Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Fans will often Email me to ask why I’m always bagging on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, or making it a point to harp on the domestic violence charges levied against heavyweight Greg Hardy back in 2014, as if I had some kind of personal vendetta against MMA fighters because they were rich and famous.
“You guys should focus more on regional promotions and start profiling some of the promising up-and-comers on the amateur circuit,” one reader wrote.
Yeah … we tried that once and almost went out of business. While it certainly makes for more interesting stories, the majority of fans can only be persuaded to click when there’s drama, which is why you hear so much about top stars like Conor McGregor, king of the omg he did what?!? reactions.
That’s why I like to take a moment to recognize when we can put all that nonsense aside and focus on everything that’s right about this crazy sport. It’s nice to know that below the smog line there still exists honor, integrity, and hard work, values exemplified by reigning UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, and former lightweight kingpin, Frankie Edgar.
When was the last time Holloway failed a drug test? Can you remember when Edgar missed weight for a main event? Show me the police report from the time “Blessed” blew a gasket and got into a bus fight, or find the video of “The Answer” getting drunk in public.
You can’t. It never happened.
I know we aren’t supposed to celebrate when people do the right thing. No one will give you a standing ovation for coming to work on time or doing the job you were contracted to do, but it seems like every day we have something awful to report.
I guess that’s to be expected in a sport that is nothing more than monetized violence. We pay to see a couple of guys smash each other in the face. We pay the promotion, the promotion pays the fighters, the fighters pay us with an emotional payoff.
It just doesn’t feel as dirty when the money changes hands for a fight like Holloway vs. Edgar.
There’s a lot to celebrate professionally, as well. The champ is 13-1 dating back to 2013, while the challenger is 8-2 during that same span. They come to fight in peak physical condition and go hard for all five rounds. What more can you ask for in a championship title fight besides a finish?
Speaking of which, Holloway has 10 across that six-year run. Edgar has four.
After trying (and failing) to get this fight to materialize over the last few years, the promotion is now just two days away from making it a reality. Holloway defends against Edgar atop the UFC 240 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card this Sat. night (July 27, 2019) inside Rogers Arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Good guy vs. good guy … that leaves me no one to root for.
To see who else is fighting at this weekend’s UFC 240 combat sports extravaganza, co-headlined by the women’s featherweight showdown pitting Cris Cyborg opposite Felicia Spencer, click here.