Dotseth’s Blog: There is One in Every Crowd
Sometimes I can’t figure out fight fans. I say that as a fan myself. I’m not talking about everyone, just a certain group that seems to be getting louder and louder. Spend a night watching the fights with your friends or at a sports bar and I guarantee you will hear some of the following statements…..
THAT FIGHT WAS STOPPED WAAAAAY TOO EARLY!- I heard this twice last week. I heard it first during The Ultimate Fighter finale in the fight between John Dodson and TJ Dillashaw and I also heard it in regards to the boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto. Let’s start with the Dillashaw fight which I admit was a crazy ending. Dodson landed a forearm right above Dillashaw’s ear knocking him to the mat. At that point Dodson pounced and landed a couple of more punches before Herb Dean stepped in and called off the fight.
For as many fights as we fans watch during any given week, Herb Dean probably works twice that number. He is the guy Dana White called “The best in the business”. If Herb Dean says TJ has had enough that’s good enough for me. Dean is a former fighter, and has been in the cage for hundreds if not thousands of fights. He knows what to look for, what the warning signs are that a guy is truly hurt. I remember when Herb joined us on Clinch Gear Radio a couple of months back. When talking about what makes a good referee, Herb said “The guys who stop a fight one punch early instead of one punch too late”. TJ Dillashaw will fight again. I’m sure his pride was hurt, but other than that he will be fine. That may not have been the case had Dean let Dodson continue his assault. Joe Rogan mentioned Dillashaw was on very shaky legs when he got up off the mat
In regards to the boxing match, Margarito’s fans have been crying for the past couple of days about his fight with Cotto being stopped after the 9th round. Keep in mind that their hero was down by at least 5 points on all judges’ scorecards, and his surgically repaired right eye was swollen shut. They are mad because he wasn’t carried out on his shield. I like Margarito because he never stops talking and his comments after the fight were very funny. That doesn’t change the fact he had no chance to come back and win that fight. Let’s hope the damage done to his right eye is not too severe. “The Tijuana Tornado” is good for boxing and I hope the doctor’s decision to stop the fight allows him to fight again down the road.
Here is another stupid thing I hear all the time…
_________ has already beat________ so there is no reason for them to fight again.
Spoken like a true fan. A fan that forgets it may be called the fight “game” but it’s very much a business and when done right a very profitable business. You can fill in the blanks with hundreds of names on each side, and admittedly there are times when the above statement would be true. It does not apply to Anderson Silva though when talking about rematches with Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson. I’m biased as a friend of Dan’s so for this blog I will focus strictly on Sonnen. When I hear Silva’s camp (and fans) saying there is no reason for a rematch I just laugh. Sonnen was cruising to an easy victory when he made one mistake allowing Silva to retain his title. It was a perfect example of how easy things can change in an MMA fight. That is reason enough for a rematch. Was Sonnen lucky? Was his performance for 4 ½ rounds a fluke? Was the champ sick or injured? Let’s match them up again and find out. The other part of the puzzle is by far the biggest piece and that is the trash talking abilities of Sonnen. Ever since that night in Oakland, Sonnen has been talking and talking in an attempt to get a rematch. When he grabbed the mike at UFC 136 in Houston and said….”Anderson Silva…you absolutely suck!!” The crowd went crazy. Do we need every contender in the UFC grabbing the mike and acting the same way? Of course not, but in this case it works. It makes us want to see the rematch and it makes Dana White and the rest of the UFC see nothing but dollar signs. If this fight is held in Brazil, it will be the single largest gate in UFC history. Silva is a hero in Brazil and Sonnen will have no trouble wearing the black hat as he rides in to town to get the title he believes is his.
For people to say this fight doesn’t need to happen is crazy. Do you really think Dana White is going to let that fight slip through the cracks? No chance. Go look at the middleweight division at UFC.com and tell me two names you would pay $55.00 to watch Silva fight. Alan Belcher? You want to see Silva fight Ed Herman? Both are tough guys that I always enjoy watching fight, but I’m not paying $55.00 to see them fight “The Spider” and Dana White knows it.
It’s great to talk s**t with your buddies while having a couple of beers watching the fights, I’m just saying its even better when you know what the hell you are talking about.
