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PELKEY: A Heel for Every Division - Lesnar, Bisping, Tito Ortiz, and others can incite passion in fans
Jul 18, 2009 - 1:29:14 PM PELKEY: A Heel for Every Division - Lesnar, Bisping, Tito Ortiz, and others can incite passion in fans

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On the heels (pun intended) of Brock Lesnar's outburst after UFC 100 and the recent revelation that Tito Ortiz and Dana White have apparently buried the hatchet, it got me (re)thinking about the need for natural heels in combat sports. For anyone unaware, heel is pro-wrestling speak for bad guy. We can't rely on Brock Lesnar alone for that fix. He only fights two or three times a year. Its clear that people tune in and get more invested when there's a bad guy to beat. We need one for every division. A little rundown:


Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar

This one is obvious. Lesnar is a monster. He's brash, doesn't care what he says because he doesn't have to, and he broke the unwritten "code" of MMA that says you have to bury the hatchet with your opponent as soon as your grudge fight is over. He's the new Mike Tyson. You never know what will come out of his mouth after a fight, and on looks alone he's invincible. On top of that, MMA purists see him as some sort of fraud, relying simply on his size and strength to abuse his foes. If you're reading this and your blood is boiling just thinking about Lesnar, guess what, he already has you hooked. You'll buy every one of the pay-per-views he fights on just to see him get beat, and in the process drive up the number of zeroes on his paycheck. That's a vicious cycle.


Light-Heavyweight: Tito Ortiz

I know, I know, he's not in the UFC. But if you think he and Dana just buried the hatchet because they miss their Sunday morning round of golf, you're kidding yourself. Take it to the bank, Tito will be back in the Octagon sooner or later. My money is on sooner. He's been promoting a fall return for several months, and UFC 103 set for September 19th in Dallas is in dire need of someone to match up with Rich Franklin in the main event. The timing seems a little too convenient, no? Dana White wouldn't publicly confirm Tito's comments (he tweeted it) just to make sure we know they're buds again. No, he's planting the seed for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy's return. Ortiz may not be an elite light-heavyweight anymore, but he's an elite promoter of himself, and that irritates people into wanting to see him get beat. Think of Tito vs. Rashad, Rampage, Rich, and Wand. Think there's some box-office potential there?

Michael Bisping [artist Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]

Middleweight: Michael Bisping

Admittedly we may need to find an alternate candidate for this spot after Dan Henderson altered Bisping's jaw at UFC 100, but I'm guessing Bisping comes back talking like he always has. He'll claim he just made a mistake and still maintain he'd knock out Hendo in a rematch. And then all the fervor for Bisping will return. He's a Brit, which automatically annoys many American's for some reason (I thought that war was over), and he seems to be a bit delusional about his own skills. The key for Bisping, if he wants to remain a draw, is to keep it up. Pretend like the Henderson fight never happened. Start calling out any champion you feel like. People seemed to love Henderson "shutting up" Bisping. What better way to tick people off than to open your mouth back up again?


Welterweight: Dan Hardy

I like Dan Hardy because he seems to have embraced this role. He said it himself that he doesn't even have to do much talking because the mohawk and bandanna rub plenty of people the wrong way. He also happens to be British, so its really a perfect storm of circumstances for him. He managed to get so under Marcus Davis's skin, a veteran of 20+ MMA fights and even more professional boxing bouts, that Davis lost focus on his gameplan and dropped a decision to Hardy. Like I said, he gets it. He knows that his mouth and personality will always keep him slightly higher up on the card than his skills would indicate.


Lightweight: Diego Sanchez

Diego has the one quality of a natural heel that none of the other above him can claim: he's really weird. And for some reason, people don't like that about him. Whether its his overboard "YES!" chant on the way to the cage or his moment of meditation while he's being announced, something about the Nightmare just doesn't sit well with the mass majority. I say play it up. Get weirder. Maybe saying a prayer with his opponent immediately following his fights would put him over the top?