Author: Matt Saccaro

Forrest Griffin: "I Am Mark Hamill and [The Ultimate Fighter] Was My Star Wars"

Forrest Griffin’s self deprecating sense of humor is legendary. Thankfully for MMA fans, it’ll be on display tonight on FUEL TV in a conversation segment featuring Griffin and one-time rival Stephan Bonnar.Griffin and Bonnar are famous not only for the…

Forrest Griffin‘s self deprecating sense of humor is legendary. Thankfully for MMA fans, it’ll be on display tonight on FUEL TV in a conversation segment featuring Griffin and one-time rival Stephan Bonnar.

Griffin and Bonnar are famous not only for their epic scrap on The Ultimate Fighter season one finale, but also for their humorous and unique personalities, which will be conducive to a memorable conversation on FUEL’s UFC program, UFC Ultimate Insider.

On tonight’s episode, the two men will partake in a characteristically comical and off the wall conversation that highlights such topics as their legendary fight, Jon Jones, and actor Mark Hamill.

Concerning the UFC light heavyweight champion, Griffin was optimistic that the pairing of him and Bonnar could beat the champ.

“I think the two of us whoop his ass every time, nine times out of 10 at least,” he said.

Griffin’s wit is sure to be on display during the full segment on FUEL, as it was during the preview when Mark Hamill—who is most famous for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films (although some might say he’s equally famous for playing the Joker in the Batman animated series)—came up in the conversation.

“I am Mark Hamill, and [The Ultimate Fighter] was my Star Wars,” said Griffin.

The talk between the two fighters in one that’s sure to live up to it’s “off the wall” namesake. Both men have quite the sense of humor and are more silver-tongued than most MMA fighters can dream of being. 

The MMA world is truly fortunate to have such programming as well as such athletes that can step back and laugh at themselves. Be sure to catch the full conversation on UFC Ultimate Insider at 10:30 pm EST on FUEL.

 

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UFC: Do MMA Fighters Make Good Role Models?

MMA fighters hurt people for a living. Nevertheless, some are fit to be the role models that society needs them to be. Athletic figures have been akin to living gods since the dawn of celebrity culture. Whether it was baseball, football, boxing, t…

MMA fighters hurt people for a living. Nevertheless, some are fit to be the role models that society needs them to be. 

Athletic figures have been akin to living gods since the dawn of celebrity culture. Whether it was baseball, football, boxing, the most gifted and talented athletes were looked up to and idolized by millions of children.

As the UFC grows and the sport of MMA becomes more popular, will MMA fighters, too, become role models? Will MMA fighters ever become legends like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Michael Jordan?

Believe it or not, these two questions aren’t the most important. 

More important is the question of whether American society (or western society in general) believe that these “violent” men should be recognized as role models for young, impressionable children.

And there is certainly some merit to their hypothetical worries. 

MMA is grim. It’s the business of hurting people. As such, it’s likely to attract all sorts of sordid characters (see: Brandon Saling, Lee Murray, Joe Son, etc.) who are worthy of reproach rather than admiration.

However, for every man of questionable moral fiber in MMA (and most of these “degenerates” are now at the lower levels of the sport) there is a more pure man who has the makings of a true role model. 

One such fighter is former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Edgar is humble, hard-working and he never gives in. No matter how badly hurt he his, he some how manages to come back. 

How can Edgar or a figure like Edgar not become a role model when the sport is popular enough? He displays qualities that are admirable and that all parents would want their children to emulate. 

Unfortunately, like with other sports, MMA has a (burgeoning) problem with PEDs that damages the luster of the fighters. 

Former UFC light heavyweight champion and Pride legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson turned the MMA world upside down when he said that the UFC suggested he use testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and even hinted that other fighters were doing it. 

The issue of PEDs transcends the small world of MMA and encompasses the entire world of sports. 

It’s impossible to know if every great athlete has done PEDs, but it’s certainly known that PEDs are there and if athletes are “cheating” with PEDs, they can’t be the role models that society needs.

So, in a way, the most important question isn’t if society will accept fighters as role models along with other athletes, it’s if society should even accept athletes as role models at all and they probably shouldn’t. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

6 Fighters Fans Hate for the Wrong Reasons

MMA fans are a sordid, hateful bunch. Unfortunately, their abundant hate is rarely focused in the right direction. They don’t hate athletic commissions, they don’t hate the rules, they don’t hate circumstances, but they hate the fighters wh…

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MMA fans are a sordid, hateful bunch. Unfortunately, their abundant hate is rarely focused in the right direction.

They don’t hate athletic commissions, they don’t hate the rules, they don’t hate circumstances, but they hate the fighters who put their bodies and health on the line for them (or maybe they do hate the aforementioned things, but not as much as the fighters, at least not as vocally).

Fans will always have something to say (as is their right) and fighters to hate, but there are fighters who are undeserving of the hate they get. Some examples are more egregious than others.

The fighters include current former champions who are only guilty of being themselves. Trying to win or trying to make money, they are shunned, as are other fighters who simply follow game plans. These fighters are loathed as if they killed the first born sons of all MMA fans, but it shouldn’t be that way; they are the fighters MMA deserves, just not the ones the fans need right now. 

If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

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6 Reasons Carlos Condit Should Fight Jake Ellenberger

UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit needs to fight Jake Ellenberger as soon as possible. The future of the entire welterweight division is at stake! If Condit doesn’t fight Ellenberger soon, it’ll impact the careers of several f…

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UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit needs to fight Jake Ellenberger as soon as possible.

The future of the entire welterweight division is at stake!

If Condit doesn’t fight Ellenberger soon, it’ll impact the careers of several fighters by making them miss out on big contendership matches while they’re in their primes. It’ll also slow the division down, which will mean that there will be less interest in the 170-pound weight class.

This would be detrimental since UFC welterweight champion Georges St.Pierre had fans kicking and screaming that the Canadian was “boring” as well as the fact that the controversial but still popular Nick Diaz has “retired” from MMA competition.

The interim belt needs to be defended for welterweight to actually mean something until GSP comes back. Jake Ellenberger is the perfect man for Condit to face next, and there are several reasons as to why, and also why the belt should be defended period. What are they? Watch and find out!

If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

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Strikeforce: Why American Society NEEDS Ronda Rousey

American society needs Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. More specifically, millions of young girls need her as a role model, someone to look up to and emulate.Think about it.America faces a cultural crisis regarding the current g…

American society needs Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. More specifically, millions of young girls need her as a role model, someone to look up to and emulate.

Think about it.

America faces a cultural crisis regarding the current generation of young women. Who do they have to look up to? What inspirational females are there for them? What heroes do they have?

Is there a Marie Curie to inspire them to study science? Is there a Billie Jean King to get them to believe they are equal in athletic (and societal) standing to males?

No. 

Today there are only the idiotic ravings of the Kardashian family, Snooki, and the classless dredges of society displayed on “16 and pregnant.”

But there is an answer to this cultural malaise and her name is Ronda Rousey. 

Rousey is the perfect role model for a young girl growing up in our increasingly decadent society. 

She is a hard worker, as indicated by her dedication to training and her Olympic bronze medal in Judo. 

She’s also quite witty, a silver-tongued devil who some people love to hate. This wit is the product of intelligence and an understanding of how the world works.

Rousey knew being nice didn’t sell tickets and generate press, so she wasn’t nice. Some would say that this “questionable” moral fiber of Rousey makes her a poor role model but those people aren’t seeing the big picture. 

Rousey did those things because they were good for her career. Also, what’s wrong with having an edge? Women should have a bit of fire to them lest they always be at the beck and call of an overbearing man. 

Another point to make about Rousey is that she has the intelligence to understand how to promote herself, yet she never completed high school or went to college. This seems like another fact that puts her out of the role model category but, again, that’s a myopic viewpoint. 

The American education system is undergoing a paradigm shift. No longer is a college degree going to get you a good or even decent job; degrees are swift becoming not worth the paper they’re printed on yet the prices of obtaining them are constantly skyrocketing (some call this the education bubble).

Ronda Rousey is a role model that reflects this change in the world. Her success can teach children that they can find their own path outside of the decaying American education system.

Furthermore, Rousey’s not-so-inconsiderable looks play a part in why she’s a potential role model. She didn’t obtain those looks through plastic surgery or some form of eating disorder. She is natural and her figure was obtained by simply working hard. 

America needs her more then people know; Rousey is the hero that American girls need right now, just not the one they’re bombarded with. 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Most Underappreciated Fighters in MMA History

The Georges St.Pierre’s and Anderson Silva’s of the world have a place in MMA history for all eternity through their skills and accolades. However, there are less skilled men who still deserve to have their rightful place in history and are forgot…

The Georges St.Pierre’s and Anderson Silva’s of the world have a place in MMA history for all eternity through their skills and accolades. 

However, there are less skilled men who still deserve to have their rightful place in history and are forgotten (or even outright insulted) through no fault of their own.

These men deserved to be respected and remembered. 

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