Jul 15, 2009 - 2:08:48 PM By Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor
I've been out of the loop lately. I'm in the midst of preparing to move, and I've had other issues pop up. However, I made time to watch UFC 100. While I don't think that UFC 100 was the best MMA pay-per-view ever, it was certainly the most newsworthy, There's been a lot more talk about the show in the mainstream media than any other in history. They've talked about UFC 100 all over ESPN and its various shows. Most of the talk has been centered on Brock Lesnar, with the remaining bit discussing Dan Henderson smashing Michael Bisping after Bisping was clearly out.
I'm not going to go in-depth on those topics, they've been covered very well by the great writers on this site. For the record, I don't have a huge problem with what Henderson did. He shouldn't have done it, but I don't think Dan would have crushed Bisping like that if Bisping hadn't run his mouth so much. I can certainly understand why Dan White would be so upset, Henderson's actions would have been a much bigger deal if it weren't for Lesnar's freak-out.
There's no defending what Lesnar did, but I don't think it's this enormous crisis that'll sink the UFC. It does add fuel to the fire of those who say Brock is on steroids or HGH. Him raging like he did is your stereotypical 'roid rage case. I must have seen that clip of him butting his head into the cage while primal screaming and spitting like an animal about 20 times on ESPN over the past few days. Maybe I'm used to guys cursing at the fans and flipping them off because I'm a wrestling fan, but I didn't think too much about Brock doing that. The group I was with when I watched the show was split about whether or not they liked it. However, none of us reacted like some of the talking heads on ESPN have.
I'm in the camp that thinks that Brock intended to do something like this, he just went too far. Brock knows that MMA is ultimately entertainment. Now MMA fans have a guy that they hate, yet it is a very good fighter. People are going to pay to see Brock fight. Tim Sylvia was a guy MMA fans generally disliked, but no one wanted to pay to see him fight. All in all, UFC 100 was a giant success for the UFC.
Something else has been on my mind lately. This isn't really related to MMA, but still should be of interest to fight fans. Arturo Gatti was murdered on July 11th. He was only 37. I usually try to refrain from too much boxing talk here, this is a MMA site after all. However, this news bummed me out so much that I feel compelled to write just a bit about Gatti. Anyone that followed Gatti knew that his chin was tremendous. The amount of punishment he could was incredible. Gatti was also involved in several "Fight of the Year" bouts. Most of those that know Gatti, know about him through his legendary trilogy with Micky Ward. I would encourage anyone who likes fighting to check out those matches. In the 3rd fight, Gatti broke his right hand in the 4th round yet fought on like the warrior he was. Gatti fought basically one-handed for the next several rounds. It was unbelievable to watch. Gatti was a great one, and I'll miss him.
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Thanks for bringing that up Hyden, with all the hoopla surrounding UFC 100
amongst other things, when I finally heard the new about Gatti I was quite
saddened. Maybe outmatched at times but never outclassed was "Thunder" -
another one of the good ones that leaves this world far to soon.
