The Weekly Wrap: Sept. 4 - Sept. 10

Quoteworthy

"Nik Lentz didn't come to fight Andre, he actually came to avoid one at all costs, like he'd be shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize and didn't want to mess up his chances of winning it. Lentz grabbed hold of Dre's leg for three coma-inducing rounds, which the ticket-paying public clearly didn't appreciate. … In the UFC, you should go for finishes. You should work for 15 minutes to knock your opponent out, submit him, or improve your position to give yourself the best chance of doing either. But there's guys out there who just want to use wrestling to hold a stalemate for 15 minutes, without ever risking going for ground and pounds or attempting submissions. This isn't 'cheating within the rules' -- it is actually against the rules. 'Timidity' is outlawed in the Unified MMA rules and what better describes the act of holding on to an opponent and waiting for the clock to tick down with no attempt or inclination to do any damage?" -- Dan Hardy writing on Thisisnottingham.co.uk.

“Well, I mean, I think that's just coming from someone who isn't a good wrestler. I think wrestling is a big part of MMA. And you shouldn't complain about it. You should learn it and learn how to defend against it. And, you know, I was unable to defend the takedowns from my last fight, and that's why I lost the fight. And now I'm going to be more prepared to defend the takedown, no matter who I'm fighting. And I've worked hard on my wrestling, and I continue to work hard on my wrestling. So I think with mixed martial arts, we see waves or changes, trends in the sport where one minute it's the strikers that are dominating the sport, and all of a sudden then it's the wrestlers, and then it kind of goes back and forth. And I think it's just something you have to pay attention to and be prepared for.” -- Nate Marquardt responding to Hardy on a UFC conference call.

"Emotionally, I'm hurt. I'm hurt more than anything because I don't know why. As a man, you just want to hear why so you can understand. … I've lost a lot of things this year. I went from losing the biggest fight of my life to losing my dad two weeks later to losing my best friend a week after that. I lost a coach, and now I've lost my job. At this point, it isn't the worst thing that could ever happen to me. There are people who would kill to be in my situation, and I just have to stay positive and keep moving forward -- tuck your chin and keep moving forward.” -- Todd Duffee to MMAJunkie.com on his release from the UFC.

“Government officials were a Class-A example. You know, people have these misconceptions about our sport. They think that our athletes are all on steroids. They think that the competitions aren’t fair. They think there isn’t a Unified set of rules. But once you sit down with them and you talk with them and you provide them with the details, you provide them with the facts so they can make informed, objective, rational decisions.” -- UFC Canada President Tom Wright to The Fight Network on the sanctioning struggle, as transcribed by FightOpinion.com

“The greatest problem I find with Mixed Martial Arts is that it’s violent. And I believe that violence begets violence. … What attracts people to Ultimate Fighting, unfortunately, is violence. And violence is not good for our society.” -- New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly on his opposing to legalizing MMA in the state to “Inside MMA.”

“How should we as Baptists regard the growing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)? Simply put, we should hate it. … Violence for violence's sake, as opposed to instrumental or redeeming violence, desensitizes the viewer to the graphic horror of watching two people pummel each other for the sake of entertainment. UFC and MMA offer exactly the kind of violence condemned in Psalm 11:5. Ezekiel 7:23 decries, ‘the city is full of violence.’ Why are Christians supporting violence in the city?” -- Adam Groza of the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary writing for The Baptist Press.

“Unfortunately, because our sport is sexy, people use it in the wrong way to get ratings, and the really cool stuff gets shelved. There’s nothing all that sexy about bowing and respect. Whole groups of kids think you’re supposed to act crazy and violent and curse and that MMA is just to beat someone up. MMA is about the journey of respecting yourself and your fellow man. You can’t do this sport without a trusting opponent, a trusting partner and a trusting team. MMA is about being a better human. It’s a dichotomy -- we need to respect each other to beat each other up.” -- Frank Shamrock to Sherdog.com.

"Damn, man. … I'm gonna be honest with you: if I ever stop fighting in Japan, I won't fight for another event because I have no interest. My plan is jiu-jitsu, I love jiu-jitsu. Whatever I can do to help jiu-jitsu, I'm gonna do. Dream is a great event, but they're going through a difficult situation there, I don't know what's happening. … I don't know if I would fight in the United States, because at my weight … they don't pay decent.” -- Bibiano Fernandes to Tatame.com

The Week Ahead

After a few slow weeks for MMA action, the week ahead is bursting with happenings. Worthwhile offerings from Shine Fights, Shark Fights and Maximum Fighting Championships this weekend are followed by a UFC Fight Night event and the premiere of “The Ultimate Fighter 12” on Wednesday. Plus, Bellator Fighting Championships determines the finals of its heavyweight tournament.