I have to admit, in terms of the actual fights last night I was a little disappointed; that said, in terms of the post-fight fall-out you really couldn’t ask for more. CroCop and BJ both hang up the towel, Diaz wins in “dominating-fasion” and then calls out GSP (and is subsequently awarded the fight), makes for something to talk about after watching some less than exciting fights. However, when you look back and think about things, I think the post-fight antics make more for good chatter than anything.
Let’s talk BJ’s “retirement” for starters. BJ was beaten to a bloody pulp – probably worse than I’ve ever seen. Afterwards he claimed that he doesn’t feel that he compete at the top level in the UFC anymore and will stepping aside as a result. My take, it’s sad to see BJ gone – but, I will bet dollars to doughnuts that you will see him back in the Octagon inside of two years. BJ is set to be the Brett Favre of MMA in my opinion.
CroCop’s retirement is so very sad to many – a true legend of the sport leaving the fight game. While, I do think it’s sad to see CroCop retire, he should have done it years ago. He has never looked overly impressive in the UFC, and suffered crushing defeats at the hands of some of some of the UFC’s less than elite (i.e. Gabriel Gonzaga, Brendan Schaub). Even in victory he has looked somewhat less than stellar. So, while it’s sad to see him go, this shouldn’t be a shocking revelation to anyone. Some people might look at this like pissing on a man’s grave, but I hate to see someone who helped shape a sport go out like this.
Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz beat BJ Penn in 29-28, he beat him on the feet with a 6 inch reach advantage, and BJ Penn looked like he was so gassed he could barely stand. I don’t want to detract from Diaz’s win, it was still impressive, but I think it’s important to look at the other side of the coin – it was a good win, not epic. If Diaz honestly thinks he’s going to have that easy of a time with GSP he is quite delusional; GSP has a bottomless gas tank, is much bigger than Diaz, has a similar stature and a lot of tools to beat an opponent. It looks like we’ll see in February if Diaz can back up his words, as Dana has granted him his title fight against GSP.
So, with all of that said – I just ask you to not believe all the hype! Remember it’s Dana White’s job to sell things, and he might make some issues seem bigger than they actually are to build buzz.
… and that is the last word.
