In slow motion:
First, a quick comment about the fights last night. I was WAY off. I called three fights, and I got none of them right. Aoki, according to the ringside announcers, didn’t train in a cage, which is incredible but believable, given his atrocious performance last night. Mousasi couldn’t defend against a simple double leg takedown, which is also ridiculous. Henderson got gassed really early. It was a pathetic night for MMA to begin with.
The even more pathetic news, however, was the brawl on national TV that took place after the Shields/Henderson fight. You can see it above. They cut the sound on the live feed, but from what I (and bloggers who were actually there) can gather, after Shields’s victory, Jason Miller butted into the interview and said, “Where’s my rematch, buddy?” Then Melendez, the defending Strikeforce lightweight champion, bumped Miller with his shoulder. Words were exchanged, and then Shields shoved Miller hard. Miller started coming back, and then the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, jumped in. A bunch of Cesar Gracie fighters–including Nick and Nate–then pulled Miller hard and began a team beatdown. They cut to a commercial break, and then the broadcast came back with a ringside announcer putting the blame ALL on Jason Miller.
This could be the last we see of Strikeforce. CBS may pull the plug on the relationship after this brawl. It’s really sad. Pathetic, actually. First of all, opposing fighters come in all the time to talk smack after title fights. Lidell and Ortiz did it back in their day, and it still happens now, but it’s never supposed to get physical. Second of all, why are they putting all the blame on Miller when he wasn’t the one who initially got physical? Sure, he holds a lot of the blame, but why wasn’t Melendez reprimanded? Third, why are people letting a whole team–the Cesar Gracie team–get away with group violence and thuggery?
There is one guy who seems to deflect all blame–Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker:
Mr. Coker, let me just put this in one sentence: YOU owe me an apology. Not Miller. Had this event been live on the West Coast, tens of thousands of children would’ve seen grown men getting violent with one another on national TV. On the East Coast, tens of thousands of children probably did. Much as I sometimes criticize Dana White for the way he pays his fighters, I will say this–if this ever happened in the UFC, there would be consequences and repercussions. Fighters respect Dana White, and they know that thuggery is grounds for dismissal. When Renato Sobral intentionally refused to stop choking an opponent after a referee stoppage, Dana kicked him out and refused to pay him. Fighters know not to mess with White.
What happened after Strikeforce was a disgrace. Don’t make Miller a scapegoat, Coker. Get rid of the thugs who did this, including your two so-called “champions.” If you don’t, CBS ought to pull the plug on your show. And this is coming from an MMA fan.
(See more commentary here, which is where I found the Scott Coker interview.)
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
Aoki’s performance was absolutely horrendous. Seriously, it was just pitiful. If I’m Strikeforce and UFC fans are looking on, the best of the Japanese MMA fighters, most of which are counter-punchers and time takers, will never win fans here. Wow, I was embarrassed for Japan, which creates some of the best fighters in the world. If they wanna compete on an international level, they need to produce better strikers. Otherwise, it’s not the same game as it was fifteen years ago. You have to be well-rounded, it’s a requirement.
I agree.
It’s the cage and rules too. In Japan, if you fall under the ropes, they just pull you back in while keeping your positions the same. In Japan, if you’re on the ground with very little movement, they’ll let you fight. Aoki should’ve done some research. If he had, he would’ve seen that inside a cage with American rules, you HAVE to be able to strike. A fence, as opposed to ropes, provides a barrier that can stop you or help you. Either way, you have to make it a part of your gameplan.
I just don’t get it. Why come all the way across the globe without preparing?
This has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve read this week:
http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/04/23/cesar-gracie-welcomes-shinya-aoki-with-open-arms/
He refused to train in standup prior to his fight, he got killed because he refused to train in standup, and now he’s going to “improve” his game by training….in more jujitsu. Am I missing something?
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