Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from World Series of Fighting 12; Recent Domestic Abuse Stories in MMA
Aug 14, 2014 - 10:30:35 AM HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from World Series of Fighting 12; Recent Domestic Abuse Stories in MMA

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

World Series of Fighting 12 took place last weekend. Let's get right into it.

GOOD: Bryson Hansen vs. Matt Sayles

Hansen took the first round, but Sayles took over from there. Sayles got the decision win as he controlled the second and third rounds. It was a good win for Sayles, who's only twenty years old and has a lot of potential.

GOOD/BAD: Alexis Vila vs. Brandon Hempleman

The fight itself was enough to give it a GOOD. It wasn't anything spectacular but it was solid. The decision tilts it towards BAD territory for me, as I think Vila won, but it was a very close fight. Not a robbery or anything, but not a good decision in my eyes.

BAD: Elvis Mutapcic vs. Kelvin Tiller

This fight was pretty boring. There just wasn't much to it other than Mutapcic controlling things on top. Mutapcic won the decision.

BAD: Ronny Markes vs. Cully Butterfield

Another crap fight that went to decision. Markes won the decision, but viewers lost by having to watch this drek.

GOOD: Luis Palomino stops Lewis Gonzalez

The finish was exciting, as Palomino connected with a headkick and followup flurry that put Gonzalez out. That happened about three and a half minutes into the first round. Before that, things were very tentative and dull. It was a good way to end the evening, but the event as a whole sucked. I'm reaching with some of the earlier GOOD's, but that's because I'm an optimist.

This card seemed weak on paper and it lived up to that, or down to it, depending on how you look at things. Things get revved up quick as the UFC plans to flood the market with a handful of events in the next few weeks. Let's hope that those events are watchable.

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There have been several stories recently of MMA fighters being accused of some heinous stuff. The guy who changed his name to War Machine allegedly beat up his girlfriend. She might have been his ex-girlfriend at the time, but that's not really relevant. What is relevant are the accusations that War Machine beat her up, as well as another person. As I write this, War Machine is wanted by Las Vegas police. If this is true, it's reprehensible.

I've known guys who've been abused by their partners as well, and it's also horrible thing, but there's a massive disparity between defending yourself and what War Machine's allegedly done. This girl is in the hospital. That's taking things way too far. Bellator cut War Machine upon learning of this, which is obviously the right call. Speaking from a personal standpoint, if this is true, War Machine needs to go to prison. Not jail, but prison.

The other story is even more disturbing. Former UFC fighter Josh Grispi is accused of assaulting his wife, and even training his dog to attack her on command. That shows a level of premeditation that goes far beyond what normal people would do. There's also been some text messages uncovered that show Grispi threatening to kill his wife and talking of how he'll enjoy choking her to death. I have to put "allegedly" and "accusations," innocent until proven guilty, after all, but this is just disgusting.

I don't think I can accurately describe what I think about these cases because it would involve a lot of cussing that probably wouldn't be fit to print. However, I'm sure anyone who reads this feels the exact same way I do, so I suppose it's not necessary to do so. It also bothers me greatly that Grispi is accused of training his dog to attack his wife, as that ruins that animal to where it may not be able to be rehabilitated. On top of that, there also children involved. This is just horrible, and I hope the matters are resolved quickly.


Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank