It’s tough to really know who cares about TMZ-level gossip and who doesn’t, especially when one is an MMA fan that only trusts the word of legitimate MMA journalists and news outlets. Do some people care? Absolutely, but others choose to put more stock in outlets that promote legitimate MMA news as opposed to matters in pop culture.
However, with TMZ beating MMA insiders and MMA news outlets to the punch when it comes to certain matters—aside from Tim Tebow training in MMA, but including Dana White’s simple response to Fedor Emelianenko fans, the first fight of Dave Batista, Jon Jones’ car wreck license revocation, and mug shot and the “naked church” incident—and with all of these TMZ stories proving true, maybe fans are right to put stock in what TMZ breaks.
As justified as they may be in putting stock in TMZ’s reports, however, MMA fans are unquestionably fixated on these stories a bit more than they should be. Sure, they do have a right to be concerned because these outside incidents have the potential to severely affect fights, but in the long run, what do these incidents have to do with the fighters we see inside the cage?
Does a crashed Bentley mean someone has holes in their striking? Should an incident involving a DUI serve as a reason why one’s Jiu-Jitsu might prove ineffective in a fight? Poor decisions do lead to arrests, but do they justify an argument that suggests a fighter’s takedown defense as overrated?
For those who see where I’m going with this, you know what has been said without ever being put in print. For those who still don’t see where I’m going with this, please don’t misconstrue. A DUI and even a DWI can prove more fatal than one can imagine. Family members could lose their loved ones in one-half of a heartbeat because one person didn’t want to call a cab, and this realization is why people took it somewhat to heart upon hearing of Jones’s DUI, just as they took it a bit to heart for Ross Pearson and Chris Leben when they got their DUIs.
While it certainly helps fighters to avoid these troubles, it helps fans to remember that these TMZ-level stories and gossip distract fans from the fighters inside the cage. These incidents, while serious in their own rights, normally have little effect on the fighters and their upcoming bouts to begin with, and they just serve as everyday learning experiences in the long run—nothing more and nothing less. The sooner fans come to this realization, the more enjoyable MMA becomes, but until we stop putting so much stock into incidents that will be forgotten eventually, we will never be able to truly enjoy the art form that is the sport of mixed martial arts.
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