Issue 079
September 2011
This is YOUR page to tell us what you think of all things Fighters Only and MMA. Get your feelings off your chest and in their place there could be an FO ‘Flying Knee’ T-shirt! Plus, send us your pictures of you with fighters – and if you can slip a copy of FO into the pic, that’s even more likely to find its way into print.
ICONIC TONIC
Wow, what a great read your Randy Couture icon issue was. He was already a legend in my eyes but now I think you might have upped it to demi-god. Seeing all of Randy Couture’s achievements and triumphs in one place, as well as hearing from the man himself just solidified to me what a stellar and stand-up guy ‘The Natural’ is. Plus, there was a ton in there I’d never even seen before, like his love of soccer as a teenager or him in his college days when he actually had hair! Thanks for the issue, I can’t wait for next year’s.
Jonathan Larsson, via email
Glad you liked it, Jonathan. You actually raise an interesting point: who should we have for next year’s icon issue? FO readers, tell us your picks via [email protected].
TAKE IT TO OVERTIME
I am officially sick of draws in fights this year. Ever since Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard drew at UFC 125 in January the world’s judges seem to have suddenly remembered they’re allowed write an eight and a 10 on their scorecards. Or even that some rounds are, if you can believe it, sometimes so even they’re a 10-10. Keith Jardine and Gegard Mousasi went to a draw. BJ Penn and Jon Fitch went to a draw. Don’t get me wrong, I love that we can confirm judges aren’t innumerate and that they’re making a deeper assessment of each round, but no winner means no one is happy.
That’s why I could hardly believe my eyes when we saw some progressive thinking in mixed martial arts. I was doing backflips when UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner announced that any bout in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix judged a draw at the end of three rounds would go to an overtime round to decide the victor. Sure, you might say the fighters are only training to compete for 15 minutes, and it’s harsh to have two guys square off for another round after they’ve just given their all, but if given the choice I doubt any fighter would want eight weeks of fight camp to fail to advance or alter their career at all. I think the overtime round is such a good idea, we should have the rule rolled out for every fight, Strikeforce tournament or not.
The overtime round just means that for five more minutes fighters get the chance to take it out of the hands of the judges, and given the latter group’s recent form that’s no bad thing.
Bill Effinger, Des Moines, Iowa
Thanks for your letter Bill. The overtime round is something we’ve discussed amongst ourselves in FO HQ and we think it’s definitely worth debating at the top of the sport. What do the readers think? Overtime, or too much time? Tell us via [email protected]
FIGHTERS' TWEETS
Chael Sonnen (@sonnench)
Brazil likes to boast that it’s the power-seat of MMA, yet its so-called champions bow to the man behind Under Siege 2... Classy.
Dana White (@danawhite)
I won’t be [at the Strikeforce event] in Dallas, my daughter has her big dance recital!!! :)
Thiago Alves (@attpitbull)
How come Mario can smash through bricks... yet he dies from touching a freaking turtle.
Mark Munoz (@mark_munoz)
[Demian Maia] hit me behind the head by the ear. Weird! Felt fine but my legs were a little shaky. Then he punched me, I was fine.
Roy Nelson (@roynelsonmma)
Getting ready to take my dog Thor to get shoes for his paws.
Miguel Torres (@MiguelTorresMMA)
I have no hair on my balls because hair can’t grow on steel.
The posts that caught our eye this month in the online world of Fighters Only
ajramosboylan: @shotgun_young I just realized on watching UFC 131
that you help do the clinic for @FightersOnly! Thanks and great fight mate!
Superbilzy: @sonnench Just read your interview in @FightersOnly.
Good insight into the real you as a person. The media have branded
you a criminal. Chin up!
CamyMuaythai: @FightersOnly What are your views on a possible Lesnar vs Carwin rematch?
I think that would be a different story from the first bout.
jJlb13085: Just got through reading the @sonnench article in the new @FightersOnly. Just verifies that Sonnen bashers know nothing about the man.
justhint: @feliceherrig Just picked up @FightersOnly. Nice Q&A in there.
MarkBergmann: Translating a piece from @GarethBOXUFC about wannabe sports writers for the German version of @FightersOnly. Good read!
Caelien: @FightersOnly So I watched Beatdown starring @bisping and @officialswick.
Er, yeah. Fight scenes were good…
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