After Bloody Elbow posted the story, Johnson apologized on his Facebook page and absolved himself of guilt. He wrote the following:
I want to apologize to everybody for my language yesterday. It really sux being accused of something I didn’t do. So plz forgive my reaction to the whole situation. My day will come that I can prove I’m innocent. Thank you for the support! Without the fans and my close friends/family I wouldn’t be able to function. I love you all….
In case you didn’t read the account of Johnson’s alleged abuse on Bloody Elbow, here’s the rundown:
After Bloody Elbow posted the story, Johnson apologized on his Facebook page and absolved himself of guilt. He wrote the following:
I want to apologize to everybody for my language yesterday. It really sux being accused of something I didn’t do. So plz forgive my reaction to the whole situation. My day will come that I can prove I’m innocent. Thank you for the support! Without the fans and my close friends/family I wouldn’t be able to function. I love you all….
In case you didn’t read the account of Johnson’s alleged abuse on Bloody Elbow, here’s the rundown:
Johnson allegedly hit is wife in 2012 and knocked out two of her teeth. More recently, his wife met with police. The police report claimed she was frightened of Johnson. She said she has had “several other verbal altercations” since the incident in 2012. She also believes she’s receiving threatening text messages from Johnson’s friends. Johnson’s wife also says she has a video of him hitting her.
The UFC suspended Johnson indefinitely once the news broke.
“We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Johnson,” the UFC said. “As a result, we are suspending him indefinitely. We are using a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation and once we have more information, we’ll determine whether further course of action is necessary.
Johnson’s suspension is no surprise in light of the recent domestic abuse scandal that’s plagued the NFL (and even the UFC to a lesser extent with the firing, re-hiring, then re-firing of Thiago Silva).
If video surfaces of Anthony Johnson abusing his wife, it’s safe to say he’ll be out of the UFC for a long time. More updates on the story as we get them.
UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson has been placed on an indefinite suspension, following new abuse allegations from the mother of his children. Here’s the vague, detail-free official statement via UFC.com:
We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Johnson. As a result, we are suspending him indefinitely. We are using a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation and once we have more information, we’ll determine whether further course of action is necessary.
As with Nick Diaz’s DUI arrests, the UFC wants you to know that it’s aware of the situation, but the promotion no interest in informing fans what that situation is. BloodyElbow has the entire rundown on the new allegations against Johnson, but here’s the short version:
— Two years ago, Anthony Johnson allegedly punched the mother of two of his children in the face, knocking out two of her teeth. The incident took place at the victim’s place of employment, a supplement store. The victim claims she has security footage of the incident in her possession.
— The victim says that Johnson talked her out of pressing charges at the time. Since then, the victim has regularly received threatening calls and text messages, which she believes have been coming from Johnson’s friends.
(Photo via Getty)
UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson has been placed on an indefinite suspension, following new abuse allegations from the mother of his children. Here’s the vague, detail-free official statement via UFC.com:
We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Johnson. As a result, we are suspending him indefinitely. We are using a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation and once we have more information, we’ll determine whether further course of action is necessary.
As with Nick Diaz’s DUI arrests, the UFC wants you to know that it’s aware of the situation, but the promotion no interest in informing fans what that situation is. BloodyElbow has the entire rundown on the new allegations against Johnson, but here’s the short version:
— Two years ago, Anthony Johnson allegedly punched the mother of two of his children in the face, knocking out two of her teeth. The incident took place at the victim’s place of employment, a supplement store. The victim claims she has security footage of the incident in her possession.
— The victim says that Johnson talked her out of pressing charges at the time. Since then, the victim has regularly received threatening calls and text messages, which she believes have been coming from Johnson’s friends.
— As we previously mentioned here, Johnson was arrested in 2009 after an altercation with a different woman; Johnson allegedly “pushed her around, picked her up by her armpits and slammed her to the ground. He then put her in a headlock and dragged her up a flight of stairs.”
— For the 2009 incident, Johnson was charged with domestic violence, battery, death threats and destroying a phone to prevent the report of a crime, and pleaded “nolo contendere” in 2010 to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, for which he was sentenced to serve three years probation, community service, and domestic violence counseling.
— Johnson’s lawyer Frank Smith issued the following statement on the recent allegations: “Anthony categorically denies all allegations and looks forward to his court date in the civil matter, where the truth and lies will be established.”
The shit ppl will say and the lengths ppl will go just to tell a Fucking lie is ridiculous. That’s all I’m going to say and thank you all for the support and positive feedback that I’m getting.
Watching Dana White’s recent appearance on “Fox Sports Live” paints a very clear picture: Dana White does not want you to compare him to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“I can tell you this, I wouldn’t want to be Roger Goodell,” White says, after being asked about his reaction to the video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out then-fiancee Janay Palmer. No surprises there, given that the NFL is in the middle of a domestic violence crisis built on the foundation of years of denial and reframing the issue. What is surprising is that he follows up his statement by resorting to the same strategies that the NFL employed to downplay Ray Rice’s assault in order to justify the UFC’s decision to resign Thiago Silva.
You don’t even have to wait for the parallels between how the UFC is choosing to handle Thiago Silva and how the NFL has attempted to cover up domestic violence to become apparent, they’re observable in the very first sentence White speaks once Silva’s name comes up:
“If you believe in the legal process, they came, they arrested him, and he wasn’t brought up on any charges.”
Watching Dana White’s recent appearance on “Fox Sports Live” paints a very clear picture: Dana White does not want you to compare him to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“I can tell you this, I wouldn’t want to be Roger Goodell,” White says, after being asked about his reaction to the video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out then-fiancee Janay Palmer. No surprises there, given that the NFL is in the middle of a domestic violence crisis built on the foundation of years of denial and reframing the issue. What is surprising is that he follows up his statement by resorting to the same strategies that the NFL employed to downplay Ray Rice’s assault in order to justify the UFC’s decision to resign Thiago Silva.
You don’t even have to wait for the parallels between how the UFC is choosing to handle Thiago Silva and how the NFL has attempted to cover up domestic violence to become apparent, they’re observable in the very first sentence White speaks once Silva’s name comes up:
“If you believe in the legal process, they came, they arrested him, and he wasn’t brought up on any charges.”
Let’s take a look at the actual documents detailing why the prosecutors decided to drop the charges against Thiago Silva. As Deadspin puts it, “The memo outlines how in this case, as in so many domestic violence cases, the key witness went from working with investigators to uncooperative to eventually abandoning the legal process, instead getting physically as far away from her alleged attacker as she could.” This wasn’t an issue of the police believing that Thiago Silva was innocent – if that were so, this case would have never made it past the pre-arrest investigation. This was the police acknowledging that without cooperation from the alleged victim, there isn’t enough evidence to press charges at this time; as Sydnie pointed out, the announcement of a nolle prosequi makes it possible for the police to re-indict him if Thaysa Silva decides to cooperate with them.
White’s justification gets much uglier from there:
“Plus, I know a lot more of the story and what went on. You take his side of the story, her side of the story and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But he went through the process and he wasn’t charged with anything. The guy should have the ability to make a living.”
This statement on Thaysa Silva’s accusations is the exact same strategy that the Baltimore Ravens used in an attempt to undermine Janay Rice: Toe the line of “Don’t trust what you’ve seen,” but don’t explicitly say that the alleged victim is lying. The police reports make Thiago Silva look like some kind of monster, but Dana White knows a lot more about what really happened. And Thaysa isn’t lying, but the whole truth lies somewhere between her version of the events and Thiago’s proclamation of innocence. By that logic, Thiago only kind-of held a gun in Thaysa’s mouth, and what kind of hot-head bans someone from the UFC over that?
The “make a living” remark at the end is equal parts misdirection and gaslighting. Nobody is trying to say that Thiago Silva shouldn’t be able to make a living, but a lot of fans are questioning whether it’s really appropriate for an alleged domestic abuser whose charges were dropped on a technicality to be punching people for money. White wants the offended parties to ask themselves how they can let a human being starve, while those opposed to his decision are wondering when “UFC fighter” became the only occupation on the planet.
And how did White’s justification end? With perhaps the most Goodellian stance possible:
“And obviously if some tape surfaced [Silva would be fired] but the police have already investigated this entire thing, and they let the guy go.”
Then again, perhaps he isn’t ignorant towards this – notice how he never directly says that he believes that Thiago Silva is an innocent man, like he did for Sean Sherk when Sherk failed a drug test following UFC 73? He’s not so much telling you that Silva has never been abusive towards Thaysa as he’s telling you that the charges were dropped, so move past it.
Perhaps the most disturbing correlations between the UFC and the NFL come while observing how the UFC plans on strengthening their domestic violence policy going forward. The organization takes a page directly out of the NFL’s playbook: Deny that there’s any problems with the current policy. [Author Note: The NFL’s “new” policy of suspending players for six games is nothing more than a slight re-wording of the old policy. “Mitigating factors” can still shorten the suspension as the NFL sees fit.] White kicked off the process:
“We have a track record of getting rid of many people that have done bad things, and we’ve been human beings in letting other guys make up for things and come back. There’s one thing you never bounce back from, and that’s putting your hands on a woman. It’s been that way in the UFC since we started here. You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman.”
“We are no different than any other sport,” she says. “Some individuals will do things that don’t reflect well on our organization.” She pointed to recent domestic violence cases involving NFL players as evidence the issue is not specific to the UFC or MMA.
For the sake of this argument, let’s assume that the NFL in fact has a worse problem than the UFC does with athletes committing domestic violence. What does that have anything to do with the UFC’s stance on domestic violence? How does downplaying the issue as a whole – it happens in football, too, you guys! – change the fact that it’s still happening in your organization? How does “at least we’re not the NFL” change the fact that the UFC claims to ban all offenders, yet only does so when they’re disposable commodities? Why is “don’t change until we’re as bad as the worst organization” a good strategy moving forward?
The answers, of course, are: Nothing, It doesn’t, It definitely doesn’t, and It isn’t.
You wonder why people say our sport has a sexist, toxic culture? It’s because the UFC’s current policy on domestic violence depends on how many fans know who the abuser is, and White’s biggest concern about male fighters beating women revolves around the usage of “Ex-UFC Fighter” in the headlines. You can’t even have a discussion about fixing the problem, because that requires acknowledging that a problem even exists. The UFC has been hard on domestic violence since Zuffa took over, pay no attention to the man assaulting his wife behind the curtain.
A culture of denial in regard to athletes and domestic violence is exactly what created the scandal that the NFL is currently facing, and it’s hardly unreasonable to worry that the UFC’s similar approach will lead to an equally tragic result. The decision to resign Thiago Silva is troubling for a number of reasons, chief among them being that the UFC – like the NFL before them – is choosing to ignore the problem and pretend that they’re tougher on domestic violence than they are. Given how compliant the MMA media is with pushing the UFC narrative at all costs, the organization may very well be able to do this for as long as it wants to.
“If Roger Goodell saw that video, knew that’s what happened, knew Ray Rice did that to his fiancee, he should just get up and leave on his own,” White says at the end of his segment on “Fox Sports Live.” He seems offended that the NFL chose to deny that a problem existed, then chose to cover it up once they were forced to confront it. If only he felt that way about the UFC.
(Thaysa Silva) and victim #2 Pablo Popovitch were inside the center when she observed the defendant driving his vehicle, a 2012 Dodge Charger bearing FL TAG G7ARY. She could see the defendant pull up to the center because the entire store front is clear glass. The defendant then started honking the vehicle horn continuously. She then went outside to speak with him to avoid a confrontation since victim Silva and victim Popovitch are in a romantic relationship. The defendant is aware of this relationship and this fact contributed to his actions. She approached the defendant which was driving, and when she was approached the driver side, he rolled down the window. She immediately noticed that he had been drinking and extremely intoxicated. He then produced a black glock firearm and pointed it at the victim. He stated, You have ten seconds to bring Pablo outside and if he does not come out, I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone. It should be known there was a class in session with approximately 25 students inside. Victim Popovitch then exited the center to protect victim Silva from harm. He then approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and observed the defendant pointing the firearm above the door frame at the victim Silva. The defendant threatened to kill both victim Silva and victim Popivitch. Popovitch then ran back into the gym, locked the front door, and called 911. The defendant then drove away.
And then, on September 5th, the UFC re-signed Thiago Silva in a dazzling demonstration of ignorance, tone-deafness, and who knows what the fuck. The decision is almost entirely incomprehensible, despite Dana White’s meager efforts to explain it:
“But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?
“He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted. He deserves to be able to make a living again. He’s back under contract.”
A) He was not acquitted of all charges. The charges have been dismissed with the announcement of a nolle prosequi, which is not an acquittal. Nolle prosequi is the decision not to prosecute those charges at that time. It doesn’t necessarily mean never, and it is possible to re-indict someone on the same charges.
B) The UFC isn’t some benevolent foundation dedicated to all that is fair and just, as White’s appeal seems to suggest. Otherwise, Ben Askren would be currently fighting in the UFC, and Anthony Johnsonwould’ve been banned from the promotion long ago. To re-sign Silva with that rationale is disingenuous and hollow.
C) Silva did not go through “the legal process.” He got out on bail, Thaysa Silva fled the country, and the charges were dropped.
(Thiago Silva and Thaysa Kamiji Silva in…happier times, I guess? / Photo via Ryan Loco)
(Thaysa Silva) and victim #2 Pablo Popovitch were inside the center when she observed the defendant driving his vehicle, a 2012 Dodge Charger bearing FL TAG G7ARY. She could see the defendant pull up to the center because the entire store front is clear glass. The defendant then started honking the vehicle horn continuously. She then went outside to speak with him to avoid a confrontation since victim Silva and victim Popovitch are in a romantic relationship. The defendant is aware of this relationship and this fact contributed to his actions. She approached the defendant which was driving, and when she was approached the driver side, he rolled down the window. She immediately noticed that he had been drinking and extremely intoxicated. He then produced a black glock firearm and pointed it at the victim. He stated, You have ten seconds to bring Pablo outside and if he does not come out, I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone. It should be known there was a class in session with approximately 25 students inside. Victim Popovitch then exited the center to protect victim Silva from harm. He then approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and observed the defendant pointing the firearm above the door frame at the victim Silva. The defendant threatened to kill both victim Silva and victim Popivitch. Popovitch then ran back into the gym, locked the front door, and called 911. The defendant then drove away.
And then, on September 5th, the UFC re-signed Thiago Silva in a dazzling demonstration of ignorance, tone-deafness, and who knows what the fuck. The decision is almost entirely incomprehensible, despite Dana White’s meager efforts to explain it:
“But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?
“He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted. He deserves to be able to make a living again. He’s back under contract.”
A) He was not acquitted of all charges. The charges have been dismissed with the announcement of a nolle prosequi, which is not an acquittal. Nolle prosequi is the decision not to prosecute those charges at that time. It doesn’t necessarily mean never, and it is possible to re-indict someone on the same charges.
B) The UFC isn’t some benevolent foundation dedicated to all that is fair and just, as White’s appeal seems to suggest. Otherwise, Ben Askren would be currently fighting in the UFC, and Anthony Johnsonwould’ve been banned from the promotion long ago. To re-sign Silva with that rationale is disingenuous and hollow.
C) Silva did not go through “the legal process.” He got out on bail, Thaysa Silva fled the country, and the charges were dropped.
So what is White thinking? Maybe they want to set him up as a can so everyone can watch him get destroyed in the Octagon while capitalizing on his infamy. Does White actually believe his own line of bullshit? I mean…he can’t, right? Did Silva send some threatening text messages promising to have him killed?
During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Thiago Silva has a lot of nothing to say for himself. After taking offense to Helwani asking about that whole SWAT team standoff thing (c’mon Helwani, can we just move on? it’s in the past), Silva says he wanted a divorce but his wife demanded money, and then when he wouldn’t give it to her, she “set (him) up. That’s it.” Seriously.
Unsurprisingly, Silva is painting himself as a man victimized by a crazy, lying, gold-digging woman set on personal vengeance. I doubt White is dumb or sexist enough to believe that, but by allowing Silva back in the UFC, he’s co-signing that narrative, to a degree. How nice that Dana could change this poor man’s life, after Silva was beset by multiple instances allegations of domestic abuse and scary-as-shit behavior that seemed to be escalating. Deadspin points out there were three separate instances. It’s so inspiring when these hard-luck cases can regain their self-confidence and right the wrongs done to them and get to fight for the most prominent, elite promotion in the world.
Let’s pretend Dana does think he’s doing the honorable thing. Does he endorse his fighters saying super sexist, smug things like, “I learned…don’t trust girls”? Of course, Silva chuckles and says he’s joking. No doubt. After some daffy girl trying to profit off his simple desire to be free of her, it must be very easy to be totally joking about how women are untrustworthy.
“People will forget. They always do,” Silva says, which I can personally guarantee will not be true in this instance. Also, does he use the internet? The Internet never forgets.
Later on in the MMA Hour, Helwani also interviews Anthony Johnson, who entered a nolo contendre (no contest) plea for domestic violence in 2010. Johnson, who is somehow still in the UFC despite what White describes as a strict policy enforced since “day one,” was rehabilitated by the penal system with the following: one day in county jail, eight hours of community service, three years’ probation, and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. Boy, what a penance.
Following the premiere of TUF 20 on September 10th, Fox Sports Live decided to seize a golden PR opportunity for the UFC to demonstrate its morals and policies around domestic violence with a brief interview with White. What followed was so patently and verifiably false it bordered on humorous. Here’s what the UFC president said when host Dan O’Toole asked him how he justified re-signing Silva:
“If you believe in the process, if you believe in the legal process, they came, [police] arrested him and he wasn’t brought up on any charges. Plus, I know a lot more of the story and what went on. If you take his side of the story, her side of the story, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but he went through the process and he wasn’t charged with anything.”
So, rest easy, everyone — Thiago gave his bestie Dana the lowdown, and you don’t need to worry about it anymore. Silva would have no reason to lie about what happened or anything, because he’s a good guy and his wife fleeing the country is just what happens in this type of situation. It pretty much all makes sense and is believable. IF you believe in the “legal process” and assume that it doesn’t falter.
When O’Toole asked if the UFC would follow the NFL’s lead and strengthen its stance on domestic violence, White had this to say:
“We’ve been like that since day one, anyway. Obviously, when you’re dealing with human beings, there’s going to be things where guys are going to test positive for all different types of drugs. Guys are going to do stupid things. Guys are going to say stupid things in social media. There’s going to be all these things that happen. We have a record, a track record of getting rid of many people that have done bad things.
“We’ve been human beings in letting these guys, other guys make up for what they’ve done and come back. There’s one thing that you never bounce back from and that’s putting your hands on a woman*. Been that way in the UFC since we started here. You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman*.”
Since this was on television, White couldn’t actually say “asterisk” and list the exceptions to that rule who currently fight in the UFC. Like Anthony Johnson and Abel Trujillo. Yeah, that’s an unimpeachable policy, Dana. Strictly defined and rigorously enforced.
Apparently, White still thinks his audience is dumb enough to believe the lines he’s feeding them. It’s White’s prerogative and responsibility to shape his company’s relationship with domestic violence, and re-signing Silva is a serious misstep that isn’t going to go away. People can change. But when domestic violence offenders have a recidivism rate of 62% within two years post-release, is gambling your company’s reputation on on those odds worth it?
*****
Follow Sydnie Jones on twitter at @syd1138, and read her two-part series on sexism, misogyny, and domestic violence in MMA here and here.
(Thaysa Silva) and victim #2 Pablo Popovitch were inside the center when she observed the defendant driving his vehicle, a 2012 Dodge Charger bearing FL TAG G7ARY. She could see the defendant pull up to the center because the entire store front is clear glass. The defendant then started honking the vehicle horn continuously. She then went outside to speak with him to avoid a confrontation since victim Silva and victim Popovitch are in a romantic relationship. The defendant is aware of this relationship and this fact contributed to his actions. She approached the defendant which was driving, and when she was approached the driver side, he rolled down the window. She immediately noticed that he had been drinking and extremely intoxicated. He then produced a black glock firearm and pointed it at the victim. He stated, You have ten seconds to bring Pablo outside and if he does not come out, I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone. It should be known there was a class in session with approximately 25 students inside. Victim Popovitch then exited the center to protect victim Silva from harm. He then approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and observed the defendant pointing the firearm above the door frame at the victim Silva. The defendant threatened to kill both victim Silva and victim Popivitch. Popovitch then ran back into the gym, locked the front door, and called 911. The defendant then drove away.
And then, on September 5th, the UFC re-signed Thiago Silva in a dazzling demonstration of ignorance, tone-deafness, and who knows what the fuck. The decision is almost entirely incomprehensible, despite Dana White’s meager efforts to explain it:
“But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?
“He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted. He deserves to be able to make a living again. He’s back under contract.”
A) He was not acquitted of all charges. The charges have been dismissed with the announcement of a nolle prosequi, which is not an acquittal. Nolle prosequi is the decision not to prosecute those charges at that time. It doesn’t necessarily mean never, and it is possible to re-indict someone on the same charges.
B) The UFC isn’t some benevolent foundation dedicated to all that is fair and just, as White’s appeal seems to suggest. Otherwise, Ben Askren would be currently fighting in the UFC, and Anthony Johnsonwould’ve been banned from the promotion long ago. To re-sign Silva with that rationale is disingenuous and hollow.
C) Silva did not go through “the legal process.” He got out on bail, Thaysa Silva fled the country, and the charges were dropped.
(Thiago Silva and Thaysa Kamiji Silva in…happier times, I guess? / Photo via Ryan Loco)
(Thaysa Silva) and victim #2 Pablo Popovitch were inside the center when she observed the defendant driving his vehicle, a 2012 Dodge Charger bearing FL TAG G7ARY. She could see the defendant pull up to the center because the entire store front is clear glass. The defendant then started honking the vehicle horn continuously. She then went outside to speak with him to avoid a confrontation since victim Silva and victim Popovitch are in a romantic relationship. The defendant is aware of this relationship and this fact contributed to his actions. She approached the defendant which was driving, and when she was approached the driver side, he rolled down the window. She immediately noticed that he had been drinking and extremely intoxicated. He then produced a black glock firearm and pointed it at the victim. He stated, You have ten seconds to bring Pablo outside and if he does not come out, I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone. It should be known there was a class in session with approximately 25 students inside. Victim Popovitch then exited the center to protect victim Silva from harm. He then approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and observed the defendant pointing the firearm above the door frame at the victim Silva. The defendant threatened to kill both victim Silva and victim Popivitch. Popovitch then ran back into the gym, locked the front door, and called 911. The defendant then drove away.
And then, on September 5th, the UFC re-signed Thiago Silva in a dazzling demonstration of ignorance, tone-deafness, and who knows what the fuck. The decision is almost entirely incomprehensible, despite Dana White’s meager efforts to explain it:
“But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?
“He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted. He deserves to be able to make a living again. He’s back under contract.”
A) He was not acquitted of all charges. The charges have been dismissed with the announcement of a nolle prosequi, which is not an acquittal. Nolle prosequi is the decision not to prosecute those charges at that time. It doesn’t necessarily mean never, and it is possible to re-indict someone on the same charges.
B) The UFC isn’t some benevolent foundation dedicated to all that is fair and just, as White’s appeal seems to suggest. Otherwise, Ben Askren would be currently fighting in the UFC, and Anthony Johnsonwould’ve been banned from the promotion long ago. To re-sign Silva with that rationale is disingenuous and hollow.
C) Silva did not go through “the legal process.” He got out on bail, Thaysa Silva fled the country, and the charges were dropped.
So what is White thinking? Maybe they want to set him up as a can so everyone can watch him get destroyed in the Octagon while capitalizing on his infamy. Does White actually believe his own line of bullshit? I mean…he can’t, right? Did Silva send some threatening text messages promising to have him killed?
During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Thiago Silva has a lot of nothing to say for himself. After taking offense to Helwani asking about that whole SWAT team standoff thing (c’mon Helwani, can we just move on? it’s in the past), Silva says he wanted a divorce but his wife demanded money, and then when he wouldn’t give it to her, she “set (him) up. That’s it.” Seriously.
Unsurprisingly, Silva is painting himself as a man victimized by a crazy, lying, gold-digging woman set on personal vengeance. I doubt White is dumb or sexist enough to believe that, but by allowing Silva back in the UFC, he’s co-signing that narrative, to a degree. How nice that Dana could change this poor man’s life, after Silva was beset by multiple instances allegations of domestic abuse and scary-as-shit behavior that seemed to be escalating. Deadspin points out there were three separate instances. It’s so inspiring when these hard-luck cases can regain their self-confidence and right the wrongs done to them and get to fight for the most prominent, elite promotion in the world.
Let’s pretend Dana does think he’s doing the honorable thing. Does he endorse his fighters saying super sexist, smug things like, “I learned…don’t trust girls”? Of course, Silva chuckles and says he’s joking. No doubt. After some daffy girl trying to profit off his simple desire to be free of her, it must be very easy to be totally joking about how women are untrustworthy.
“People will forget. They always do,” Silva says, which I can personally guarantee will not be true in this instance. Also, does he use the internet? The Internet never forgets.
Later on in the MMA Hour, Helwani also interviews Anthony Johnson, who entered a nolo contendre (no contest) plea for domestic violence in 2010. Johnson, who is somehow still in the UFC despite what White describes as a strict policy enforced since “day one,” was rehabilitated by the penal system with the following: one day in county jail, eight hours of community service, three years’ probation, and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. Boy, what a penance.
Following the premiere of TUF 20 on September 10th, Fox Sports Live decided to seize a golden PR opportunity for the UFC to demonstrate its morals and policies around domestic violence with a brief interview with White. What followed was so patently and verifiably false it bordered on humorous. Here’s what the UFC president said when host Dan O’Toole asked him how he justified re-signing Silva:
“If you believe in the process, if you believe in the legal process, they came, [police] arrested him and he wasn’t brought up on any charges. Plus, I know a lot more of the story and what went on. If you take his side of the story, her side of the story, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but he went through the process and he wasn’t charged with anything.”
So, rest easy, everyone — Thiago gave his bestie Dana the lowdown, and you don’t need to worry about it anymore. Silva would have no reason to lie about what happened or anything, because he’s a good guy and his wife fleeing the country is just what happens in this type of situation. It pretty much all makes sense and is believable. IF you believe in the “legal process” and assume that it doesn’t falter.
When O’Toole asked if the UFC would follow the NFL’s lead and strengthen its stance on domestic violence, White had this to say:
“We’ve been like that since day one, anyway. Obviously, when you’re dealing with human beings, there’s going to be things where guys are going to test positive for all different types of drugs. Guys are going to do stupid things. Guys are going to say stupid things in social media. There’s going to be all these things that happen. We have a record, a track record of getting rid of many people that have done bad things.
“We’ve been human beings in letting these guys, other guys make up for what they’ve done and come back. There’s one thing that you never bounce back from and that’s putting your hands on a woman*. Been that way in the UFC since we started here. You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman*.”
Since this was on television, White couldn’t actually say “asterisk” and list the exceptions to that rule who currently fight in the UFC. Like Anthony Johnson and Abel Trujillo. Yeah, that’s an unimpeachable policy, Dana. Strictly defined and rigorously enforced.
Apparently, White still thinks his audience is dumb enough to believe the lines he’s feeding them. It’s White’s prerogative and responsibility to shape his company’s relationship with domestic violence, and re-signing Silva is a serious misstep that isn’t going to go away. People can change. But when domestic violence offenders have a recidivism rate of 62% within two years post-release, is gambling your company’s reputation on on those odds worth it?
*****
Follow Sydnie Jones on twitter at @syd1138, and read her two-part series on sexism, misogyny, and domestic violence in MMA here and here.
(“But why is the lady having sex with the horse when she could be eating it?” via FighterXFashion.)
If Hollywood ever opted to do a straight-up remake of Predator starring only MMA fighters (not that they ever, *ever* should), I’d like to think that Alistair Overeem and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson would be prime candidates for the Dutch and Dillon roles, respectively, based purely on body mass. I say this despite the fact that the former has been rapidly shrinking down from heavyweight and the latter steadily ballooning up from welterweight in recent years.
Come to think of it, it’s entirely possible that Rumble has been slowly accumulating/absorbing Overeem’s mass through some sort of voodoo this entire time. Johnson and Overeem are former “Blackzilian” training partners, for one, which means that Rumble could have easily secured the hair strand/toenail clipping/jar of sweat necessary to conduct such a voodoo ritual, and both appear to hate the everloving sh*t out of each other. It’s the only logical explanation outside of “Johnson was never a true welterweight and Overeem owed his Herculean physique to steroids” that I can honestly think of.
Looking to continue the middle school method of hyping a fight that hasn’t been booked yet, Johnson lashed out at Overeem on Twitter this morning:
(“But why is the lady having sex with the horse when she could be eating it?” via FighterXFashion.)
If Hollywood ever opted to do a straight-up remake of Predator starring only MMA fighters (not that they ever, *ever* should), I’d like to think that Alistair Overeem and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson would be prime candidates for the Dutch and Dillon roles, respectively, based purely on their collective body mass. I say this despite the fact that the former has been rapidly shrinking down from heavyweight and the latter steadily ballooning up from welterweight over the past few years.
Come to think of it, it’s entirely possible that Rumble has been slowly accumulating/absorbing Overeem’s mass through some sort of voodoo this entire time. Johnson and Overeem are former “Blackzilian” training partners, for one, which means that Rumble could have easily secured the hair strand/toenail clipping/jar of sweat necessary to conduct such a voodoo ritual, and both appear to hate the everloving sh*t out of each other. It’s the only logical explanation outside of “Johnson was never a true welterweight and Overeem owed his Herculean physique to steroids” that I can honestly think of.
Looking to continue the middle school method of hyping a fight that hasn’t been booked yet, Johnson lashed out at Overeem on Twitter this morning:
As the official Twitter beef judge ’round these parts, I give Rumble a 6 out of 10 for this attack. The Overeem-JDS stuff surely stung a bit, but “Overshit” is just way too hackneyed an insult to be effective. “Oversemen” maybe could have worked, but even that’s a bit of a stretch. I also took points away from Rumble for responding to being called a pussy by calling Overeem…a pussy. That’s just plain unoriginal, like rhyming a word with the same word in a rap (more commonly known as “Fred Dursting”).
Overeem, as you know, has not fought since his three-round drubbing of Frank Mir at UFC 169, and is currently scheduled to face Ben Rothwell at Fight Night Mashantucket (lol!) this Friday. Johnson similarly beat down an aging legend in his last contest, stopping Antonio Rogerio Nogueira with strikes in the first round of their fight at UFC on FOX 12.
