Loyal Sherdoggers came out in full force in response to a recent slate of op-eds. Greetings of "Good job" were measured with letters that began "Dear a-hole." In other words, business as usual here.
On tap for this installment of the mailbag: potential retirees ("You forgot one: yourself," readers helpfully advised), big mistakes ("Your mom's first date with your dad," suggested another) and UFC 68.
Excellent article. Glad to see you taking the IFL to task for their first show fiasco. The MMA community can't condemn that enough IMO. Don't know if you caught the follow up episode, but it was only a slight improvement - they cut out the over the top hype of the first week but tried to cram too much into too short a period of time which resulted in one heavily edited fight after another. They did show the excellent Chris Horodecki (Pictures)-Bart Palaszewski (Pictures) fight, which saved the show. Still, they need to learn how to not rush things and build up their fights (and fighters) *much* better than they're currently doing. They've got to quit buying the hype that "Generation X" and the younger fans behind them can't pay attention to anything without non-stop activity and quick editing. - Jim Murphy
Truth be told, I didn't bother with episode two of
Battleground for the simple reason that tape-delayed sporting events hold no appeal for me. If the IFL can put itself in a position to broadcast live team meets every week during their "season," they could become a viable contender for the UFC's market share. Until then, they're going to be treading water.
There's just an intangible allure to a live show. Maybe it's that anything-can-happen apprehension. When an outcome has been decided weeks or months ago, the adrenaline just stops pumping for me. Judging by ratings and pay-per-view numbers for stuttered programming, I'm not alone.
On the nine that need to retire: what happened to Mark Kerr (Pictures)? Lack of desire? I remember the directorproducer talk on the Smashing Machine extras saying MMA was just something he fell into and that while he didn't like to hurt people, he just happened to be good at it. Is his last event available on DVD? - Tom Force
You can draw a pretty clear parallel between the time Kerr's wrestling stopped being enough to win fights and when his enthusiasm for the game ebbed. He was unwilling or unable to round out his offense to include the necessary stand-up and submission acumen.
Kerr's last fight - against
Mustapha al Turk (Pictures) - was on a Cage Rage card. The event does not currently have a U.S. distributor. It's too bad, as they've had some pretty interesting bouts over the past 18 months.
Just curious if you overlooked Vitor Belfort (Pictures) in that conversation. The guy could have been one of the greats, but now he just looks bad.
- Freddy Cook M
Belfort delineates himself from the pack by (generally) not getting hurt in his bouts. Contrast that to someone like Correira or Coleman, who usually wind up looking like a bruised fruit after dropping a fight. I don't think he should hang it up, but I think everyone should absolve themselves of any hope the "old Vitor" will ever return. He's in Valhalla with the "old Tyson" and Rickson, collecting residuals.
Hi, first off, I truly enjoyed this article because you had a very neutral standing on each fighter. The only thing I would say is wrong with it is Frank Mir (Pictures). I have watched all of his fights that I could find I and truly believe he can get back into his game with time. Now, he most definitely rushed back into MMA too fast, but with a year or so of conditioning and training he could be a contender again. His size and grappling skills make him a deadly foe for anyone. - Chris Stevens
Of all the athletes mentioned as possible retirees, Mir's entry was the most maligned. Many believe he's simply too young to consider any other career options.
I would normally agree, save for the fact that his three return performances since the accident were depressingly ineffective. I just don't see Mir's chances getting any better. As always, I'm eager to be proven wrong. Outside the ring, Mir is an articulate and presentable mixed-style athlete that I was always happy to see in mainstream outlets.
Plus, he never fell asleep during an interview.
Where do you get off telling fighters to stop earning a living for their families the best way they know how? Just cause a guy isn't good or isn't good anymore doesn't mean they have to retire. You owe a lot of people (including the Sherdog.com readers) an apology for that "article." - Jason Romain
Offering an opinion on who might be well advised to retire doesn't quite amount to "telling" anyone to do anything.
Providing they can pass a commission physical, fighters have every right to keep competing; fans and observers have the right to say, Hey, this pay per view cost me 40 bucks. Get someone with a better record in the ring.
It's not just about economics. I dislike seeing fighters whose skills are obviously on the decline tempt fate time and again. You've heard of Stockholm syndrome? This is Sakuraba syndrome.
Elvis Sinosic (Pictures)? That's a bit harsh! If he should retire, 95% of the MMA fighters in the world need to retire, because that's what percentage Elvis would whup. Just because he's fought the cream of the crop and come up short doesn't mean he shouldn't earn his crust in the smaller shows.
If you'd said "I never want to see Elvis Sinosic (Pictures) in the UFC again" I would have agreed with you, but that's a different matter all together and is something you need to take up with Dana and his Bisping-padding-wagon, not with Elvis himself. I hope he KO's Bisping by the way - I doubt he will, but it would serve the UFC right! - Mike
I hope "earning his crust" doesn't refer to some kind of man infection.
I'm a little disenfranchised with the UFC allowing a fighter with a 1-5 record in their promotion to come back in when so many talented athletes are bleeding for a shot in the big show. Elvis has had six chances. Enough already.
If you honestly thought Couture was going to lose, you are a f---king idiot. Sylvia has the reach and the power, but he throws those bombs with sloth-like speed and he also has s---ty foot movement. He NEVER keeps his hands where they should be which is UP, how the hell do you think Arlovski kept dropping him with that overhand right? He keeps his legs too close.
The people that Sylvia has fought did not have the WRESTLING skill Randy does, are you so stupid you don't realize that? I mean seriously, with all his wins, do you honestly think Randy could not take down Sylvia? He took Liddell down repeatedly. With the overwhelming influence of the media, talking about his power and reach, the other fighters were beaten before they stepped into the ring. That is where Randy is a stronger fighter. You know, you guys are sad. I have been wrong with assumptions and estimations probably once or twice, but you guys seem to be wrong every other fight - Cody Raymond
You've been wrong with assumptions "once or twice"? You must make a healthy full-time wage gambling.
I honestly thought Couture was going to lose … though I did make mention of Sylvia's lumbering speed as one notch for Randy's chances. What can I say? The Natural making me - and many others - look like a goof is academic by now.
Great story. The 11th greatest mistake will be Fedor vs. Matt Lindland (Pictures). I just hope Matt lives through it so maybe we can see Matt Lindland (Pictures) vs. Anderson Silva. - Jeff Dretzka
Matt will be just fine. The fight has me morbidly curious: I really think Emelianenko has too much horsepower to be kept down by Lindland, but I also thought the same thing about
Quinton Jackson (Pictures), and Matt definitely had his moments in that fight.
Regardless, it has to be more competitive than Fedor-Zulu.
I can't believe that the Sakuraba-Smirnovas fight was left off your list. (Also possibly the Yoshida-Thompson fight.)
Thank God those fights occurred over in Japan, and that no one ended up getting killed. The wrong official from one of the athletic commissions in the U.S. seeing those fights would be enough to set MMA here back years. - Joon Suk Choi
The Wild West atmosphere of Japan isn't likely to infect MMA in the States. It seems too alien an environment for hyper news media to try and sensationalize. They prefer to butcher stories featuring the apple pie contingent. Anything happening abroad doesn't seem to interest our media too much.
I'm more concerned with athletes stateside leeching major organs out of their body in an attempt to meet weight restrictions. Looking at
Dennis Hallman (Pictures) at 155 pounds or
Joe Riggs (Pictures) at 170 should make anyone concerned for their ability to defend themselves intelligently come fight time. I've seen healthier complexions on runways.
For comments, email jrossen@sherdog.com
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