The price of winning
by DirtyML on Aug 1, 2011 6:06 PM EDT
Email
PrintThe downside of being successful is that people scrutinize you for everything. Regardless of how you win, it's about how you win. If you win a fight emphatic fashion, people will forget about your losses and less entertaining wins. However if you win 13 out of 15 fights with 1 draw and 1 loss, people will think your style need adjustment, they will think you do not deserve a shot at the title again.
In comparison to your opponent, who out of 5 chances in the same division has lost 3 of those fights, drawn 1 and won 1, but somehow the fans seem to think he is more deserving, and this is the problem with the sport. -> The Jump
We have a fan favorite vs a grinder wrestler, some people think he is boring and not exciting, but is this a real sport? or is this an entertainment industry? Or can it be both? The problem is that no one is really sure. Jon Fitch is a very dominant fighter who has dominated everyone besides GSP and BJ Penn. BJ came out of the fight with a draw, and was given a beneficial next shot at a contender named Carlos Condit.
But why? He has only won 1 fight at WW in the last 7 years. Jon Fitch has won 12(11 if you count Alves not making weight). How is this a sport? How can a man who has won 1 fight be ahead of a man who has won 12(11) at the same weight class? It does not make sense, this is not a ranking, this is a popularity contest.
If wrestling is this boring and such a sieve to the sport, why not try to create a sport wide rule change? Have a shot clock?
If Fitch is the proverbial George Mikan, then change the rules, give him a timer in the guard, maybe it will make him more exciting too, but don't ruin his opportunities because you want to sell more PPVs, it not only diminishes the sport, but diminishes the purpose of watching it.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
13 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
i was with you until i read
jon fitzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzhuh, what?
i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.
by gspmademegay on Aug 1, 2011 6:38 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Fitch is injured, and BJ will fight anyone.
BJ hasn’t lost to anyone who’s not a current or former UFC champ ever, and while he’s lost twice to GSP he looked better than fitch. Ask yourself, do you really think Fitch can beat GSP? Now while i still don’t think BJ will i think the fact that he did better against Fitch (Till the last round) shows that he’s still improving. I’m way more interested in seeing BJ vs GSP 3 than Fitch vs GSP 2.
"I can kick you really hard." - Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Damn . . . where do I begin.
First, I like the statement “BJ hasn’t lost to anyone who’s not a current or former champ.” It’s cool because it sounds like something a fan would say. And it just makes me think about his loss to Frankie Edgar. Hmmm, do I think Gray Maynard would have been able to do the same thing and defeat BJ Penn? Yes. Either way, your statement would still hold because Maynard would be champion because he beat Penn. I get it but the statem just strikes me as odd.
BJ vs GSP 3 as opposed to Fitch vs GSP2:
Ok yeah, I would like to see both fights BUT . . .
- GSP is faster to the punch than both Fitch and Penn. GSP wins.
- Edgar exposed Penn and that fight explains why HE WILL NEVER BEAT GSP. Penn likes to sit in the pocket. Maybe the young, brash, flashy Penn would destroy your Edgars, Maynards, & Millers of the world but something tells me that you can not teach this old Penn any new tricks. Penn has no answer for faster fighters.
- Fitch striking has never improved. I think he should move to Thailand as opposed to train there for a month or two. Or heck, go hang out with the guys at Golden Glory. I think he was fortunate to escape his fight against Mike Pierce with a decision.
- I don’t know. I could really analyze or over-analyze GSP vs Penn|Fitch but GSP totally owns them. Period. But with that said, Fitch FREAKIN DESERVES his rematch with GSP. How many more opportunities does Penn needs before he realizes that he just needs to marry Maranovich in a legal gay marriage in New York and work his way back towards the LW title.
I tend to be biased towards strikers . . . exciting strikers.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
by VeeisAnimated on Aug 2, 2011 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
when people hear fitch they start sleeping
when people hear about b.j. fucking penn they go. man if he is in shape he might go crazy and crush someone.
by BIGNAT on Aug 1, 2011 10:02 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
bravo, man, bravo!
i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.
Shamrock V Toney....
While a blatant freakshow, might give us a clue as to whether time limits on wrestling can make for a good fight…
First of all
Let me say I agree with you, it should be based in ranking….
However, two things came in mind as I was reading your piece. One, it is a popularity contest, DW is always going to look at the bottom line numbers, sorry man.
The second is, I think its easier for them to make these matches rather than making changes in the MMA unified rules.
Your thoughts?
"Bewildered" Joe Rogan's new favorite word.
I like the title of this post.
I like Jon Fitch but I have to agree with gspmademegay’s comment.
I tend to be biased towards strikers . . . exciting strikers.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
I know how to get Fitch to be much more exciting
Have him fight after Woodley
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
Heeeeyyyyyoooooo
Let the fighters fight, let the referees ref, but dear God, don't let the judges judge.
Did I miss something?
When was Penn/Condit announced as a contender’s bout?
Secondly, since Fitch is injured and is unable to take a fight right now, you can’t complain about this matchmaking.
If Fitch gets matched up with the likes of Ebersole or a comeback fight for Story or some such that obviously has no title implications, I’ll be right there to bitch about it with you. But until Fitch truly gets screwed over again like he did after the Alves fight, you really don’t have a leg to stand on.
You know what, chris81203? You confuse and infuriate me. - James Brady (Ninjames)
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
Let's Think Big For a Moment
Good [point
there are some serious flaws to How the rankings are detrermined
and How the title cahllengers are therefore determined.
I suggest that somewhere along the line between this second and the End of Time
MMA beginning with the UFC
needes to say “Here, these are our current top 10 fighters in each weight class”.
law 1 – From that point on to Get in the top 10 you must defeat someone in the top 10
or
law 2 – be promoted because someone in the top 10 was upset by a darkhorse and dropped from the 10.
To avoid fighters just sitting there on their ranking
law 3 – there would have to be a mandatory time period (say 6 months) to sit idle without engaging someone else in the top 10,
law 4 – the winners would move up,, the losers move down.
law 5 – Anytime a number one ranked fighter beats another top five guy
he is lined up for the next available title shot
law 6 – anytime any top 10 guy beats the number one guy he is lined up for the next available title shot.
law 7 – No title shots unless you beat number one
and
law 8 – number one has to fight or get demoted. – see Law 3
law 9 – A top 10 giuy who defeats a non-top 10 doesn’t go up unless Law 2 has occured
law 10 – a non-top 10 who defeats a top 10 guy moves in at number 10, with the guy he beat dropping out and everyone else formerly below him moving up one slot
By using thse 10 Laws, everyone from fan to fighter to promoter would know exactly where everyone else was and what they will have to do to first get ranked then get a title shot.
there would be no more “sudden” challengers such as Belfort nor denied number one challengers like Fitch being bypasswed.
The promoters job is to Promote and if they cannot promote using this system then they are just financiers, guys that put the money up.
add in a
Law 11 – Finishers (KO-TKO-Sub) get Big Bonuses and there will be less “scoring just enough to win without risking anything else” in the fights
and
Law 12 – Pull out for any reason (injury, sickness not-fight-a-teammate etc.) and you go to the bottom, back to number 10 and start your climb all over.
may as well add
Law 13 – All Champs must defend once every six months (starting from the time the system is put in place or from the time the belt changes hands)
or have the championship suspended until they are available
and the interim champ and very next challenge determined in a number one vs number two match-up.
If the belt holder cannot or will not face the Interim within 12 months of winning,
just strip him, dump him from the top 10 and go on with the process
Implement these or very similar guidelines and wham-bam thank you m’am
instant credibility,
instant clarification of how it all works
and instant fan approval
as one number one challenger or champ goes out,
we know who is up next
No special picks by promoters
no instant title shots
no nursing injuries or sudden surgical needs
Excluding the marketability of Penn vs Fitch...
Penn still has a better resume than Fitch – not to discount Fitch’s impressive resume. Penn is the former WW champ. His win-loss record in the division might not look the greatest, but he was only ever fighting the best: Matt Hughes and GSP. In fact, most of Penn’s fights are either title fights or number one contender fights – kinda like Randy Couture. Fitch’s best wins are Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez. Penn has been fighting higher levels of competition for most of his career.
Personally, it sucks that Jon Fitch doesn’t get another title shot – on the other hand, I don’t think he has shown the improvement necessary to defeat GSP.
"i hate signatures...that, and hypocrisy"
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
