Florida Turns Down Yohan Banks as Bobby Lashley's Opponent
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 14, 2010 8:01 PM EST
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MMA Junkie with the rather surprising news:
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that heavyweight Yohan Banks (2-1 MMA, 2-0 SF) was not approved by the Florida State Boxing Commission as an opponent for Bobby Lashley (4-0 MMA, 0-0 SF), and the former WWE star is still without an opponent for the event.
An FSBC representative said the decision to decline Banks as an opponent for Lashley was made based on a review of the fighters' records, at which point the commission "determined that the bout was not competitive."
Banks is coming off an 18 second knockout win for Strikeforce in 2008. The fact that it's been well over a year since he fought and the fact that Lashley has been moving up in competition made this feel like a mismatch all along but it is very rare to see a commission step up for a major promotion's event and say that a fight is so non-competitive that they won't allow it.
Strikeforce is now in the awkward position of having to find an opponent competitive enough for Florida to allow while also finding someone willing to take the fight on roughly two weeks notice. Personally, I wouldn't be shocked to see Strikeforce try to push Lashley's bout back to the CBS card and move the Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs bout up to the main card.
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Wow...
Not competitive enough for a guy with only four fights to his record?
I wonder if Zuffa had any problems booking Lesnar/Mir.
If Derek Jeter clubbed a baby seal on earth day while wearing a mink coat and crocodile skin boots while burning tires on an iceberg, the reaction would be "Its OK Derek, you’re a Yankee." -First mammal to wear pants
I’m guessing the fact that Banks has been inactive for over a year had something to do with the decision. Also, as much as Jason Guida and Bob Sapp suck, they are still WORLDS above the guys Banks has beat.
Did you see Michael Diaz's last fight?
At least Sapp is a veteran with ring experience against some tf the best fighters in the sport.
Actually he wasn’t inactive, he had 4 boxing bouts last year. Not a very good 0-2-2 performnace, but out of his last 6 fights 4 of the guys are notable.
If you do more than look at records and actually watch fights, he nearly sent David Johnson through the ropes in a fight that eventually was a draw, and he scored a mini-upset over Carthron. He took a big step up in competition in 2009 with an 0-2-2 result, that doesn’t make it a mismatch.
With regards to MMA, it couldn’t have been any more of a mismatch than his last fight with Bob Sapp. How many times did Sapp even attempt an escape once he hit the mat? His debut with Joshua Franklin was also very lopsided.
Well obviously to the Florida Athletic commission it does. I’m sure they know about Bank’s boxing record and apparently they weren’t impressed enough for it to matter. I mean taking a step up in competition and not winning any of the fights isn’t really taking a step up.
Lashley fought Sapp in Mississippi too, you have to wonder if Florida would of approved that one either.
In 10 years of covering MMA, boxing and kickboxing, I learned to never attribute knowledge to a commission that they do not explicitly express. To be honest, Lashley-Banks would not have been a showcase or a contender fight, I just thought the two fighters matched up well.
Banks struggled against much improved competition in the ring in 2009, and I think a similar result against Lashley would have been the outcome in a cage. But he was big (6-3 or 6-4, having to cut to make 265), he has lumbering one punch knockout power, and he has gone enough rounds in both sports to demonstrate adequate conditioning.
If fans get to see Hieron-Riggs on the televised card, cool. If Lashley gets a late replacement similar to 3 out of his 4 first fights, not cool. If Banks did not panic and played to his strengths, I thought this could have been an interesting fight.
by pj48 on Jan 14, 2010 7:49 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You are looking at it from an opposite angle....
Lashley, is the up and coming possible superstar vs some joe nobody who he’s going to beat down hard.
Brock Lesnar was the beast of a man NCAA Wrestling champ, former NFL sorta player super athlete vs a former MMA champ.
So you see, Nevada may have been a bit more persuaded that Brock would at least “be competitive” in the fight.
Awesome
I am so glad to see that that fight getting canned.
Hopefully Lashley’s ducking arse will get bumped off the card and Hieron-Riggs will replace that sham of a fight on the telecast.
I would have let him fight, purely for the style and size challenge. Banks was 0-2-2 in boxing in 2009, 1-0-1 in boxing in 2008, and he was 1-1 in MMA in 2008. It is not like he was a complete novice in the ring, and he has been up against real opposition for the most part, not live bodies.
How does losing a bunch of boxing matches make him look more like a competitive opponent?
by who me on Jan 14, 2010 6:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I’m pretty sure you’re talking to the guy that was touting him as a legit challenge a few days back.. I could be mistaken..
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
I wasn’t touting him as anything. Some in here called him a scrub, and I disagreed. Any way you slice it Lashley would have been a heavy favorite.
So..
…you touted him as a legit challenge? I didn’t say you were buttering him up..
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
That sort of stuff makes the fight less competitive. He’s a boxer. Lashley is a very good wrestler, look at his mma career.
Cook: Takedown, punches, cut
Guida: a 15 minute fight with maybe 14 minutes spent clinching or on the ground and the other minute spent with both fighters looping overhand rights.
Cook: wild punch, front headlock, guillotine
Sapp: Takedown, ground and pound, tapout
What do you think is going to happen putting this guy in the cage with a boxer?
If they won’t approve that guy to fight then why are they going to approve Herschel Walker to fight?
Just BE.
Honestly
That’s a really great idea and should have happened in the first place.
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
I’d like to see him against Ricco Rodriguez personally. It’d be a test to see where each of them are at. Obviously Ricco has way experience but he’s trying to re-establish himself while Lashley needs a step up in competition.
"I fight because I can’t sing, I can’t dance, and it beats working all day. Now ask me a question that doesn’t sound so fucking stupid." – Phil Baroni
Now that’s a fight I’d be legitimately interested in, but I don’t expect it to happen.
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
ewww
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Jan 14, 2010 8:33 PM EST up reply actions
King Mo?
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
agreed..........
waterman VS lashley should’ve happened..
"If I told you I was good, you would think I am boasting. If I told you I was not good, you would know I am lying" Bruce Lee
America’s most patriotic mustache FTW!
If Derek Jeter clubbed a baby seal on earth day while wearing a mink coat and crocodile skin boots while burning tires on an iceberg, the reaction would be "Its OK Derek, you’re a Yankee." -First mammal to wear pants
Great idea!
I really love this idea. However, SF can’t afford a Lashley loss, and Lashley won’t risk it right now. All he thinks about are $$$ signs, not fighting. That’s why he’s not going to be successful.
Strikeforce's 20 event plan is going to drain and stretch their talent pool.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 14, 2010 6:40 PM EST reply actions
It's going to give us a clear view of were they are at as a promotion.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 14, 2010 6:41 PM EST up reply actions
It will also make Scott Coker go bald. He doesn’t have enough employees to get done what is being asked of him. And even if everything goes right from his own perspective, he then has to deal with 3 other decision makers who get in the way…. CBS, Showtime, & AC’s.
It’s pretty rare for a commission to do things like this. I wonder what sort of research is generally done before a bout is approved.
I think of a fight like Mackens Semerzier vs. Wagnney Fabiano, where Semerzier had only a handful of pro experience against neophyte opposition (Sherdog has four opponents with records of 1-0, 1-0, 0-0, and 2-0) and was suddenly up against a top 5 competitor in his weight class.
We all know how that turned out. But why was that fight approved? On paper, it seems criminal. Granted, these are different commissions we’re talking about, but I wonder if there’s really any standard protocol.
by JRN on Jan 14, 2010 6:40 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Zuffa will always get the benefit of the doubt due to having a long and proven track record of putting on competitive, well balanced fights.
An organization like Strikeforce does not have that reputation. They have put on a lot of one sided fights in the past, even before they got to the national stage.
Money doesn’t hurt either. Zuffa brings in big business to the cities them come to.
Zuffa has the best regulatory staff in the business.
You can bet your ass that they build a strategy for dealing with any objections by the SACs and have arguments and counter-arguments and counter-counter arguments figured out before the ever put a fight in front of the commission. They also make sure that the commission gets all that information months before the card is set to go live, so if anything goes wrong, they have plenty of time to put plans B, C, and D into effect.
You can’t just fax a stack of bout agreements to the commission and expect everything to go well, especially when you are working with a commission that doesn’t know you very well.
IMO, this is just another example of the growing pains that Strikeforce is going to have to deal with in morphing from a regional promoter with strong ties to one state into a national/global promoter who promotes all over the place.
Yea this situation really says more about strikeforce’s growing pains than anything else. Last minute booking just doesn’t work.
by who me on Jan 14, 2010 7:35 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I hope they find somebody
Because I’m going and I was hoping to see Lashley fight. Albeit not against Banks and not on the main card. Maybe Del Rosario will step up and whoop Lashley.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
As if waiting until 3 weeks out to book a fight wasn’t a good idea.
Keep firing Assholes!
Melvin Manhoff is my favorite fighter.
by Ubernoober on Jan 14, 2010 6:40 PM EST reply actions 6 recs
I’ll go on and look at the bright side, and that’s that Hieron/Riggs will likely make the air now. I don’t see any late replacement taking this fight, and certainly not one that I want to see instead of that fight.
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
So when they book Butterbean you aren’t gonna watch it?
by ufc4 on Jan 14, 2010 7:01 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well I think this shows
That Strikeforce is clearly in another league than the WEC.
by ufc4 on Jan 14, 2010 7:00 PM EST via mobile reply actions 5 recs
Are Ric Flair or Scott Steiner available?
by ufc4 on Jan 14, 2010 7:05 PM EST via mobile reply actions
He would have to bring the sunny gang with him...
by zakkree on Jan 14, 2010 7:14 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
haha i was hoping someone would expound on that
by Austin Martin on Jan 14, 2010 7:15 PM EST up reply actions
Huh.
So a 4-0, unranked competitor cant fight a 2-1, unranked competitor in the same weight class? Barring some sort of injury that was undisclosed publicly, I don’t get why this happened. Has Banks suffered brutal KOs boxing? Is Lashley a victim of his own, and to some extent Lesnars, hype? And would this have been denied if it was on a Challengers card rather than a normal Strikeforce show?
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
so many questions, and i have no answers.
i think they should call guida up for a rematch
by Austin Martin on Jan 14, 2010 7:22 PM EST up reply actions
Well who they have fought and what their background is also comes into play. I think so much is made of Lashley being a pro wrestler that people forget that he was a 3 time national amateur wrestling champion too. Banks hasn’t even fought MMA since 2008 and really hasn’t stood out in either sport or anything before that either.
What does Yohan Banks normally weigh in at? Lashley’s last fight was at Superheavyweight against a 340lb fighter (well living cartoon at least).
The pro wrestling thing is what I mean about his hype.
He’s an accomplished amateur wrestler, but hasn’t competed in about five years. He’s a media sensation and may not deserve the level of exposure he’s getting for his in-cage accomplishments, but those have nothing to do with his status as a prospect. Banks is less hyped, but similarly credentialed in MMA.
I think there has to be a publicly undisclosed medical issue that got reported to the AC directly. Beyond that, my mind drifts to insane conspiracy land, which I know is a ridiculous place to go.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Lashley wasn’t just a good wrestler he was a multiple time national champion, heck he was an Olympic hopeful at one time. Just because he hasn’t competed doesn’t mean that he isn’t still an elite amateur wrestler. Banks hasn’t accomplished much of anything at all or beaten anyone of note. I mean they aren’t similarly credentialed at all, and that seems to be the issue here. They do look much deeper than just if the two guys have a similar number of fights.
National Champion… But not NCAA National Champion. Big difference. The competition level in the NAIA, which he won, is multiple steps bellow the NCAA level.
And Lashley did so at a much smaller weight class. He was not a natural Heavyweight like Lesnar is. The PED’s he likely put into his body with the WWE is why he is a Heavyweight now.
He was that big when he got to WWE and they have a testing policy for steroids. I believe he got that big in his time with the military.
Nooo…he was a middleweight in the military. He bulked up because there’s no such thing as middleweight in WWE and if he kept at his current weight in OVW as well as WWE. He’d be spending most his time getting rehired and laid off.
"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment."
-Lao Tzu
I don't have that much of a dog in this hunt...
But he wrestled at 177, and cut weight to get down to that. He’s currently listed at around 255. Considering cutting 15-20 lbs is within reason I don’t really think that basically 50 lbs of mass is that out of the ordinary over 6 years or so since his life basically revolved around physical conditioning.
He is no where near the level of suspicion as Mr.Horse Meat.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Read again.
Banks is less hyped, but similarly credentialed in MMA.
I added bold since it looks like you glazed over it the first time. The difference between 2-1 and 4-0 is almost negligible. And lets remember that this is a sport where Joe Warren beat Kid Yamamoto.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Ha, ok, well played
but I was also talking about the ability to derail the hype train of even a very talented, established competitor. It’s not unreasonable to see a major upset in a sport which is still as young as ours and so heavily based on marketing, and it doesn’t need to come from the punchers chance or someone clumsily falling into a sub by accident.
Either way, Warren vs. Yamamoto was no Mousasi vs. Goodrige. It was a number one seed in the tournament fighting a guy who just won his qualifying fight to get in. I wouldn’t fault Japanese matchmaking for that one. But we are off topic.
I see this as a decision the FSAC will regret and never repeat with a major promotion (barring something like Manhoef vs. Kim Couture being booked) or the beginning of a nasty precedent that will drive MMA to other parts of the country or neighboring states. The losers: Florida MMA fans and ATT. The winners: Butterbean, Tank Abbot, and Alabama motherfuckin’ Pride!
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I don’t get why people are having this reaction. This is the AC’s job. Are people avoiding having fights in NJ because they wouldn’t sanction Mercer/Sylvia?
Athletic commissions turn down or approve fights all the time, the only reason this one is getting so much play is because it’s happening to SF 3 weeks before an event (because they didn’t announce/book the fight until 3 weeks before the event).
The lesson to be learned is to not assume that an athletic commission you aren’t on the best terms with is going to approve all of your fights 3 weeks out. Especially when the only previous relationship between anyone involved in this thing worked with the florida commission was the Elite XC Kimbo/Shamrock/Petruzelli/standgate disaster.
I understand what your saying, and you raise valid points.
Late matchmaking will create problems, and SF will need to do a better job dealing with that. I’m not sure if it’s habits from being regional, or fear of a UFC counter, but either way it’s an issue. And of course an AC can turn down a fight that is unsafe for the competitors or wildly uncompetitive.
However, the lines are being redrawn with this decision. Mercer vs. Sylvia was always a problem. Under boxing rules it was a former champ against essentially a really tall and out of shape nobody. Under MMA rules it was a former champ against worse than a nobody, it was a guy who lost an amateur bout to Kimbo Slice. By fucking submission.
I don’t know enough about Yohan Banks to accurately describe his talent level, but he is 2-1 with significant boxing experience and notable power in his hands. Bobby Lashley has significant amateur wrestling experience, but hasn’t really competed in the sport since 2005. He has been in MMA just over a year and only has one fight more than Banks. Less than 12 months ago, he struggled against a much smaller Jason Guida. Aside from fan hype for Lashley, people tying him to Lesnar for superficially similar backgrounds, or being that the big black man is going to hurt somebody… it really gets fishy.
And don’t forget that a lot of early professional fights (first five or so normally) are often against competitors with records as bad as 0-7. It’s not shocking. Low tier fighter fight other low tier fighters until they prove their worth. The FSAC is essentially demanding a rush on Lashley’s development. Honestly, and I hate to be conspiracy guy (I really do), it sounds like the FSAC is almost punishing Lashley for turning down more difficult fights and using an MMA career to build his TNA persona. If true, that’s a very scary precedent to set. If it’s just because of his media hype, it’s no better. There’s nothing I like about this story, and until we get more detail from the FSAC about why the decision was made, I’ll be somewhat wary of much of their actions.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Strikeforce’s problem:
With their new expansion idea their office staff are probably overwhelmed. 12 months ago, Strikeforce was a smaller level mom and pop style promotion. The biggest name they had at the time was Frank Shamrock. They were motoring along happily making money and putting on shows that didn’t overwhelm their infrastructure.
Today they have: Fedor, Rogers, Werdum, Lashley, Mousasi, Babalu, Hendo, Shields, Miller, Jacare, Zaramokis(?), Diaz, Melendez, etc. Shamrock used to be the only guy that made more than 6 figures, now they have a few 6 figure heavy hitters. They also have a big network deal and new partners in M-1 and Dream, both of whom speak different languages and are on opposite sides of the world.
The reason that things are getting left so long and seem so thrown together is that Strikeforce does not have the personell to work the phones and make deals with fighters all over the world for their big 6 shows a year and 12 challengers events.
Keep firing Assholes!
Melvin Manhoff is my favorite fighter.
I wonder is this is more of what mmalogic was cryptically alluding to a few days ago.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jan 15, 2010 12:44 AM EST up reply actions
2 weeks til an event and no opponent. It's not the first time it's happened with Strikeforce.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 14, 2010 7:42 PM EST reply actions
I’m surprised they have a venue booked already.
by ufc4 on Jan 14, 2010 7:45 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
I guess the Florida State Boxing Commission
saw this as a huge mismatch after seeing this
but kidding aside, a guy w/ 4 MMA fights against a guy w/ 3 MMA fights seems to be reasonable.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
It’s not reasonable when the guy with 3 fights is a boxer who hasn’t fought mma in a year and the guy with 4 fights is a very good wrestler who has spent 99% of his time in mma on the ground or attempting takedowns.
So are we protecting all fighters now on whom has a disadvantage on being taken down regardless if they have the same MMA experience?
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
when it’s relevant to the fight, yes.
If this fight were to happen, there would have been a 99.9% chance of Lashley taking the guy down and pounding him out immediately. That’s not competitive, and the commission believes it’s not safe.
Being a boxer, Banks is by default a far better striker than Lashley, they arent stopping the fight for that. IMO, its not the commision’s call to stop the fight based on how they predict the fight will go on. If they have the same MMA exp, they are off the same level MMA-wise until we see the fight. Banks might do a Mercer on Lashley for all we know.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
its a 4-0 MMA fighter against a 2-1 MMA fighter.
it remains to be seen if its a HUGE MISMATCH, enough to call the fight off.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
A 2-1 mma fighter who is a mediocre boxer and hasn’t fought mma in a year.
a 4-0 mma fighter who is a very good wrestler and looked at as a prospect in mma.
prospect in mma.
w/c is still unproven. a good way to do so is to fight a guy w/ the same MMA exp.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
yes they are.
Banks has been a pro boxer for over a year while lashley has been full time training and fighting mma. How can that be looked at as “not far off from each other?”
You could be training MMA your ass off for years yet it doesnt automatically translates that you’re a far better fighter against a fella who has the same # of fights as you.
Sure, i agree that Lashley is a big favorite, but not enough proof that he will easily demolish a guy with a fight less than his.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
by vivero on Jan 14, 2010 8:31 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
so in your world it would be fair for brock to fight this guy also?
I mean, he only has 2 more fights than him.
What do you think of the Mayorga/Thomas fight set for Shine Fights 3?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
I think that’s a little different because mayorga is much better at boxing than Banks is, but If a commission rejected that fight I wouldn’t be too upset.
I think this was a stupid fight from the beginning (I don’t think there are many positives for lashley in this fight), if the commission let it happen, I wouldn’t be crying foul if they let it happen, but I can see where they’re coming from.
The FSBC doesn’t know what the fuck they’re doing, clearly. This is a perfectly fair fight, and the athletic commission is out of line shutting it down.
Fun fact: The FSBC approved Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock. And then approved Seth Petruzelli taking the Kimbo fight literally on a few hours notice.
What a bunch of clowns.
by smoogy2 on Jan 14, 2010 8:16 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
This says less about the FSBC than it does about Strikeforce.
Other promoters have had no problem getting fights sanctioned in Florida. Strikeforce is having problems because they aren’t familiar with the commission and they are trying to get fights approved at the last minute.
Chances are, if Strikeforce had done a more comprehensive job in dealing with a FSBC, they would have been able to convince them to approve this fight. Sending in a fax with the proposed fights on it is not sufficient.
A more comprehensive job? Care to explain?
The FSBC didn’t say the relatively short notice had anything to do with it. They said it was based on the competitiveness of the fight, or lack thereof, which is nonsense.
I realize it is very fashionable to put Strikeforce under the microscope and “hold their feet to the fire” on every little issue, but leave that shit to the fanboys. I don’t need the FSBC fucking up fights based on a speculative assessment of how a fight will play out. They are there to protect the fighters, not play matchmaker.
by smoogy2 on Jan 14, 2010 8:56 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
A more comprehensive job? Care to explain?
I mean the UFC probably has Marc Ratner and two or three of his underlings in the commission office months before the event advocating for their fights, complete with pretty PowerPoint displays and spreadsheets and dcotors reports. Right or wrong, that kind of hand-holding goes a long way in preventing last-minute bureaucratic meddling.
I’m not bagging on Strikeforce at all. I think these are normal growing pains that they will eventually move past. Strikeforce is used to dealing with one SAC where they have an extremely close relationship. If something goes wrong with a California card, they probably get a phone call from a friendly CSAC official and the opportunity to fix any problems before a fight gets torpedoed. They don’t have that same kind of relationship with FSBC and got burned by not holding their hand throughout the process.
I’m sure they will learn from this and eventually get things to run almost as smoothly in the rest of the country as they run in California.
So you assume UFC is doing a good job educating/ballsucking the FSBC while also assuming Strikeforce does a bad job? How generous of you.
If we're going on nothing but wild speculation..
It’s pretty easy to speculate that even if they both did the same amount of education it’d be much more difficult to get this fight approved due to the short time frame available for education.
Not that I agree with the decision, but it’s safe to say that the UFC would be able to get this fight approved.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
And that was in Florida. And according to Sherdog, he was 1-0 coming into the fight. Can’t remember his fights on TUF (just the KO during the prelims) but he may have had a couple more wins there.
by Swordslasher on Jan 15, 2010 2:47 AM EST up reply actions
The difference is in the quality of their training rather than the quality of their experience.
Lashley is a multi millionaire training full time with basically any camp he wants to, Banks is probably lucky to get 14 hours a week in the gym.
It’s like having an NFL team play against a college team and saying well they both have only won 4 games this year, lets see what happens!
We all know what is going to happen.
Spoiler:
The worst NFL team wins by 50-70 points
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 14, 2010 10:41 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I can't lie...
I chuckled when I saw this.
Nothing against Lashley, but this is the kinda stuff that happens when you wait so long to book a fight. It’s all good in Japan, they don’t have as many hoops to jump through, but here in the states, it’s not so easy.
I will say, the mismatch wasn’t that drastic, and it shouldn’t even be a big deal, but that won’t stop me from laughing about it.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
This seems something like a warning shot
across the collective U.S.S. MMA’s bow. Essentially it looks like some sort of a power grab with no discerned end-game, but there it is. To date, the only successful MMA promotions have been the ones who do everything (including matchmaking) in-house, so there’s been no real oversight.
This type of thing, with a medium/high-profile guy like Lashley, makes me wonder if we aren’t seeing the AC’s say they want more say in who is qualified to fight who, based on skill. I don’t think I’d need to elaborate on just how disastrous that would be.
Call me crazy, but when messages are sent, this is how it happens. That might not be the case this particular time, but when you see something like this it’s always wise to keep both eyes open.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
I hadn’t even thought of that and I have no idea how that would turn out.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jan 15, 2010 12:47 AM EST up reply actions
I think its time for someone to come out of retirement
AMERICA FUCK YEAH!
by IRodC on Jan 14, 2010 10:13 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
Fuck yeah is right.
The man know simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
by Neil Manich on Jan 14, 2010 10:19 PM EST up reply actions
This was exactly what I thought when I went to think about possible opponents. But lord knows, of the AC denied Banks, they could deny Frye just as easily.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Jan 14, 2010 10:22 PM EST up reply actions
Ok, Serious question time
Does anybody know where I can find a tshirt of just Don Frye’s face. A screen cap of him in epic battle with Takayama would also work. Definitely not of him throwing dead against Thompson.
The man know simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
by Neil Manich on Jan 14, 2010 10:45 PM EST up reply actions
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 14, 2010 10:55 PM EST up reply actions
and yes...
that IS the official don frye g-string
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by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 14, 2010 10:56 PM EST up reply actions
An official Don Frye g-string because of course that is something that exists. Because America.
The man know simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
by Neil Manich on Jan 14, 2010 11:02 PM EST up reply actions
As a Floridian
This is embarrassing. There is nothing wrong with the fight and the commission shouldn’t be dictating matchmaking. What a farce.
This is the same state that had no problems booking Abbot vs Kimbo, Clementi vs Pointon, it was going to allow Kimbo vs Shamrock, and was ok with last minute Kimbo vs Petruzelli, but now has an issue. I don’t think this is that far of a reach to let it happen. IMO there is a far bigger gap between Clementi/Pointon than Lashley/Banks.
To be fair...
while I don’t agree with the current decision, attempting to justify a current bad decision because of past bad decisions is just bad logic and traps the person/organization into a downward spiral.
I’m not saying those were bad decision per se but the gap was just as big or bigger in talent and really is more of an indication that something else is going on here IMO. I’m not really into conspiracies but I don’t see the big deal in this fight and it appears to me that there may be other motives than competitiveness. But that all fails because I can’t think of an another motive.
Where was UFC 81 held? If Lesnar gets cleared to fight a former world champ in his second career fight (even with his amateur wrestling background) then either that state’s comission is incompetent or Florida’s is entirely too cautious.
by ufc4 on Jan 15, 2010 8:57 AM EST via mobile reply actions
And there's the missing piece
that’s been sitting in front of my face all along.
The AC is saying that they won’t sanction Toney vs. Kimbo.
Ok, that makes enough sense I can go with it. Good call, Deo.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
by misterjonez on Jan 15, 2010 10:14 AM EST up reply actions
As unexcited I was/am about this fight, it didn’t seem COMPLETELY unreasonable. Lets say its even Lashely at -500, which I don’t know if I’d pick. That’s not out of line with other matches.
Other thing is, I’ve only seen Lashley’s Sapp fight and his quick guillotine win, but from what I hear he’s not the kind of fighter that does massive damage to his opponents. Yohan Banks probably suffers more damage from getting into the boxing ring.
Stupid thing is now is FSAC takes a lot of heat for this, they may feel the need to do this again in the future just to prove that they weren’t just playing favourites.
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