Hi and welcome again to the Wrap Up! It's time to go over all the Internet's latest events and news from the world of MMA.UFC 86 DILEMMA: JACKSON VS GRIFFIN - WHO TO CHEER?!
Confession time. Some of my favorite fights are when I happen to dislike both of the fighters. I don't feel a need to cheer for either one and can happily watch both of them beat the hell out of one another. It's really a good time!
UFC 86, showing this Saturday night (July 5th) however, puts me in a rather awkward position. For this main event, I happen to really like both of the fighters and I just can't pick between Quinton Jackson or Forrest Griffin.
Does this mean that I'll feel bad for the looser or hope nobody gets hurt? Ummm No. (I think I'll have just as much fun, if not more, watching two of my favorite fighters try to tear one another apart as I would if it were two guys that I truly detested.) This should be an incredible match.
To get us all psyched up, here's a quick Jackson/Griffin montage showing what these guys are capable of doing in the cage.
Of course, Jackson and Griffin aren't the only ones on Saturday's card. Rounding out the fights will be:
- Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
- Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
- Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
- Tyson Griffn vs. Marcus Aurelio
- Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully
- Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller
- Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
- Corey Hill vs. Justin Buchholz
For more on the Event and predictions, let's go to the expert herself, our favorite fight Diva, Joanne from MMAGirls.com
KIM COUTURE FACES HER CRITICS
As we mentioned last week, Kim Couture (Wife of a well-known MMA fighter named Randy) lost a really tough match, in which she suffered a broken nose and jaw. Kim was caught with a hard punch in the opening moments of the fight which caused the injury. However, she toughed it out and finished the match, losing by a unanimous decision.
There was a lot of blood, and Kim’s good looks came out looking… well, not exactly like Cover Girl material.
Let’s face it, when guys get in the cage and end up black, blue, and bloody, most fans consider it pretty macho. We don’t mind the gore and actually come to expect it.
But, when a girl - an attractive girl - like Couture takes a beating, there’s a certain revulsion to the spectacle and even some of the most die hard MMA fans begin to wonder if we really want to watch women participate in this sport.
Earlier this week, Kim made an appearance on ESPN Radio to talk about her fight and debate the the role of women in MMA with Radio Jocks, Cofield and Cokin. As this clip shows, Kim Couture not only has grace and composure in the cage, but is also able to handle herself in philosophical debate as well. (But I still would have liked it if she would've body-slammed one of those fat bozos before leaving the studio!)
THE ULTIMATE DOUBLE STANDARD: THE JESSE TAYLOR STORY
Also mentioned last week was the fact that TUF Finalist Jesse Taylor was removed from the shows final event after a drunken binge in Las Vagas that ended up with him getting kicked out of a casino (or two), allegedly harassing female hotel guests, and kicking out the window of a limousine.
Now, I'm not condoning these actions; I think Taylor is an idiot and a bad example for fighters everywhere. The sport really doesn't need this kind of attention.
However, you gotta wonder why he was kicked off the final show for destroying property when The Ultimate Fighter television show consistently shows fighters destroying the house every season. You gotta wonder why he was kicked of the final show for getting drunk and misbehaving when the show routinely shows fighters getting drunk and playing extremely stupid practical jokes on each other. What's the deal?
There have been reports that Taylor "harassed female guests" at the hotel, however no details were ever given. ('Harassed' could mean calling a woman names and being verbally disrespectful, or it could mean engaging in unwanted touching or it could even mean attempted rape... without more information, there's a whole lot of gray area here.)
One thing is certain; by watching the season unfold, it was obvious that Taylor had a drinking problem. If your unsure of this fact, check out the following clip which highlights (err... lowlights) some of his antics.
(Yeah, you saw right, that was Taylor urinating on himself at the end of the clip. Classy.)
Now, I'm not trying to judge here. I actually support the UFC's decision to toss Taylor from the Final. However, I also think that there's definitely some unfair treatment going on. If the UFC wants to finally take the high road and begin treating it's fighters like athletes instead of drunken sailors looking for a fight, then it needs to treat all of them the same.
No more drunken binges with fighters tearing apart the house, no more stupid pranks designed to instigate violence (which isn't permitted anyways) and no more Springer-like drama just for the sake of ratings. -No wonder non-martial artists think MMA is just a bunch of hooligans in a cage.
Okay, that's my rant for the week. I'll put away the soap box and start getting ready for Saturdays fight... I can't wait!
Check back again next week as we continue to bring you the "Best of the Web in MMA."
Respectfully,
Rick
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