Hate, Hate, Hate: UFC 108 Playa Hater's Ball
by Mike Fagan on Jan 4, 2010 11:45 AM EST
in MMA News
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In the aftermath of UFC 108, we've had to suffer from all sorts of I-told-you-so's from Dana White to Kevin Iole to Mike Chiapetta. A card that was universally pooped on rose from the ashes of the infirmary to deliver an entertaining night of bouts, and everyone wants to shove it in the faces of those people who may have tempered their anticipation.
Those kids over at Fightlinker put down their poutine long enough to deliver this rebuttal: (And, guys, could you cut down on the curse words? It's hard to link you with all the dirty, profane language.)
Here’s hoping our doubt might be the very reason the UFC doesn’t try to charge us 50 bucks for lineups like UFC 108. The end result of the fights is moot – the prelims often feature the best fights of an event but that doesn’t mean the UFC would be justified in ladling up a night of those and asking 50 bucks for it. As for the ‘disrespect’, here’s how it goes, and this is pretty complicated so pay close attention: the better the card, the more excited people are to see it. There’s a decent amount of leeway from person to person around what your definition of ‘better’ is but in the end you don’t get to arbitrarily say the card is great when the fans as a whole have decided it’s not.
UFC 108 wasn’t full of bad fights. It was just full of fights no one gave much of a s--- about. Are you really going to piss on the average fan for not getting hysterical about Sam Stout vs Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller vs Duane Ludwig? Seeing Mark Munoz play Ryan Jensen like a conga drum was fun and all, but what does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Is it wrong that fight fans clamor to see fighters they care about facing other fighters they care about in matches that mean something?
I used to run basements shows for punk bands for a long time. I promoted a lot of awesome shows with a lot of bands you probably don't know (and maybe some that you do), but it would be laughable for me to charge more than $5 or a strongly suggested donation to attend.
I'm not suggesting the UFC institute some sort of sliding scale rate for pay-per-views. The point I'm making (or elaborating on) is this: no one thought this was a "bad card" because of the potential of the fights themselves. I told all of my casual friends that the fights would probably end up being pretty good because of the style matchups between the various fighters.
But for the same reason I can't expect more than 100 people to show up to a house show billed with bands that only a small niche even knows about; Zuffa, and Dana White in particular, can't expect fans - casual and hardcore alike - to get psyched for a show headlined by a guy making his main event debut and a guy that may never win over the adoration of MMA's fandom.
I give all the credit in the world to Joe Silva and the matchmaking team. They certainly put together the best card they could given the circumstances. Yet, that doesn't mean we have to put the UFC on the altar and sing their praises because a fight card produced a lot of exciting finishes. If that was the ultimate goal for a fight promoter, Melvin Manhoef, Houston Alexander, and Drew McFedries would be among the highest paid and most sought after guys in the sport.
Fans need a reason to tune in (unless you're Jordan Breen and you'll watch two Zimbabwean wrestlers fight in some underground Brazilian show). The viewer wants to see two guys with personal beef or title shots or 300 pound freaks of nature. Evans-Silva and Daley-Hazelett had minor implications for their respective divisions, but neither had enough pull to warrant their spots on the card (relative to PPV cards of the past couple years). Add in an advertised undercard that is more fitting for a free TV Fight Night, and you have a card that can rightfully be labeled "bad" by a critical observer.
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All you media negative-nancies
Trying to bring down the UFC (And hence MMA) by offering constructive criticism. Can’t wait for Dana to sink his teeth into you. /joke post
What the hell is “poutain”?
cough poutine cough
by CstBoog on Jan 4, 2010 10:13 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Expectations had a lot to do with this battle. This was a fine show and your would hear less about how awful it was going to be if the show were slated for November or October, less by many powers of ten. A fighters debuting as a main event fighter should not be a concern, but for a year end fight, its a big deal. Rashad has been groomed to be a big name fighter, he just came off TUF, KOed Chuck in a big way, He has been the main event in his last five fights. But for some reason Rashad is not accepted as a NYE caliber main event fighter.
Some people think I am a dumb, ugly human being, but really I am a beautiful ape, with exceptional verbal skills.
"an excellent example of why most MMA "journalism" is a joke. Pseudonyms like "toxic" and shitty writing like that dopey article"--- Joe Rogan.
by toxic on Jan 4, 2010 11:08 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
His band, His Basement, 3 Friends, and a Parent.
(haha i kid i kid)
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 4, 2010 10:24 AM EST up reply actions 7 recs
Ha, that’s pretty funny. I’ve put on some basement shows in New Brunswick.
Oh and United Nations killed it on the 30th. They’re playing in NYC later this month. Fly in for it.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 4, 2010 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
daaaaaaaaaaamn.
I wish i could dude. I wish I could.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 4, 2010 10:50 AM EST up reply actions
thisredengine, have you ever been to Princeton Lawnparties?
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
negative…what/when are they? I WANNA PARTY WITH PRINCETON Post Grads/Undergrads. Partying at Harvard was awesome. But not as awesome as partying at MIT.
it’s the weekend after classes end, before exams begin. so usually around the 1st weekend of May. everyone wakes up at 9am on Sunday, begins drinking, and then a shit-ton of free bands start playing all day. they always get us one big act, too. last year, in order, i saw an AC/DC cover band, a Sublime cover band, the B-Street Band (guess who they cover), Voxtrot, The Walkmen, and Lupe Fiasco, all whilst downing like 12 mimosas. bring sunglass though, because there will be lots of bright polo shirts
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
Is it kind of like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTU2He2BIc0
actually, yes.
a lot more bowties, and substitute the argyle sweaters on the girls for equally pastel-colored sundresses. define irony: trying to tell your visiting friends from home that your school isn’t thaaat preppy, while eating in the John D. Rockefeller dining hall
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
yo so i get to party with princeton kids first weekend of May? Is drinking whiskey acceptable or will I get sneered at?
in the smaller fall version, I woke up at like 11 and needed to start drinking to catch up. i just ate a banana, went straight to Jack, and blacked out by 1:30
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
you party way too hard…i’m an endurance drinker. and its jameson…none of that sour mash crap. and none of that bullshit proddy bushmills shit either.
I got to party with you
While you’re passed out I’ll be screwing your girls and taking your wallet.
bring your nantucket reds, a pair of top-siders, and a forty of Hurricane and throw down
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
shit man
that eightball would be like bringing a bag of “fuck me” dust with which to sprinkle on politicians’ daughters
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
How is this not being Rec'd???
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
Yeah, what bands?
I used to book shows in the basement of my triplex in Omaha. You can’t get the punk/hardcore scene excited about a bunch of out of town bands they haven’t heard of. You’ll get some of the kids who are really into the scene that will go to the show just because they like going to shows and being social, not because of the particular bands.
I think it is a great analogy.
Can’t someone just own up and say they were wrong anymore? Not necessarily talking about you Mike Fagan but more Michael Rome. A week or two ago he wrote an article basically taking Dana to task bc Dana said it would be a surprisingly good card. He went on to name 5 or 6 boring cards that ppl said they thought would be boring in advance and they were. What I have an issue with is he didnt mention all the cards (including fight nights) that ppl said the same thing and they more than lived up to the expectation.
by andrewsj7 on Jan 4, 2010 10:29 AM EST reply actions 8 recs
Totally agree
I’m not sure how the UFC is shoving it in anyone’s faces either. The fact that the card didn’t have a ton of big names couldn’t really be helped. The fights turned out to be amazing and it was all a happy ending. I wish other people could get the enjoyment I do from a great night of fights. If I felt as bitter as some people sound about the sport I don’t think I’d be watching it anymore.
by theplague on Jan 4, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah this was my first thought too. I get what Mike is saying, but in the context of a previous article entitled “The Myth of the Surprisingly Good Show”, the point is dulled somewhat.
by brad23 on Jan 4, 2010 3:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I could understand people having a beef if this was the original line-up for the card and the UFC said “pay us $50 for this, its an amazing card”
But this was essentially open heart surgery done with a hacksaw, and guess what…it turned out pretty descent.
by PM23 on Jan 4, 2010 10:42 AM EST reply actions 6 recs
/\ this
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
still not paying $50
for surgery with a hacksaw.
This was the best Fight Night I ever saw, and one of the worst PPV ME’s I’ve ever seen.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Jan 4, 2010 12:26 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I promoted a lot of awesome shows with a lot of bands you probably don’t know (and maybe some that you do),
Like Green Day and Blink 182?
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
Green Day is Kid Nate’s fault.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
ha
I wish. I did book At The Drive In’s first ever Austin Texas show at the Blue Flamingo in 1994 or 1995. That’s my biggest claim to fame.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I'm more excited about WEC 46 this week than I was about UFC 108.
The fights for 108 turned out to be pretty good but I had a hard time finding myself invested in them beyond the moment they were taking place.
Future Redbirds - tracking Cardinal prospects for Cardinal Nation
The main event was BORING
Outside of Silva making it a fight for the last few minutes that fight was awful. Rashad should never headline again
Rashad did what he had to do. Honestly I was pissed off that Silva didn’t go for the kill when he rocked Rashad. Silva should have won, but screwed around in the last two minutes. The event would have blown up if Silva lost the first two round and finished him in the last minute. I dislike Rashad, he is like a robot, but I don’t think you should get away from how you win to be exciting.
Some people think I am a dumb, ugly human being, but really I am a beautiful ape, with exceptional verbal skills.
Silva was gassed, he has a questionable heart now…
cagar é uma filosofia profunda...
a merda bate na água e a água bate na bunda.
i think this is sarcasm
but if it isn’t, the news that he had a busted back means you can’t say that, broseph
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
yeah, I just found out about that now, so I’ll let it slide :p
Seems like Rashad was also injured, both guys deserves credit for saving 108
cagar é uma filosofia profunda...
a merda bate na água e a água bate na bunda.
How come no one ever blames Greg Jackson?
It’s him who’s telling his guys how to fight and coming up with these “wear them down” strategies. Not to mention, besides GSP and i guess, Nate, his guys tend to get finished (Recently: Riley, Schaub, Jardine, Guida, etc.).
by 831 Son on Jan 4, 2010 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
it wasn't the most exciting fight...
but not boring… People expected a finish after a night full of them, and instead got a grinded out win by Rashad.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
My opinion is somewhat negative, but not towards the promotion.
I am one of those “Breen” guys, I could watch two cracked out monkeys grapple. I watch all and any fights. Fans who need story lines to make fights interesting are not true fight fans. I know those guys are the ones who pay the bills, but I could care less about them. The UFC gets my $50 each month and I never complain about it because they put on great fights.
And I am a Pride guy for all those who will want to call me a UFC nuthugger.
by Nick Travaglini on Jan 4, 2010 11:02 AM EST reply actions 7 recs
I don’t need a story line either, but Imo the main even of a PPV should have some immediate relevance for the belt, like a title bout or a #1 contender bout. It should, but I’d rather see a good fight than a relevant one (yeah I’m like that). When Marquardt destroys maia with one punch in 18 sec, I’m not pleased, not one bit. I come to see a fight and what do I see? A PUNCH! But I digress…
"You hit too hard, too hard, too hard..."
The One
Punch Nate lands on Maia is what makes MMA the best combat sport for me. You make a mistake, you pay with a loss. Lawler got caught with a sub from Shields the same way. Both guys made a mistake and paid. 9 out of 10 times Maia and Lawler don’t make that mistake.
by Riney on Jan 4, 2010 11:41 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
But that is because we are die hard fans who have nothing better to do than to watch everything. You can’t expect everyone else to have the time or the interest as we do, so they use short hand to decide what fights are worth their time: title, number one contender, and grudge matches.
I love movies and can’t wait to see Jacques Audiard’s next movie, but I don’t expect the masses to get as excited by his next film as I am unless he Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt are cast in it or a shitload of special effects.
To me most of the articles I saw that started off calling this card weak or bad had the intentions of writing a negative article before they even started typing.
I mean come on. A fair and balanced article could have included a mention of all the work Joe Silva put in on this card. Or maybe it could have mentioned how dedicated the UFC was to not canceling this show and delivering these fighters the paydays they were scheduled for. Or a number of other positives that surrounded this card if someone choose to look at them.
But I guess if writers intend on writing negative stories they don’t need to worry about all the positives that went on to make this card the best it could be.
Just BE.
by mattman73 on Jan 4, 2010 11:10 AM EST reply actions 7 recs
Since when...
I really hope I’m not breaking a news story with this one, but any two fighters are capable of putting on an entertaining fight. A card like UFC 108 won’t do squat business-wise, but since when was there doubt that the fights wouldn’t deliver quality-wise?
While there are some bouts that on paper you sense could be a plodding decision in the making, I didn’t get that vibe for either of 108’s five main card bouts heading into Saturday night. All that big-name fighters ensure is that a lot of people will watch the event, but that doesn’t go hand-in-hand with the fights themselves being entertaining. Personally, I thought UFC 94 was horrendous last year and that card was stacked to the brim. Yet a card like UFC 91, which many people dismissed as being the quintessential example of a one-fight card, didn’t produce a lick of unwatchable action.
In the case of UFC 108, this was a card that due to the name value of the talent competing, didn’t belong on PPV. But there was still every reason to believe Evans/Silva, Daley/Hazelett, Lauzon/Stout would all be entertaining in their own way. Heck, wind the clocks back to 2005 and tell me just who Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonnar were before the TUF Finale rolled around. Just a couple blue-chip prospects who made it to the finals of a reality show and ended up producing one of the most entertaining fights any of us have ever seen.
by MattitudeOU on Jan 4, 2010 11:10 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
There two parts to why UFC 108 and shows like it for the UFC work, at least among people posting on the net.
a – Its easy to have exciting finishes if you have mismatches. You all but guarantee KOs and submissions with those. The difference between a bad promoter and a good promoter is that a good promoter can convince (tricks?) the fans into thinking they aren’t mismatches, and clearly the UFC does that very, very well.
b – Look at opinion articles; people hate that Clay Guida and Tyson Griffin don’t finish fights. I mean, they got railed on in 2008 and 2009, and I think they’re probably some of the most exciting guys there are. But shows with a lot of KOs and submissions are loved. Let’s be real; people would rather have 3 one round KO mismatches than Clay Guida fighting a 3 rounder with Diego Sanchez or Marcus Aurelio. Is that better? I guess it depends who you are.
Why is Clay
one of the most popular fighters?
Yes Strikeforce does put on a lot of mismatches and sell it, but I dont care. I like fights.
...
That 3-round war Guida had with Sanchez was a legitimate Fight of the Year contender. And won at the UFC/WEC Awards a few nights ago. Personally I go with Brown/Faber 2, but shrug.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Jan 4, 2010 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
The problem is that exciting 3 round decisions are few and far between, while i think you would be hard pressed to hear someone say “well, jeez, that was a dull KO”
I’ve seen plenty more exciting three round decisions than thrilling 20 second KOs. I think most of the fans don’t care though if the fights are competitive. They’re more like Riney above: Bring on the beatings.
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 4, 2010 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
Poutain vs Poutine
Poutine = fries, cheese curds and gravy
Poutain = prostitute/hooker.
Intentional?
Yah i tried to find Poutain in the dictionary, no luck.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
poontang?
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
When I was in Montreal I heard “maudit chose poutain!” a lot. I thought it meant “damn fucking thing!” when instead it means “damn whore thing!”.
Learn something every day.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
You were right the first time around, it probably meant " damn fucking thing", look for putain instead of poutain if you’re looking for all the definitions.
"You hit too hard, too hard, too hard..."
I read Poutain is french for trainee
Some people think I am a dumb, ugly human being, but really I am a beautiful ape, with exceptional verbal skills.
Depends what trade I guess.
Keep firing Assholes!
It’s as if you fell down a flight of stairs, then logged onto the internet.
by Ubernoober on Jan 4, 2010 11:16 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
We say and write “Putain” though, it means whore, a putain is a whore, you use it to talk about a really trashy girl…or a whore.
"You hit too hard, too hard, too hard..."
I think the problem and some of the “i told you so” backlash is because of the attitude some people had (not necessarily anyone here).
It wasn’t a great card on paper, it was far from the best card, but some people were acting like it was the worst card in the history of mixed martial arts, and that there was absolutely no relevance at all in the card.
It’s the problem with this, (and pretty much every time there is a UFC vs the world battle) the people on the extremes of the situation make outlandish statements, people on the other extreme get pissed off and make some more outlandish statements, and then you have a war of outlandish statements when the real issue gets ignored because everyone gets too busy making and defending ideas that are just completely wrong.
by Phildo on Jan 4, 2010 11:13 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Yet you guys have no trouble getting up for Strikeforce cards...
that are all far more irrelevant to their divisonal rankings, even when there are zero injuries?
Mike, you basically just used my entire argument about why I picked WEC 45 over SF: Evolution.
by SidHartman on Jan 4, 2010 11:24 AM EST reply actions 13 recs
"Yet you guys have no trouble getting up for Strikeforce cards..."
Is that why we didn’t even do staff predictions for them?
Take this dogshit argument elsewhere, please. You’re wasting everyone’s time with the projection of fantasy.
by Luke Thomas on Jan 4, 2010 11:43 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Wow...
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
Yet Kid Nate said Strikeforce was leagues ahead of the WEC for showing a card that has no relevance to any title.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
by Lay 'n' Pray on Jan 4, 2010 12:37 PM EST up reply actions
im pretty sure that’s what he said.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
by Lay 'n' Pray on Jan 4, 2010 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
I think all of the internet media is somewhat guilty
of being more leniant toward strikeforce discussion (more forgiving of their faults), and more harsh in regards to UFC cards.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Jan 4, 2010 12:52 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I’ll watch a couple nobody lightweights fighting for a fake title in strikeforce for the same reason I’ll watch nobody lightweights fighting for a fake title in Sengoku, DREAM, the WEC, MFC, and Bellator – because its free. Paying $50 to see Rashad Evans and some nobodies fight on the same TV that all that stuff comes in on for zero extra money? Forget it. Going to the bar? I’d rather mow the lawn. I guess that leaves me the choice of breaking the law and watching it in grainy vision? Blech.
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 4, 2010 2:21 PM EST up reply actions
They aren’t 1080p, I’ll tell you this. Not that I’d ever steal a PPV. No sir.
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 4, 2010 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
So how exactly does a fighter go from being a nobody to a somebody?
by Razreshat on Jan 4, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
By beating fighters people care about on TV. It doesn’t happen beating tons of guys no one cares about on PPV undercards. You get Jon Fitches and Yushin Okamis that way, not stars that will attract attention. This was a fight card of guys who lost to the Jon Fitches and Yushin Okamis of the world fighting each other, along with Rashad Evans fighting That Brazilian Guy™. And that is why the most important thing anyone could say about the show was “Is this an important show?”
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 4, 2010 3:35 PM EST up reply actions
People expect more from the UFC b/c they’ve been around 17 years and are by far the top promotion in the world. SF is an upstart just now coming into it’s own.
"True strength is not always shown through victory. Stand up, try again and display strength of heart."
Rickson Gracie
When Zuffa was in the hole 10’s of millions of dollars Lorenzo would still make sure that no checks bounced and that all commitments to fighters were being fulfilled.
A story will be coming out illuminating exactly what’s going on behind the scenes with Strikeforce and it’s not pretty.
That may very well end… Strikeforce is dicking with a bunch of fighters and once the pot cant hold the steam anymore shits gonna pop.
They owe guys fights for 2009 and money and neither has been delivered… what’s worse is they have no idea how they’re going to keep their new commitments in 2010 and juggle everything together. They wont even explain it to the fighters who are just sitting and waiting. If you’re even lucky enough to get scheduled it’s usually after the threshold of when a training camp should start – you still dont even know who you’re fighting until a few weeks out.
If Dana was doing this, Lorretta Hunt would have already done an 8 page expose on it, written a book about it, and produced a documentary on it.
by mmalogic on Jan 4, 2010 1:20 PM EST up reply actions 11 recs
If Dana was doing this, Lorretta Hunt would have already done an 8 page expose on it, written a book about it, and produced a documentary on it.
So true.
by PM23 on Jan 4, 2010 1:48 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Is there any proof of this, or are you just talking nonsense?
"True strength is not always shown through victory. Stand up, try again and display strength of heart."
Rickson Gracie
This happens w/ any Org. not named UFC. Big deal.
"True strength is not always shown through victory. Stand up, try again and display strength of heart."
Rickson Gracie
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/12/20/1209327/mma-overdose-post-fight-thoughts
“Strikeforce is putting on big time cards. Tonight’s card and the January card are both stacked with intrigue for the serious and the casual MMA fan and compare quite favorably to UFC 108 and 109.”
by Jason H. on Jan 4, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
SF cards should be promoted and covered extensively by this, the world wide leader in MMA news and opinion site.
I have no trouble deciding if I am going to watcha SF card live because it is FREE.
I did consider weather or not to buy this PPV for the reason Fagan and Fightlinker mentioned. Of course I did, and i’d have to say it prob wasn’t worth 60$ although there were some very good performances.
I don’t care about rankings, I care about styles. The last SF had Cung le and I love his style and he delivered. It also had Jacare and he Delivered. Great card.
Getting a little tiresome.
BE’s main post on this was Michael Rome taking Dana White to task for promoting the card and saying it would be better than people expected. It turned out to be way better than people expected.
We get it. There weren’t big names on the card. Presumably the people who didn’t want to buy it (like me) DIDN’T BUY IT. Those who did almost all left happy. So I don’t see the point of reminding us yet again that there weren’t big names on the card. That ain’t the story no more.
by TLow on Jan 4, 2010 11:30 AM EST reply actions 10 recs
Dang
I stopped going to fight linker because it seemed like every other article was just a ton of negativity and hate about the UFC. I don’t really get this attitude of wanting the UFC to fail just because they are the top dog. I hope you guys get one of those counterpoint articles posted because the site is really getting boring to read with every other article obsessing over bringing down the big bad Dana empire.
by theplague on Jan 4, 2010 11:37 AM EST reply actions 4 recs
There is a big difference between wanting the UFC to fail (won’t happen even in the most outlandish scenario anyway) and not wanting to pay 50 dollars for TV-level cards.
by smoogy2 on Jan 4, 2010 11:40 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
I asked
the fighters backstage to fight for free for me, they declined. I went ahead and paid my 50$.
by Riney on Jan 4, 2010 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 5 recs
While UFC108 wasn’t a disaster, I don’t really know how there is so much positive buzz about how UFC108 went down.
I was at a bar full of casuals who pretty much thought the entire nights worth of fights was garbage. Apart from about 3 minutes that encapsulated the wins by dos santos, daley, and 2 mins of the third round of silva/evans, almost everyone I was with spent their time watching a very spirited Texas Tech/Michigan St alamo bowl instead.
If I don’t care about the fighters, then the fights just don’t interest me. I thought 108 would be a bad card and it was, for me. I just don’t give a damn about any of the fights, except Hazllet and that fight did not even go to the ground, so it was a total bomb for me. My def of a good fight may be different than others. I hate the standard boxer/wrestler type MMA fighter. I like lots of cool kicks, spinning attacks, elbows,etc basically anything that’s not Jab,cross,hook,uppercut. I want cool judo/greco throws and take downs, not single and double legs. So unless I care about the fighters, I am hard to please I done guess.
Though that inverted triangle kimura was awesome!
Do you watch much K-1?
Some incredible kicks, elbows, punching and knees. Very very exciting.
I hear Kung fu has a lot of fancy moves.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 4, 2010 12:05 PM EST up reply actions
you're only going to enjoy watching one guy?
I hear Kung fu has a lot of fancy moves.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 4, 2010 1:58 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Here’s the thing- this card was wrecked by injuries, there’s nothing wrong with Dana gloating about it being a good card because it was. If they asked us to pay for cards like this ten times a year then I could understand the bitching but they don’t, this was just something that happened and by the time everyone realized how lacking it was in big names it was probably too late to pull it from PPV. Do you think Dana and Joe Silva wanted to have this lineup? Of course not, but shit happens. It’s nobodies fault that Brock and Anderson got hurt, that’s life. If you’d rather the UFC finalize their lineups a week ahead of time like Strikeforce does then I don’t know what to tell you, what they’ve been doing up to now has been working pretty well and just because they’ve hit a run of bad luck doesn’t mean they’re trying to screw us all out of our money, no one will be bitching once these guys get healthy and they start stacking cards again.
by ufc4 on Jan 4, 2010 12:45 PM EST via mobile reply actions 14 recs
exactly...
I haven’t understood why people are acting like Dana plotted all this for the sole purpose of over-charging for the PPV. It seems pretty obvious that the card took numerous hits that could rival Daley’s destruction of McLovin for KO of the night, and yet the card turned out pretty good.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Jan 4, 2010 12:59 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
You’re right: As long as the UFC has healthy fighters, they’ll run good fights, because good fights sell. As for the thread starting opinion; why do these posts exist? People feel the need to say something about UFC 108 and its so not special or interesting that this is the best take about anything that happened that. “Gilbert Yvel loses” and “Cole Miller submits a guy who isn’t good” aren’t going to draw interest. They don’t matter. No one even cares about them. Dana White and Joe Silva are the only guy anyone wants to talk about before and after. Hell, James Toney is getting more coverage than anyone who fought Saturday night.
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 4, 2010 1:30 PM EST up reply actions
And the best part,
you don’t HAVE to buy it. You can bitch all you want AFTER you paid $50 and it sucked.
by Riney on Jan 4, 2010 6:40 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
So to summarize…
“I wrote before this event came out that it would be bad, and here is another article to prove that I am right. The actual quality of the event does not matter to me at all, because there is a vague ‘importance’ or ‘relevance’ I can use to discredit what turned out to be one of the better fight cards of the year. Being right is far more important than actually reporting what happened”
by Jason H. on Jan 4, 2010 1:16 PM EST reply actions 9 recs
reach for the sky, honkeys
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Jan 4, 2010 2:06 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
OMG
I read that in his voice.
"True strength is not always shown through victory. Stand up, try again and display strength of heart."
Rickson Gracie
LOL
So did I! Ahh… Dave Chappelle… where have you gone??
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
hopefully making more stand up specials, if you havent watched any then go out and buy all of them, theyre that good
"The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look." - Revolver
by flyingkneetoface on Jan 4, 2010 4:16 PM EST up reply actions
My question is:
how could you not?
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
by misterjonez on Jan 4, 2010 9:26 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Pretty much the only thing that becomes clear after UFC 108 is that people with an axe to grind will continue to do so even when they are proven wrong.
It’s laughable that we are now using fights that matter as a criteria when basically most of the fights happening outside the UFC don’t matter to mainstream fans. Yet people lose their minds over these supposedly stacked shows with UFC castoffs and never was fighting each other.
Even lesser fights with guys like Jim Miller and Munoz end up meaning more because both guys have a future in big fights in the UFC. While other events basically have guys that don’t matter even if they hold a championship for another org so either way UFC wins on that count too.
by Raker on Jan 4, 2010 2:16 PM EST reply actions 6 recs
What were the lousy stacked PPVs that other people “lose their minds over” in comparison to the unfairly hated UFC 108?
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 4, 2010 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
It has been fun poking around the blogs and reading everyone who was convinced UFC 108 was going to suck as they now backpedal and try to spin it like they weren’t shitting all over the card and/or act like Dana has no right to say “I told you so” afterwards.
by andherewego on Jan 4, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
You clearly didn’t because the event didn’t suck even the biggest haters can’t strech that far.
by Raker on Jan 4, 2010 2:50 PM EST reply actions 6 recs
I just wish Bloody Elbow writers as a whole would admint to being Anti-Zuffa
if there were a balanced team I wouldn’t care but it’s negative after negative by a bunch of different writers. Something positive won’t hurt once in a while.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
by Lay 'n' Pray on Jan 4, 2010 3:59 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
if you want just positives without any negatives
just go to mmalogic’s profile and read his entries :p
cagar é uma filosofia profunda...
a merda bate na água e a água bate na bunda.
by Orcus on Jan 4, 2010 4:01 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
really don't think BE is anti-Zuffa
but this sentiment doesn’t sit with me. i don’t go to Drudge Report and say STOP BEING ANTI-LIBERAL!!!!!! I just don’t go to Drudge Report at all since I disagree with all they say
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
just seems like recently there has been a flury of negative articles with hardly any counter balance. I don’t want to read one sided arguments all the time or random digs for no reason.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
by Lay 'n' Pray on Jan 4, 2010 4:08 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
WTF Is Going On Around Here Lately?
Its like the Extra Sensitive UFC Defenders have waged an all out war against anyone who opposes their views and their main targets are the BE staff…LOL.
Yeah you got it, champ.
It’s actually more like MMA fans who are tired of BE ripping on good events for no reason.
The writers are being criticized for the constant stream of negative articles about the UFC that have been coming out for the last week or so and look who comes running to their defense, who woulda thunk it?
by ufc4 on Jan 4, 2010 5:56 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
Didn’t know I was defending anyone, but people around here take things way too serious. Its a blog, its their job to post material that will invoke interest, and having the members wage on this war or anytime anything is mentioned regarding M-1, Fedor, Dana, or Lesnar, or criticizing an event are definite ways of doing it. I’m not taking sides, but its getting quite annoying if this trend keeps up. Will posters be judging a story based on a Zuffa-Hate-O-Meter now? Is 6/10 in the hate-o=meter good or bad? LOL.
When the Zuffa is in talks with M-1 article came out, I was the first to post that “Dana Talks M-1” was a better title, since there were NO TALKS between the two. Obviously, I knew the title that was used would garner a ton of interest already, which it did. Either way, I call them as I see them. =)
UFC 108
Good set of fights – very
$50 worthy? – arguable, but definitely a must see
Relevance – JDS & Evans winning are very relevant to their divisions. Daley’s win was good for the WW div too.
Did I like it? – Hell yeah, didnt have to see a Vera/Couture hugfest..
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
by vivero on Jan 4, 2010 6:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Strikeforce
put on a fight with an Ex champ who is 18-1 against a top contender who is 15-1, we wouldn’t call it a fight that didn’t matter.
by Riney on Jan 4, 2010 6:45 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
100% Agree
i absolutely agree with fightlinker…just because they were entertaining fights doesnt mean it was a card i would shell out dough for…my and my brother used to love ShoXC but would be pay for it? nah
Lets just green every comment that doesn't rebutt the main point of the article
UFC 108 had no selling point. Anyone who buys UFC PPV’s with discretion most likely did not buy this card.
The following arguments are not rebuttals:
1. Action happened
2. Not the SF standard
3. BE is a bunch of UFC haters (most inane comment)
4. Hey, UFC management tried hard
5. Hey, UFC management didn’t plan this
6. Dana predicted action would happen
7. No purchase, not a true fan
Dana says the world is flat, lets get defensive and Rec it green.
by bignerd on Jan 5, 2010 1:24 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Yup, and as usual, no one agrees with you.
by SidHartman on Jan 5, 2010 2:53 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The only rebuttal I need
Is that it was a great show, and BE seems to resent that. Sorry if yours isn’t the popular opinion, bignerd, but feel free to make another checklist about it.
by theplague on Jan 5, 2010 5:24 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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