The Vik Grujic vs. Luke Harris quarterfinal fight from Wednesday’s episode of TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia is notable for a few reasons. For one thing, it’s the only knockout that has taken place in the first eight episodes of the season. (See? Aren’t you glad you’re not watching?) Second, it ends with a storm of elbows from the top, which we always appreciate. And third, it features Harris doing the most dead-on Koji Oishi impression we’ve ever seen, before he inevitably gets his ass kicked.
By the way, Luke Harris isn’t some random palooka they found in a yoga studio. Every single victory in the Canadian’s 10-2 pro record has come by first-round submission, including a guillotine choke win over Edwin Dewees in 2012, if that means anything. [Ed. note:It doesn’t.] But clearly, he’s still figuring out the striking part of the equation. Watch as Harris stands in front of Grujic totally flat-footed and with his hands dropping to his waist, just waiting to get blasted in the chin. After a clash of strikes, Grujic slams Harris on the side of his head with minimal effort, then splits Harris’s dome open like a coconut with short elbows. The whole thing takes about 50 seconds.
But hey, that’s what this reality-show tournament is about, right? Filtering out the guys who aren’t real [expletive] fighters? And discovering the next generation of indistinguishable Fight Pass talent? The Grujic Era is coming, folks. Be ready.
The Vik Grujic vs. Luke Harris quarterfinal fight from Wednesday’s episode of TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia is notable for a few reasons. For one thing, it’s the only knockout that has taken place in the first eight episodes of the season. (See? Aren’t you glad you’re not watching?) Second, it ends with a storm of elbows from the top, which we always appreciate. And third, it features Harris doing the most dead-on Koji Oishi impression we’ve ever seen, before he inevitably gets his ass kicked.
By the way, Luke Harris isn’t some random palooka they found in a yoga studio. Every single victory in the Canadian’s 10-2 pro record has come by first-round submission, including a guillotine choke win over Edwin Dewees in 2012, if that means anything. [Ed. note:It doesn’t.] But clearly, he’s still figuring out the striking part of the equation. Watch as Harris stands in front of Grujic totally flat-footed and with his hands dropping to his waist, just waiting to get blasted in the chin. After a clash of strikes, Grujic slams Harris on the side of his head with minimal effort, then splits Harris’s dome open like a coconut with short elbows. The whole thing takes about 50 seconds.
But hey, that’s what this reality-show tournament is about, right? Filtering out the guys who aren’t real [expletive] fighters? And discovering the next generation of indistinguishable Fight Pass talent? The Grujic Era is coming, folks. Be ready.
The comments on any article or message board post about Tyler Manawaroa’s racist Instagram post are an example of why MMA is where it is in terms of the sport’s public perception.
Some fans are responding with apt disgust, while others are showing why society thinks MMA is a crass, sordid sport followed only by skinheads and low-class morons—the kinds of white, suburban idiots who believe in Reptilians, hoard bitcoins in case the shit hits the fan, worship Ron Paul, and think reverse racism is a real thing.
Here are a handful of highlights from the Bloody Elbow article about Manawaroa’s photo, as well as the post about it on r/MMA—Reddit’s MMA locale that’s replaced the UG as the web’s premier destination for MMA discussion and content—as well as the Instagram photo itself:
The comments on any article or message board post about Tyler Manawaroa’s racist Instagram post are an example of why MMA is where it is in terms of the sport’s public perception.
Some fans are responding with apt disgust, while others are showing why society thinks MMA is a crass “sport” followed only by skinheads and low-class morons—the kinds of white, suburban idiots who believe in Reptilians, hoard bitcoins in case the shit hits the fan, worship Ron Paul, and think reverse racism is a real thing.
Here are a handful of highlights from the Bloody Elbow article about Manawaroa’s photo, as well as the post about it on r/MMA—Reddit’s MMA locale that’s replaced the UG as the web’s premier destination for MMA discussion and content—as well as the Instagram photo itself:
“So? People can’t be racist at 18?”
“Its [sic] been up for weeks and some attention whore happen [sic] to see it and wants to be noticed. Funny how its [sic] just Americans whinging [sic] and complaining.”
“Haha, sounds like you know everything about this kid based off one picture he posted.”
“It was 18 months ago. Not saying it’s right… but it was 18 months ago.”
“Yeah, lets burn him at the stake!!! Because I am positive that myself or anyone else posting in this thread have never done anything wrong or made an insensitive comment in their lives. Downvote away hypocrites!”
“Oh look an opportunity for all you perfect model citizens to get up on your high horses and act like you never did anything stupid when you were a teenager.”
And my favorite:
“BREAKING NEWS: Teenager posts something stupid on social media!
Seriously, who gives a fuck?”
A guy posts overtly racist pictures (yes, there weremore than one) on his Instagram (along with correspondingly racist hashtags) and MMA fans shrug. But who gives a fuck? Fighters are awesome for BEING REAL. Racism is OK because we’re all racist. And besides, he’s JUST A TEENAGER! It’s not like growing up racist will have any impact on his opinions on other groups of people later in life, right? Anyone who gets mad is just a reverse-racist who’s a victim of the pussification of America. And anyone who disagrees with this assessment is just a high-horse, ivory tower, white knight and liar since it’s impossible for someone to not be racist.
This isn’t the first time MMA fans showed their proclivity towards the sordid. Joe Rogan used the slur “faggot” to describe MMA writer Tomas Rios in 2010, an act for which he issued a sarcastic non-apology. A year later, when Rampage Jackson infamously motorboated Karyn Bryant and Yahoo’s Maggie Hendricks called him out, Rogan labeled her “cunty” to the support of MMA fans. And let’s not forget Ronda Rousey tweeting the Sandy Hook conspiracy video and Dana White’s pathetic reaction to it.
Look, other sports haveraceproblems as well as other issues like sexualharassment. But other sports don’t have the historical, “human cockfighting” baggage that MMA does. Football is still esteemed and respected despite players blowing their hearts out to preserve their traumatic brains. Baseball is plagued with PED problems, but it’s still America’s favorite past time.
MMA, at the best of times, is “that UFC shit with the guys rolling around on the floor.” Bad athlete conduct hurts MMA worse than other sports. We can’t tolerate it, nor should we even try to defend it when it’s as egregiously horrific as Tyler Manawaora’s—but I’m sure the UFC’s head of fighter conduct Matt Hughes will deal with the situation accordingly.
Cue people in the comments calling me a liberal pussy.
I posted a pic on instagram that has offended people..im very sorry !! As you can imagine that was never the intention. .as a dark skinned person myself who has delt with racism all my life ,I was making fun of the stereotype that all dark people go to jail..which is obviously not true….hence the irony…but I will remove it and I apologize for offending you.
In an interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, famed straight edge pro wrestler and former WWE champ CM Punk expressed an interest in taking an MMA fight, as well as thoughts about his doubtful future with the WWE. Punk left the WWE not long after this interview.
To MMA fans and pundits, the urge to connect the dots was too great. Punk departed the WWE shortly after he mentioned MMA. Therefore, he MUST have left the WWE to start fighting.
In an interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, famed straight edge pro wrestler and former WWE champ CM Punk expressed an interest in taking an MMA fight, as well as thoughts about his doubtful future with the WWE. Punk left the WWE not long after this interview.
To MMA fans and pundits, the urge to connect the dots was too great. Punk departed the WWE shortly after he mentioned MMA. Therefore, he MUST have left the WWE to start fighting.
Cue the insanity.
Rampant speculation about CM Punk, his MMA abilities, his MMA “career” and his potential opponent—which many slated as former Power Ranger Jason David Frank since Frank issued a public challenge to Punk—polluted MMA headlines across the Internet.
MMA didn’t need it quite as much when CM Punk first announced that an MMA fight was on his bucket list. There’s just not a whole lot of interest in the day-to-day affairs of MMA like there was in the past. Look at the numbers for the most recent TUF season—they’re horrific. Fans don’t care about low/mid-level UFC fighters and even some high level UFC fighters. We live in an era where one of the only ways to draw big interest (and big traffic) is to tease Brock Lesnar’s UFC return for the umpteenth time. GSP is gone and Zuffa is apparently going to bury him sooner rather than later. Rousey can always generate buzz, but Hollywood is poaching that cash cow. Talking grand about CM Punk fighting for real is one of the only ways to brighten the drudgery of “Two C-level guys got added to some UFC fight pass card in who cares where. Please donate your click” articles.
And regarding Punk’s actual future in MMA, he doesn’t have one. He’s a 35-year-old ex-pro wrestler with no combat sports experience (he’s trained, yes, but hasn’t competed). At best, he’ll participate in a handful of fights that get lots of hype and then retire from competition after fulfilling yet another goal in life while MMA media members roast him, a novice MMA fighter, for looking like a novice MMA fighter.
