UFC could employ every fighter but that is impossible, I think Villefort should try and fight for Dream or somewhere in Japan. They will appreciate his technical style.
by Bandaka on Aug 22, 2009 1:54 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
By the way, I’m not saying the UFC was in the wrong, but I do think it’s a shame the guy lost because of an (unintentional) illegal blow and got the axe. Everyone talks about UFC jitters, this guy doesn’t exactly have a history of putting on boring fights.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 22, 2009 2:27 PM EDT reply actions
I think the UFC brings in three types of fighters.
1. Guys with oodles of talent who they see as potential champions.
2. Guys who don’t stand out talent-wise but who have worked their way up and earned a look.
Guys from that first group get groomed. Guys in the second group get tossed into the deep end and are forced to sink or swim. If you aren’t one of the guys Zuffa has marked for greatness, your margin for error is infinitesimal. They need to either win their fights or impress the hell out of the Zuffa brass in a loss. Villefort did neither, and therefore was cut.
You're right
We should take to the streets and protest while holding signs, chanting some inane mantra and burning pictures of Dana.
“Dana White is dead! Long live M-1 Global!”
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Aug 22, 2009 4:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
One big detail left out of this ...
According to an acquaintance of mine who is credentialed for UFC, Villefort basically verbally submitted. He said he couldn’t see and asked for the doctor to check him out. If you tell the doctor you can’t see, he’s not going to clear you to keep fighting.
Whether that means he should have been cut from the roster is a seperate issue, but he essentially quit in the waning moments of a fight, which is different than simply being the victim of an accidental foul.
Right, but there’s a reason the doc won’t let you continue if you can’t see. I didn’t see the fight, but I don’t think a fighter should be penalized if continuing to fight presented a significant threat to his health.
I wonder why he backpedaled so much. His fight with campbell was very exciting, and he only has 1 decision on his record. Also, he’s just going to be snatched up by Strikeforce now, and in that welterweight division, he’ll probably do well, making him another name for people to throw out when talking about why the UFC is horrible.
But there’s a huge difference between a referee calling on a doctor to check a fighter and the fighter asking for it himself. If a fighter does it, as often as not it is the fighter trying to get the doc to stop it for him, rather than quit. If Villefort had not said he couldn’t see, would the referee have called in the doctor?
I agree, and from other reports, it sounds like he was looking for a way out, so I’ll concede the point. I was only trying to say that we should not make it mandatory on the fighter to continue when their health may be in danger. If a fighter legitimately cannot see, and is fighting a dangerous striker, I wouldn’t hold it against them to look out for their health. However, from what I’m hearing, this wasn’t the case in this fight.
What if he…you know….couldn’t see?
The idea that if you can’t see and say you can’t see you’re “looking for a way out” is garbage. Why should he be forced to fight if he can’t see punches coming at his face?
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 23, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Sloppy Seconds
Now that Strikeforce will be trying to increase their number of events, they should be trying to sign fighters cut by the UFC like Villefort to their roster.
by Thunder Lips on Aug 22, 2009 3:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
The problem is that this story is basically a half truth and it ends up making the UFC look bad. When in reality, they were right to cut him.
As stated above, Villefort was looking for a way out of the fight. Saying you cannot see around a doctor is a sure way of that. Every single fighter knows this. Outside of on armbar attempt, he was really hurting after the 1st round. It was obvious he was looking for a way out. And this is why he was cut. If you want out of your fight like that, the UFC is not the place for you. And while he wasn’t doing a Starnes, he certainly was backing up a lot as well.
All the fans around me in the arena saw the same thing. He took the easy way out if that fight. That was the general agreement for the fans in my section live at UFC 101.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 22, 2009 3:56 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Man, I don’t know, if a guy really can’t see from the blood I don’t consider it cowardly to step out. I don’t fault anyone for not wanting to put themselves in that degree of danger, not being able to see the shots coming.
I see a double standard.
If a popular or little know fighter does tells the doctor he can’t see, folks are willing to take him at his word. But when an unpopular guy like Kalib Starnes does the same thing (versus Alan Belcher), he gets called a coward.
I suspect if you took a poll of pro fighters, most of them would rather lie to the doctor about their vision problems and get an opportunity to win the fight. While I personally think that is crazy, that is mindset of most fighters. You have to have a little bit crazy to be an elite fighter, and Villefort might be a little too sane.
I didn't see the fight, but...
Title is just a warning for anyone who wants to comment. However, I have read the article and all the comments.
This reminds me a lot of Joe Lauzon – Cole Miller on TUF. Good fight until an illegal but unintentional blow to Miller. Miller, being a fighter, tried to keep going but lost (even though he would’ve won if he quit on the spot). Afterwards, Dana White told him to never put himself in danger like that again.
Here’s the question… how would Miller be regarded if he quit for being unable to see due to an illegal head shot?
If you’re an unknown quantity and quit, you get cut. If you’re where Miller was at the time, you might still get cut. In the moment of a fight, you can’t expect a fighter to be thinking like this.
Having said all this, I’m not an MMA figher. But I have had four guys jump me (just me) on the street simultaneously. I fought because I had to, and not because I could. If I could’ve tapped out “like a bitch,” I would have. MMA fighters have the luxury and – more importantly – the option to tap when they can’t legitimately carry on. And we shouldn’t look down upon them for exercising that option. A real fighter knows when he/she is beat.
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