Eddie Alvarez And MMA's Culture Of Quitting

I mean…I’m not a fan of the ‘a big win streak raises you in the rankings’ mentality.

He literally crawled up the rankings by not losing for a period of time…I bet that as guys above him lost, he would get placed one spot ahead of him, and the next guy, and the next guy.

I fail to think about whether or not any of the guys in his current win streak were even considered in the top 15…

In contrast a fighter that decides to continue to fight with a broken jaw, broken hand, possible concussion, broken nose is a warrior for giving it his all and “fighting for the fans.”

I don’t know maybe these individuals have a different thresholds for pain?

I don’t know, if a teammate calls another NFL or NBA teammate a quitter then yeah, I guess. But I’m not going to make that call behind my keyboard.

All kidding aside I don’t think he quit.

Wait I just realized that the title said “Culture of Quitting”

Is that an indictment on fighters that tap?

Especially not during a fight. Quitting between rounds is pretty calculated, but mentally breaking in the middle of a fight doesn’t exactly seem like something to crucify a fighter over. You can point to boxing and say they don’t quit, but it’s not like there aren’t plenty of TKOs where you may as well say the loser quit.

I gotta say that the many examples of MMA fighters continuing after cuts and a multitude of other injuries makes me hesitant to suggest the sport has a culture of quitting.

Yes, Cutler quit and I don’t like him.

Not comparable to Eddie Alvarez.

A better comparison would be Jamie Yager and Jay Cutler, to be truthful.

got sick of that championship clause

No Aoki fight?

trollface.jpg

While Dan Henderson was the total opposite I think fatigue played a factor in the Alvarez ending. His body probably couldn’t take anymore.

thats where well determine if he will fall into the top 5, i believe his style does grant him that potential, im really looking forward to El Nino moving to UFC and it would be great if Alvarez can follow, stacked LW division yo!

I don’t think there’s any controversy here, although the way you write it up is guaranteed to send some people for a spin!
so what gives exactly? u here now cos Helwani and co are gonna take the top table with MMA fighting?

It’s only the extreme few who think that tapping to subs is weak, and giving up an easy sub is usually considered an honorable way to go, but tapping to strikes just seems reviled. Don’t get why.

Welcome back, nonetheless…

But I remember reading somewhere that champions, former champions and challengers fighting for the belt are still locked into their Bellator contracts. I could be wrong about that

Regardless, from past interviews, it seems that Eddie doesn’t really want to go to the UFC anyways. So hoping he signs with them may be a moot point

If anything, people got on his case, including the athletic comisison b/c he publicly admitted to quitting in a championship match of some promotion. I remember perfectly how the MMA fans jumped on the guy and called him all sorts of things.

I’m not sure I believe that the MMA fandom permits quitters.

And for the record: I encourage quitters averywhere—if it ain’t for you, it ain’t for you.

Good to have you back Snowden!

I don’t really see anything wrong with quitting by giving up your back and an RNC if you have taken a hellacious beating and is broken mentally and physically. It was the fourth round in a fight where Alvarez had taken a lot of damage, been dropped multiple times. Personally I can’t fault the guy for looking for a way out under those circumstances. It happens. I actually think it should be even more acceptable than now to quit between rounds or tap to strikes if you are getting destroyed completely. Most of these guys aren’t making enough money to take such a huge toll on their future health. Just my opinion.

Why write this now? There are plenty more clear cut cases where a fighter decides to get out early. You seem to single out Alvarez despite the fact that he was clearly seperated form his senses a moment earlier. You said he gave up his backw/o being struck at all. Were you loading the bong while Chandler was delivering his GnP? Sure it was dissapointing Eddie didn’t try hip escaping but no way I’m going to call him a quitter after watching the way he fought back from the verge of defeat earlier.

Could you please test your theory. Have Chandler crack you with a standing right , deliver some GnP and then see if you can still properly hip escape . You have no idea what he pressure was on Alverez’s neck /windpipe but you want to declare his tap as looking for the 1st opporitunity to quit and different from other last resort taps in mma. Instead of calling out the heart of Alvarez why not just assume the more plausible explaination that he made a mistake while he was rocked and Chandler took advantage?
  COmparing the situation to Hendo/Shogun is bullshit because Hendo was not rocked and Shogun had very little strength to even attempt a sub. Just answer this…did Hendo quit against AS? I say no.
BTW I think corner stoppages should not be frowned upon at all. I dont think BJ is a quitter is was just beaten senseless.

Maybe I’m being a little unfair to Alvarez, but I think we need these types of fights to show us what a fighters heart is truly made of. Look at the difference between what Alvarez did and what Frankie Edgar did.

I don’t think Alvarez quit but he certainly didn’t defend the choke or mount as effectively as he could have.

but not Alvarez. He was dazed.

is only one Henderson, and there will never be another.
Scottish blood ftw!!!

How would an MMA journalist know anything about what goes through the mind of an actual MMA fighter? I really dislike the fact that Jonathan Snowden didn’t even bother to give Eddie the benefit of the doubt. I’m not suggesting that he didn’t quit, but I think it is very disrespectful and very unprofessional for Snowden to pretend as if there is no room for doubt. Did Snowden forget that Eddie was rocked a few seconds prior? Or that he continued to get hit with shots once he was mounted? Perhaps that would explain his lack of defense on the ground, no? According to Jonathan Snowden, of course it doesn’t. It’s always BE where I find the most ridiculous articles, by the way.

I remember watching it that Alvarez had many chances to quit during the fight. I would need to re watch the end though. I don’t really care though, if you’re done, the fight is over anyway.

When Bowles fought Faber last night, I kept thinking the dude with no heart vs a guy who has truly shown the heart of a champ.

I really have no idea whether Alvarez deliberately quit or whether he was legitimately dazed from the punches and not really in control of himself.

But as to this question of whether I’m OK with a “culture of quitting”—why on earth wouldn’t I be? Mental toughness is a huge part of this or any other sport.

Asking if I’m OK with certain fighters’ minds shutting down when they’re in trouble is like asking if I’m OK with some fighters’ bodies shutting down after they get hit really hard in the jaw.

Some people can take punches, some can’t. Some can weather adversity, some can’t. It’s part of who they are as competitors. What is there to object to here?

If you knew anything about BJJ, you’d realize that the chances of a hip escape working at that point in the choke would’ve been very, very slim. If you rewatch the fight, please notice that Chandler applied more pressure to the choke by arching his back; that combined with Alvarez aleady being FULLY extended is what sealed the deal, notice Alvarez’s legs are not even touching the ground when the choke is sunk in. Also, attempting a hip escape while being mounted could’ve worked if Chandler had not had his legs underneath Eddie’s hamstrings, that is what you retain your mount. I’m simply disappointed in how a MMA writer can, within one day, almost tarnish the reputation of a great fighter, who has a reputation of overcoming adversity every time he fights. As for questioning why Eddie gave up his back, I believe its ridiculous that Snowden didn’t mention the elbow that Alvarez ate right before he turned his back. And by the way, why would Snowden question Eddie’s motives of turning his back? As if Snowden believes that a fighter’s best chances, once mounted, should be to stay mounted as opposed to turning their back in order to avoid punches. Oh wait, Alvarez should’ve waited until Chandler starting punching him from mount before he decided to give up his back, right? The chances of surviving a fight increase when you’re NOT mounted, even giving up your back is a smarter option. Snowden certainly sacrificed his integrity for attention in this article…

Right.

The guy who not only came back from being rocked in the Hansen and Kawajiri bouts (not to mention a million others in which he was hurt), but also came back from being dropped on separate occasions IN THAT VERY SAME FIGHT, suddenly proved that the reputation he’s earned over his whole career was actually a farce, and became a quitter in Round 4 of that fight. Makes sense.

@TheTomasRios:
Alvarez quit against Chandler. It’s not like Chandler wisely underhooked the far-side arm to cut-off any escape routes besides rolling…. You’d think Chandler had a concrete base and rode the hips to force Alvarez into trying to pull his hips out which left his neck exposed. … It’s not like when a guy is riding your hips from mount one of your only moves is gambling on shrimping your hips free. …. This has been my passive-aggressive public sarcasm announcement. Please watch and analyze tape. It’s pretty easy. That is all.

@mmaencyclopedia
@TheTomasRios You’re an angry nobody. It sucks to be obscure and incompetent – how do you even maintain hope?

Nice to see you back posting on here!