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I had recently made comments that Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and Gilbert Melendez acted like punks at Strikeforce: Nashville when they jumped Jason Miller after Miller had interrupted the post-match interview of Jake Shields. There's no question that Miller was wrong for entering the cage, but the Diaz brothers and Melendez were also wrong for attacking Miller. They were even more wrong for acting like cowardly street thugs and attacking a guy while their crew held him down.
Those comments were mostly met with agreement from people I talked to and heard from. However, I did hear from some people that thought I was totally wrong. I had some Gracie-lovers cuss me out and say I need to show respect, as though just because the Diaz brothers and Melendez are associated with the Gracie name that it absolves them of acting like jerks. To even insinuate that such a thing could be true is absurd, to actually say it is worse. The reality is that the Gracie name doesn't mean much in today's MMA world. It's like the Pharaohs in Egypt or the Tokugawa shogunates in Japan; it's important to remember what they've done in the past and to respect that, but they're not that relevant to today's world.
The Gracie name in 2010 is more famous for being famous rather than for everything they've done recently. Even some of their most well-known associates, the Diaz brothers and Gilbert Melendez, haven't exactly set the world on fire. Nick Diaz is probably the best of those three, and he's a great fighter, without question. However, he's not so good that you can excuse his thuggish behavior. Nate Diaz is an improving fighter, but he's sure as hell not good enough to excuse his behavior. Gilbert's the most decorated of the three, but again, he's not good enough to excuse his behavior either. Even Jake Shields isn't good enough to excuse his actions.
Most of the Gracie's are extremely arrogant. Not all of them are, but a good portion are. Gracie supporters are just as bad. They yip-yap about how the Gracie's created MMA, and other myths. They have a sense of entitlement they haven't earned. The Gracie's made an important contribution to MMA, but so have a lot of other people. No one person, or group of people, are bigger than the sport. MMA existed before the Gracie's (not the name, but the sport), and it'll exist long after they're all gone.
This is a rant that we've all heard before, but I'm just so sick of hearing about the Gracie's and how we all need to bow down before them. A lot of them have acted like jerks throughout the years, and Nick Diaz is continuing their legacy. Jason Miller is probably going to be suspended for his actions on April 17. Where's the punishment for Nick and Nate Diaz, or Gilbert Melendez, or Jake Shields?
READER FEEDBACK
TIM HARRIS- "Why doesn't the UFC do the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez fight then use the loser to welcome Anderson Silva to heavyweight? That would either teach him (Silva) a lesson or make him extremely interested in a heavyweight title run. And then you don't have your two most interesting heavyweights wasting almost a year of their primes waiting for a fight that might not even happen considering the injury plague the UFC has experienced.:
TONY FORD- "Hi Frank, I wanted to take exception to the take you had on Couture/Toney. You made the point that you didn't see the point in this fight. I have an idea, money! We know that former stars of other sports are a favorite of Dana White,( i.e Brock Lesnar) this fight makes perfect sense. Dana can market this fight to the hardcore boxing fan that normally would not buy the fight as well as you and I,the hardcore MMA fan, who will watch to see what happens. Couture is finished in my opinion as well. He by his own admission isn't big enough to compete at heavyweight and with stars like Jon Jones on the horizon, his days at light heavyweight are numbered.
However I do agree with you that Couture should win, but I have a weird feeling Couture will try to prove something and try to stand with Toney which will end bad for Randy.
Frank I respect your opinion and enjoy your blogs, I thank you for your time."
DAN VOHDEN- "Are you kidding me on what you wrote in your article about Georges St. Pierre? Just watch the first BJ Penn/St. Pierre fight. He gets poked in the eye and is a bloody mess after the first round and hangs in there to beat B.J. How can you question whether he would have the heart to keep pressing forward? Seriously man…watch that fight, I’m guessing you’ve never seen it."
CLIFF- "Did you not see GSP PENN I ?.........I think you may change your mind bout Georges toughness. He fought through a THOROUGH ass whoopin' and reached down in that big heart of his and gutted out a win over a guy you were mentioning in the beginning of your article as a fight finisher.............Just a thought.
Plus, GSP tore his groin half way through the Alves fight and any man HAS to excuse that and say......wow!!!!! Feel me? I'm sure ya do. Fitch? EVERY Fitch fight is like GSP's last 2. Ya can't knock him on the Fitch fight. Fitch is the most boring fighter in all of MMA. Do you realize we are talking bout just 2 fights here????.....just a thought.
GSP showed Enough killer instinct to beat Matt Serra into submission. Jay Heiron not a great, but kicking ass in Strikeforce and to knock him out does show killer instinct. Frank Trigg??? Well when he fought Hughes everyone though he was one of the best until..........GSP's killer instinct showed BOTH those guys what's up and no more bad ass Frank or Matt.
The Penn/St Pierre I, you cannot honestly look me in the eyes and say GSP didn't show the heart of a champion and the toughness either....he fought through a thorough ass whoopin' that most, and i do mean most, wouldn't make it through. Then won the next two rounds with the aforementioned."
Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com
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