MMA Journalism - Removes MMA Goon Culture Stains In Only One Application

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Save Russian Jews: Jun 7, 2007; who the fuck is this guy anyway, i can't even see his face; Lipstick Apathy

Hi friends, it's me, your resident master of the Mixed Matzah Arts, reporting on this great thing known as "MMA Journalism."

NEWS SITES

THE GOOD

mma.ly - An mma link aggregator. Think of it as a twitter feed for copied and pasted twitter feeds. :ocelot:

MMA Junkie - The MMA branch of Yahoo! Sports, MMA Junkie is, despite its name, not a bad source for straight news. They are the ones breaking most of the stories parroted by sites in the "BAD" category. Not a tremendously bad place to get your news, if you don't mind the scrolling occasionally moving like you're climbing with a pick and hammer.

Sports Illustrated MMA & Boxing - Actual professional-looking video, regular contributors to television shows like Inside MMA, usually pretty straight with news. The only real problem is their website is a loving travesty

Fight Opinion - Decent MMA analysis and occasional breaking news. Built-in link aggregator, clean design. Opinion pieces usually are not of the "what the gently caress?" variety.

Fighters Only Magazine - No lovers allowed. Neat videos, legitimately skilled analysis and opinion pieces that aren't formulated in the brain of an overweight manchild who dreams of one day being A True Blogman. Good for retrospective analysis, pictures of almost-naked men.

BJPenn.com - Used to be a really, really bad information overload, but it's become somewhat better over time. Not a lot to talk about, but covers MMA on all levels, and manages to not be particularly atrocious while doing so.

The Underground - This isn't up here because it's a good news site, it's just a good place to know about when someone says "[famous mma figure] is being trolled to poo poo on the UG." This happens often, and has cost at least one person his job (notably, this was not the public figure who said "My use of the word 'cunty' [to describe some woman blogger] in retrospect was unfortunate").

Other "good" sources I am not knowledgeable about (feel free to post about them and I will edit them in):
Tatame
GracieMag International

THE BAD

Sherdog - Do any of the following describe you?
- I enjoy bad forums
- I accept Jordan Breen as an authority on things besides gel
- My monitor is turned sideways
If any of those seem to fit, you might be a Sher Dog. Sherdog gets a bad rap around here mainly because it is the mass-market mma forum, where everyone brings his bad opinion and argues about it until he is banned for something innocuous or something. They have a fightfinder, which is like wikipedia fighter records except with disgusting stylesheets.

Bloody Elbow - "Pound-for-Pound the Best in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Commentary, News and Community" (notable fact: web sites do not have a tangible weight and likewise bloodyelbow has no tangible commentary, news, or community). They are sports webring SBNation's MMA arm, and are staffed entirely with people you do not care about and do not know. As such, they're more like a blog than a news site, with a bunch of opinion pieces and "[other site] is reporting that..." articles. When left to their own devices, they occasionally come up with things like "Why the UFC is not to blame for Nick Diaz going crazy and disappearing".

Middle Easy - It leads in well, with a sort of mma aggregator at the top (of only their affiliated sites). And then you get comic book font. loving. everywhere. It's not too terrible most of the time, but then there are news posts that get bumped by Someone actually pulled off a piledriver in MMA, and we have the video right here... Also home to top ten lists-- no, a different kind of top ten lists, like "Top Ten Ranger Up Videos That Will Make You Happy America Killed Bin Laden." Y'know, in case you were indifferent and needed a military wankfest to push you off the fence. It's like MMA Cracked.

Cage Potato - Think of this as a combination of all the other "bad" sites I've mentioned. It is a multi-person blog at best, reaching such journalistic heights as this Pulitzer-Prize-worthy article.

Literally everyone else - Seriously.

THE GARV

However, the sites are only part of what makes MMA Journalism what it is (terrible). That's best left to the "journalists"...

Save Russian Jews fucked around with this message at 22:46 on Sep 9, 2011

# ? Sep 9, 2011 22:39

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 07:23

Save Russian Jews: Jun 7, 2007; who the fuck is this guy anyway, i can't even see his face; Lipstick Apathy

reserved for Journalists

# ? Sep 9, 2011 22:41

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

I have posted this before, but it needs attention here:

"Is BJ Penn Building Excuses for UFC 123 Bout with Matt Hughes?" by Jonathan Snowden age 7.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/11/15/1815052/is-b-j-penn-building-excuses-for-ufc-123-bout-with-matt-hughes

quote:

Penn wants you to know he's smaller than Matt Hughes. A lot smaller. Never mind that he has begged for a return to welterweight, that some in the sport are whispering he essentially vacated the lightweight title because he couldn't get interested in fights in that division, preferring to return to 170. He just couldn't get interested in the competition at 155. But he also hasn't built his body up to be a legitimate welterweight. He's not ready. And he wants you to know it. The former welterweight champion told UFC announcer Joe Rogan that he was sitting at 165 - and would likely enter the cage several pounds below the non-title limit of 171 pounds.

Yes folks, BJ Penn took two dives against Frankie Edgar to return to 155. He took those dives after Dana told him (at UFC 107) that after a few more defenses he would have the division cleared out and could return to 170. He took the first dive so poorly that some people thought he WON that fight. He took the second dive so well that he got his rear end completely kicked that it couldn't make him look like an immediate threat at 170.

But just look at the article. Rather than just accepting that BJ is telling the truth about his weight, possibly to gently caress up Matt's gameplan when it is too late to do anything instead it is a huge conspiracy. BJ is just making excuses and when he loses Jonathan Snowden will tell you how right he was.

Whoops Matt Hughes got knocked out in 27 seconds.

# ? Sep 10, 2011 00:39

kensei: Dec 27, 2007; He has come home, where he belongs. The Ancient Mariner returns to lead his first team to glory, forever and ever. Amen!

Save Russian Jews posted:

THE GARV

Noooo you said his name.

Also thread tag is perfect.

# ? Sep 10, 2011 02:07

Save Russian Jews: Jun 7, 2007; who the fuck is this guy anyway, i can't even see his face; Lipstick Apathy

kensei posted:

Noooo you said his name.

Also thread tag is perfect.

semi-intentional; I hit preview, realized it happened and was like "this kinda works." FatherDog can change it if he wants.

Save Russian Jews fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Sep 10, 2011

# ? Sep 10, 2011 03:05

Gomi Pile: Jan 19, 2011; by Ozmaugh

interesting fact: i hate carmichael dave because he has the name of an rear end in a top hat

# ? Sep 10, 2011 19:29

Keven. Just. Keven: May 25, 2010; MY GOD. THE WILL... THE FIGHTING SPIRIT... JUST WHEN YOU THINK IT'S OVER, TSM COMES BACK STRONGER THAN EVER.

MMA journalism is just some guys on the internet trying to drive pageviews who've been banned from UFC events. Maybe that will change if the fox thing works out.

# ? Sep 10, 2011 19:32

RevlisYdoc: Jun 24, 2011; This owl. This fucking owl will not stop staring into my soul. Help.

I would like to give special mention to the Rumor Funhouse on CagePotato, in which they admit they run completely false news(?) items with one real story, and then leave it up to you, the reader, to figure out which rumor is true. In essence, the reader has to do his/her own journalistic reporting for them.

They seem to have discontinued it, but I'm hard-pressed to think of another form of journalism where something like that would ever loving fly.

# ? Sep 10, 2011 22:09

CRISPYBABY: Dec 15, 2007; by Reene

Middleasy is alright if you only read the headlines and are just interested in Datsik highlights and other oddities.

# ? Sep 10, 2011 22:18

CRISPYBABY: Dec 15, 2007; by Reene

e: wrong thread.

# ? Sep 10, 2011 22:22

SalTheBard: Jan 26, 2005; I forgot to post my food for USPOL Thanksgiving but that's okay too!; Fallen Rib

I enjoy Pro Wrestling as well as MMA so I enjoy https://www.thefightnetwork.com as well for news. It touches on pretty much all combat sports so if you like boxing TFN is your one stop shop.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 04:02

Shumagorath: Jun 6, 2001

SalTheBard posted:

I enjoy Pro Wrestling as well as MMA so I enjoy https://www.thefightnetwork.com as well for news. It touches on pretty much all combat sports so if you like boxing TFN is your one stop shop.

Did they get rid of Dan Lovranski yet? Their other analysts aren't very credible either.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 04:08

Strenuous Manflurry: Sep 5, 2006; THE END

Jonathan Snowden is a pathetic excuse for a human being.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 04:15

DumbWhiteGuy: Jul 4, 2007; You need haters. Fellas if you got 20 haters, you need 40 of them motherfuckers. If there's any haters in here that don't have nobody to hate on, feel free to hate on me

Strenuous Manflurry posted:

Jonathan Snowden is a pathetic excuse for a human being.

I will continue to post this link until people take notice and lynch Snowden:

UFC 100 - Bad for the Sport

# ? Sep 11, 2011 06:41

Strenuous Manflurry: Sep 5, 2006; THE END

DumbWhiteGuy posted:

I will continue to post this link until people take notice and lynch Snowden:

UFC 100 - Bad for the Sport

The man who wrote the book on MMA, Jonathan Snowden.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 06:57

SalTheBard: Jan 26, 2005; I forgot to post my food for USPOL Thanksgiving but that's okay too!; Fallen Rib

Shumagorath posted:

Did they get rid of Dan Lovranski yet? Their other analysts aren't very credible either.

The Mouth is still around. I had no idea their sight wasn't very credible. I thought they mostly just reposted news from other sites

# ? Sep 11, 2011 14:46

Punch McLightning: Sep 19, 2005; you know what that means; Grimey Drawer

Dave Meltzer's pretty good, right?

# ? Sep 11, 2011 15:07

Gomi Pile: Jan 19, 2011; by Ozmaugh

Rodney the Piper posted:

Dave Meltzer's pretty good, right?

he makes a lot of things up and also he can't spell good

# ? Sep 11, 2011 15:42

Gomi Pile: Jan 19, 2011; by Ozmaugh

also he's the only mma journalist i like.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 15:47

fatherdog: Feb 16, 2005

Rodney the Piper posted:

Dave Meltzer's pretty good, right?

Meltzer has pretty good sources for ppv numbers because of his contacts in the industry from years of reporting on prowrestling. People seem to assume that this means he also has good sources for other mma news, despite him demonstrating over and over that this is not the case.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 19:01

Sprecherscrow: Dec 20, 2009

fatherdog posted:

Meltzer has pretty good sources for ppv numbers because of his contacts in the industry from years of reporting on prowrestling. People seem to assume that this means he also has good sources for other mma news, despite him demonstrating over and over that this is not the case.

Also, it's worth noting that anytime Meltzer attempts to write any kind of editorial or really do any kind of opinion piece instead of just information, he comes off like a gibbering idiot.

# ? Sep 11, 2011 19:48

hunnert car pileup: Oct 28, 2007; the first world was a mistake

Old, but more Snowden awfulness, and the article that finally made me give up reading Bloody Elbow:

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/7/24/1585937/sarah-kaufmans-dramatic-knockout

# ? Sep 11, 2011 20:10

RevlisYdoc: Jun 24, 2011; This owl. This fucking owl will not stop staring into my soul. Help.

Fauxhawk Express posted:

Old, but more Snowden awfulness, and the article that finally made me give up reading Bloody Elbow:

Was this ever posted in the other sports journalism thread? Because I don't think you have to be an MMA fan to appreciate that article. That's just... Horrendous.

E: VVVVV hahaha that clock diagram

RevlisYdoc fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Sep 12, 2011

# ? Sep 12, 2011 05:24

1st AD: Dec 3, 2004; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

Snowden is a professional troll so I think you need to take the things he writes with a grain of salt.

The worst article I think I read is that Bloody Elbow breakdown of how Rick Story beat Thiago Alves - it wasn't a really complicated concept and should have been a one paragraph blurb, but instead there were several pages and a couple lovely diagrams to go with.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/5/31/2198373/judo-chop-rick-story-capitalizes-on-thiago-alves-footwork

# ? Sep 12, 2011 05:33

Save Russian Jews: Jun 7, 2007; who the fuck is this guy anyway, i can't even see his face; Lipstick Apathy

The clock will see a rebirth. You have my word.

Also fatherdog, can you give this an appropriate thread tag that doesn't kinda make me look like a doofus? thanks.

# ? Sep 12, 2011 06:36

the yellow dart: Jul 19, 2004; King of rings, armlocks, hugs, and our hearts

Snowden really is just the worst. I like most of the things posted on Bloody Elbow (plus one of my friends does breakdowns for them) but he was always horrendous. Also any article saying the UFC should have let Diaz get away with what he did because he is Nick Diaz is retarded. This goes in the same category as an article that I'm pretty sure popped up that actually blamed Miller for the fight cageside between him and the Shields camp. The worst part of MMA journalism is that I read "top notch" professional journalists like Peter King or the guy who said the SF Giants fan beaten half to death at Dodger's Stadium had it coming and I realize it doesn't ever really get better.

:smith:

# ? Sep 12, 2011 07:30

DO YALL WANT A BOXC: Jul 20, 2010; HAHA! WOOOOOOO WOOO!; Fun Shoe

Save Russian Jews posted:

The clock will see a rebirth. You have my word.

Also fatherdog, can you give this an appropriate thread tag that doesn't kinda make me look like a doofus? thanks.

i honestly thought it was intentional given that most mma journalism is poo poo posting

# ? Sep 13, 2011 00:15

Xguard86: Nov 22, 2004; "You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"

can we talk podcasts? I still haven't found a podcast that is worth listening to regularly. They are either:

1) Total poo poo, or feature a "call in" segment that drags them down to poo poo level.

2) Half the coverage is pro wrestling, which I do not care about and embarrasses me to have anywhere near my local HD.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 19:57

fatherdog: Feb 16, 2005

Xguard86 posted:

can we talk podcasts?

Feel free, although I don't listen to any so I have no useful input.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 20:00

1st AD: Dec 3, 2004; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

Xguard86 posted:

can we talk podcasts? I still haven't found a podcast that is worth listening to regularly. They are either:

1) Total poo poo, or feature a "call in" segment that drags them down to poo poo level.

2) Half the coverage is pro wrestling, which I do not care about and embarrasses me to have anywhere near my local HD.

The MMA Hour ones are decent but I have an irrational dislike of Ariel Helwani so I don't listen to them. But once in a while he gets something like Nate Marquardt post-TRT and it's fun to watch/listen to.

I put on Jordan Breen for whitenoise while I'm working, the dude tries way too hard to be smart but he seems to hold fewer dumb opinions than other MMA radio hosts (such great heights and all).

# ? Sep 13, 2011 20:21

Gaz-L: Jan 28, 2009

Sprecherscrow posted:

Also, it's worth noting that anytime Meltzer attempts to write any kind of editorial or really do any kind of opinion piece instead of just information, he comes off like a gibbering idiot.

As someone who's mainly a wrestling fan and has a decent amount of respect for Meltzer's writing on that front, I'm kind of curious for this to be expanded on. Is it just that he has unpopular opinions, something about his writing style, or the ever-popular "he's wrong about MMA promotion being like wrestling" thing?

# ? Sep 13, 2011 22:13

willie_dee: Jun 21, 2010; I obtain sexual gratification from observing people being inflicted with violent head injuries

Xguard86 posted:

can we talk podcasts? I still haven't found a podcast that is worth listening to regularly. They are either:

1) Total poo poo, or feature a "call in" segment that drags them down to poo poo level.

2) Half the coverage is pro wrestling, which I do not care about and embarrasses me to have anywhere near my local HD.

I think you just summed up the podcast scene as far as mma journalism goes. Ariels MMA hour is pretty good because he has a lot of pull but thats about it.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 22:46

colonel_korn: May 16, 2003

Speaking of Jordan Breen, no thread on MMA journalism is complete without The Acquired Taste and Smell of Mike Brown (2009)

quote:

Mike Thomas Brown tastes like raspberries and smells like rum.

No, there was not any fruit-themed lewdness at his after-party, at least not that we know of. However, astronomers have recently discovered that in dust clouds at the center of our galaxy, there are quantities of a molecule called ethyl formate, an interesting ester that both contributes to the taste of raspberries and smells of rum.

With his second win over Urijah Faber on Sunday, Brown is now the first great 145-pounder in modern MMA -- the center of the featherweight galaxy. Therefore, it's very likely he's tart to the taste, smells like debauchery.

...

I feel like this is how prizefighting was meant to be: a champion, his challengers and the rest of us vehemently arguing about them. The results now mean something because a standard for the weight class has been set. It's a beautiful, long overdue development for the 145-pound division. Now, in the heart of the featherweight galaxy, there's the unmistakable sweetness of raspberry, and it smells intoxicating -- just like it's supposed to.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 22:49

Triticum Guzzler: Jun 16, 2002

colonel_korn posted:

Speaking of Jordan Breen, no thread on MMA journalism is complete without The Acquired Taste and Smell of Mike Brown (2009)

this is my favourite because it has such a simple premise but it's thoroughly wrapped in many layers of Jordan Breen Presents: The College Experience

# ? Sep 13, 2011 22:52

Grandmaster.flv: Jun 24, 2011

colonel_korn posted:

Speaking of Jordan Breen, no thread on MMA journalism is complete without The Acquired Taste and Smell of Mike Brown (2009)

http://thegarv.com/Fedor-Still-Not-Human.html posted:

June 28, 2010. Stary Oskol, Russia.

Deep in the bowels of a heavily guarded government-owned warehouse on the outskirts of Stary Oskol, in a basement sub-level laboratory located 12 floors underground, Fedor Emelianenko lies motionless on a workbench. He is in "sleep" mode now, his dilithium-crystal power supply having been removed by a team of scientists. Fedor is completely intact, except for his right hand, which lies beside him, its synthetic bio-skin flayed back, revealing the circuitry and computer processors located within its metal-skeleton framework.

The scientists survey the scene. One of them, Dr. Boris Sidorov, says, "We can rebuild him."

If he's expecting a laugh, he's disappointed. His remark is ignored by the other 4 scientists in the laboratory and by the half dozen M-1 Global personnel present. It does, however, catch the attention of General Andreev, who winces at the attempt at levity.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Comrade," says Andreev to Dr. Sidorov. "If you enjoy old American TV shows to that extent, perhaps you will enjoy to be Gilligan? Except your island will be located on the Siberian tundra instead of in the South Pacific."

Dr. Sidorov goes white. "I'm sorry, General. I don't know what came over me."

Andreev grunts, and the scientists go back to work. Sidorov attaches Fedor's right hand to a large piece of diagnostic equipment, via a system of six cables, one attached to each finger and a thick one attached to the wrist. He powers up the diagnostic device and inputs a series of codes into its keypad.

"This should confirm what we believe to be the cause of the malfunction," he says. The machine whirs as it downloads the information in Fedor's hand to its core processors.

"How long will it take?" asks Vadim Finklestein, M-1 Global's founder and Fedor's human handler.

Sidorov shrugs. "The analysis takes time, perhaps as much as an hour."

Vadim nods and then says that he will be back after a cigarette. He and the M-1 executives leave the scientists and General Andreev to their business.

In the waiting room down the hall, Vadim confers with his men. Obviously he's not happy about the loss to Werdum.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he says morosely. "This couldn't happen. Isn't that what they told us time and time again?"

The other men nod. One of them says, "At least Werdum asked for a rematch straight away. This is good. We will avenge the loss."

"Really?" says Vadim. "What if there's another malfunction? Then what?"

Another man speaks up. "Think positive, Vadim. The technology is sound. But malfunctions are inevitable. It's like gun. Every automatic eventually misfires. But afterwards, works fine. Same with Fedor."

Vadim nods his head. Then he reaches into his waistband and extracts a "Grach" MP-443 pistol. He points it at the man's head.

"This gun has been fired more times than Fedor has fought. I assume it should jam at any moment. Do you agree?"

The man eyes the gun warily. He looks at Vadim and opens his mouth to speak, but before any words are uttered, his head erupts in a puff of red smoke. He crashes to the floor as if he's been shot. Because he has been shot. Twice in the head. He twitches slightly then lies still in a pool of his own blood.

Vadim rubs his ears. He looks down at the dead man. "I expect the same kind of reliability from Fedor as I do from this pistol." He looks up at his comrades. "Does anyone else care to comment?"

The room is deathly quiet except for the ringing in every one's ears.

The men chain smoke in silence for better part of the next hour.

Finally one of the scientists enters. He looks down at the body on the floor, but doesn't remark on it. He tells Vadim that the results are in, and all the men file out and head back to the lab.

Dr. Sidorov is waiting for them. He's holding a long printout.

Vadim says, "Well?"

"Just as we suspected," says Sidorov. "The pressure sensor in Fedor's right hand failed. He was relying only on visual information in making his decision to follow Werdum to ground. If pressure sensor had been working properly, Fedor would have known that Werdum did not fall as a result of a punch."

"Then why did he fall?" asks Vadim. "Fedor was in the process of punching him."

"We have examined that issue," replied Sidorov. "The videotape shows that while Fedor was trying to punch Werdum, Werdum lowered his center of gravity a few inches as he backpedaled away. This caused his butt to come in close proximity to floor. For Brazilians, this means butt flop is inevitable."

"Inevitable? How so?"

"Is very hard to explain. Involves quantum gravity. Similar cases have been found in nature, such as when Jupiter exerts its gravitational force on Europa, for example. Or when Manny Yarborough walks by all-you-can-eat sushi place. The immense quantum attraction overcomes normal physical boundaries. Same for Brazilians. Butt, floor, none can defend."

Vadim mulls over this information. "I see," he says. "So when Fedor saw Werdum fall, the faulty sensor indicated that the fall was due to punch and so Fedor followed him to ground."

"Exactly," says Sidorov.

"But how does that explain tap? Fedor not programmed to tap."

"Indeed," says Sidorov. "Fedor did not tap. When he realized that Werdum was not hurt due to punch, his trouble-shooting program kicked in. His was examining his hand and slapped it on Werdum in an effort to restore the sensor, much like you would do to television set. The referee mistook gesture as tap and stopped contest."

Vadim's eye twitches as he stares at the scientist. "Please explain, Comrade, how his trouble-shooting programs can kick in during a fight."

Dr. Sidorov's face grows pale. He stares at Vadim for a moment, as a single drop of sweat rolls down his cheek.

"My fault, Comrade Finklestein." he says, his voice shaking. "It was programming error. I offer my deepes--"

A gunshot interrupts Sidorov's apology. His forehead gushes blood where the bullet pierced his skull and entered his brain. He is dead before he hits the floor.

"Programming errors are unacceptable," says Vadim, looking each remaining scientist in the eye. "Do I make myself clear?"

The scientists nod their heads. Even General Andreev nods in agreement.

Vadim looks at Fedor, then reaches out and rubs the synthetic hair stubble on top of his head. He turns towards the scientists and says, "Give my creation life. Fix all problems in time for rematch. No excuses." Then he turns on his heel and leaves the laboratory, his four remaining executives following.

The scientists busy themselves with preparing Fedor for the Werdum rematch.

This time, there will be no mistakes.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 23:36

1st AD: Dec 3, 2004; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

How old is that guy anyways? That reads like poo poo a teenager would write.

# ? Sep 13, 2011 23:38

colonel_korn: May 16, 2003

quote:

Cung Le has been the butt of a lot of jokes this year. If he wants to lay blame, he need look no further than Gus Johnson, the much reviled Showtime MMA announcer who suggested that a potential bout between Le and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was a dream fight fans had been craving. But the laughs at Le's expense mask a truth worth exploring - Cung Le absolutely belongs in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Sometimes we lose track of the bigger picture. As mixed martial arts fans, we are quick to dismiss almost any fighter based on perceived weaknesses. Even the greats like Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva aren't immune - if the best fighters in history are under constant fan attack, of course Cung Le takes his fair share of criticism. He's a little old to be starting a career in mixed martial arts. He's been carefully matched by Strikeforce to avoid ground fighters. He never really devoted himself to the sport.

In part, those things are all true. Le was carefully booked and focused intently on a movie career that's produced most 'straight to DVD', but also some modest success. At 39, he is absolutely ancient by any athletic standard. Despite these issues, he was the premiere action fighter in a promotion built on action fighters. Imagine how good he might be with full training camps. What will he do when challenged by the best?

Le, one of the stars that helped propel Strikeforce into a national promotion, will get a chance to put his best foot forward in his UFC debut. He'll be fighting in his hometown of San Jose, California, where he's a legitimate star and box office draw. Le has faced some tough fighters in his career. Frank Shamrock is an all-time great and Scott Smith double tough. Neither, however, were among the sport's best at the time. In the UFC, we'll see what Le is made of. His opponent, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort is the perfect opponent to see what Le has.

"I think Vitor's an awesome athlete and an awesome fighter," Le told USA Today's Sergio Non. "I'm very honored to fight Vitor, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity. I'm going to go out there and give it my 185% and put all my hard work and all my dedication that I've put in for so many years and try to shine that night...they put me against a very big name, and it's definitely more exciting. There's definitely a difference between getting put against a big name against someone who's challenging for your spot. There's more motivation. I like these kinds of fights because they motivate me more. The other fights, you go with the flow."

Every fight matters, but for Le, his UFC debut is integral. He's not a prospect that can be slowly built up. Close to 40, his time is now, if ever. Belfort is a legitimate test for Le. And who knows? Maybe Gus Johnson was prescient - it seems likely a win would propel Le immediately into title contention. That dream match with Anderson Silva may be closer than anyone imagined.

e: petition to rename thread to "Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?"

colonel_korn fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Sep 14, 2011

# ? Sep 14, 2011 01:52

Save Russian Jews: Jun 7, 2007; who the fuck is this guy anyway, i can't even see his face; Lipstick Apathy

Honestly, rename this whenever you want, I figured we'd just rotate it with the next retarded thing said by a man on the internet being paid to type about our gay sport.

I'll have the newsmen of mma set in a few days.

# ? Sep 14, 2011 02:14

OG KUSH BLUNTS: Jan 4, 2011

http://mma.sbnation.com/2011/9/14/2424998/mma-fighter-murder-assault-rape-mike-whitehead-brett-rogers-war-machine-zak-brody

Is MMA Goon Culture Staining The�Sport?

quote:

Sep 14, 2011 - A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A little dangerous knowledge can be murder.

That's what two Ohio wanna-be MMA fighters found out when they got into a brawl at a party and one of them ended up battered, choked and left to die alone in the woods.�Now 27-year-old�Zachary Brody is in jail facing murder, voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault charges and the family and friends of 25-year-old Phil Masterson must endure the loss of their loved one.

The press coverage of the Masterson killing hasn't been especially sensationalistic, but the Ohio papers covering the story are mentioning the MMA connection over and over again in every story on the case.�

Here's an example from�The Sandusky Register:

The suspect and the victim both had at least some exposure or training in mixed martial arts, a full-contact sport that combines various forms of fighting, including wrestling, grappling and striking, authorities said.

Even with responsible press coverage though, the singularly brutal and callous nature of Masterson's killing and Brody's use of Jiu-Jitsu techniques to render Masterson unconscious will stain Mixed Martial Arts in the minds of everyone following the story.�

According to affidavits filed by Brody and several witnesses to the crime, Masterson started the trouble by refusing to leave a cabin party when asked and trying to punch Brody. Even if that is in fact true, the response was out of all proportion to the offense. All accounts agree that Brody choked Masterson out then punched and kicked him while he was helpless. When the beating was finished, Brody dragged the still breathing Masterson off into the woods where he was left face-down under a plastic tarp while the party continued.�

No one called 911 that night or all the next day. Medical examiners are unanimous in saying that Masterson could have survived the attack had he gotten medical attention.�

Now let's be clear, dumb kids do horrible things to each other all the time without any martial arts training, but the combination of a little training, a lot of alcohol and testosterone is a lethal mix.

Just ask anyone at the Zephyrhills, Florida party in July of this year who saw 19-year-old aspiring MMA fighter Samuel Smith beaten to death in a carport after challenging 27-year-old Richard Starks, Jr. to a fight.�

Again the local coverage�played up the Mixed Martial Arts connection to the case. However tangential the connection may be in reality, in the media it was an MMA-related killing.

The same thing happened when 1-0 pro fighter�Jarrod Wyatt lost his mind on mushrooms and murdered his training partner Taylor Powell. That story�got national attention�because Wyatt horrifically mutilated Powell's body after the killing, tearing his face off and cutting out his still-beating heart.�

Again, MMA can't be blamed for the actions of any of these individuals, but the connection between MMA practicioners and violent crime is being forged in the mind of the public. Even I, an ardent supporter of the sport and a life-long believer in the role of combat sports in teaching young people respect, self-control and honor, shudder to think of going to high school in a world where all the bullies know Jiu-Jitsu and "train UFC."

If it damages the sport's reputation when wannabe fighters are implicated in violent crime, it's even worse when big time fighters get in the headlines. This week Mike Whitehead, a UFC veteran and star of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, pled guilty to sexual assault in a widely publicized rape case. Whitehead received probation but will be officially registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.�

Whitehead's story got�national and international attention in hundreds of media outlets. Every single story prominently mentioned the UFC.

Former Strikeforce star Brett Rogers stands accused in a violent domestic assault that got him fired from the organization. Rogers asserts his innocence, but the stories were ugly and the image of a 265 pound martial artist brutally beating his wife in front of their children and neighbors is a hard one to erase from your mind, or�keep out of the media.�

And we haven't even mentioned the notorious War Machine, formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, another reality star on The Ultimate Fighter and UFC veteran who just finished serving a year on a felony assault conviction. War Machine, who legally changed his name to his MMA nickname after a copyright dispute with Marvel Comics, had been involved in a string of public brawls -- all of them getting news coverage.�

Most infamously, he ended his brief career as a pornographic performer by beating up numerous of his fellow porn actors at Brooke Haven's birthday party.�The 80,000 Google hits�for "War Machine porn brawl" speak for themselves as regards the damage done to the reputation of the sport by the former Mr. Koppenhaver.�

And Koppenhaver's blogging around that time is very relevant as well. While he's apparently become much wiser in prison, before he paid for his crimes he was unrepentant and anything but an honor to the martial arts tradition. Here's a typical commentary from War Machine circa 2010:

So I have pretty much decided that in the next couple of years I am gonna move somewhere LESS CIVILIZED. After all, civilization and LAWS are in place to protect the WEAK anyway. Me being the Alpha Male, Spartan, SAVAGE that I am...I see no need for this type of B.S.

He goes on to detail an incident in which some passers by made fun of his hair and bemoans the fact that if he assaulted them, HE would be the one facing charges. Ai yi yi.

I haven't even mentioned the infamous brawl in the cage between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and the entire Cesar Gracie camp (including Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez and Nate Diaz) �that got Strikeforce kicked off of CBS. MMA fans may have mocked announcer Gus Johnson when he said, "These things happen in MMA," but millions of first-time viewers took him at his word.

Stories like these as tragic, sordid or farcical as they may be individually, add up in the minds of non-MMA fans to link the sport and martial arts as a whole with violent, unrestrained and very dangerous thuggery.�

When big-time fighters like Koppenhaver openly advocate violence as an appropriate response to being teased in public, it's no surprise that the kids out in the audience are taking that message to heart.�

When those kids are also learning how to punch, kick and choke, that's a dangerous mix.�

Martial arts and combat sports at their best have always included self-restraint, self-discipline, humility and honor as key parts of the tradition for this very reason. If you're going to teach kids how to fight, you've also got to teach them how to carry themselves.

# ? Sep 15, 2011 19:09

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 07:23

1st AD: Dec 3, 2004; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

Who wrote that editorial? The premise is really dumb.

# ? Sep 15, 2011 19:24

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Hammer House: Stinger Splash Zone > MMA Journalism - Removes MMA Goon Culture Stains In Only One Application

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