411 MMA Smacktalk 07.16.07: Bring It On, Green Shirts
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 07.16.2007
Wanderlei strikes back, Babalu battles the fuzz, upsets galore and more in this edition.
Welcome to Smacktalk, the source for MMA news and rumors on 411mania.com on Mondays. I am Damian Sarcuni and once again Jose Chavez could not be with me this week due to scheduling conflicts. I'm here to bring you the latest MMA news and rumors around the horn.
Despite Jose's repeated absence, the format is always the same. They Say is the news item reported, You Say are comments and feedback from around the net, and We Say is my personal opinion on each topic. Let's begin.
They say
In a video interview on mmaweekly.com, Wanderlei Silva responded to reports from the UFC that he turned down a fight against Chuck Liddell. Silva stated that he only wanted to fight Liddell at a scheduled later date, since he is moving to the United States soon. Wanderlei was quoted as saying "This fight is on, if [Chuck] doesn't hide behind this mess."
You say
I guess Wandy being Wandy wasn't what Dana expected. Every fan knows he fought Mark Hunt on 2 or 3 days notice and knows Chute Boxe has never ducked a fight, Wandy is a machine. Same can be said for Chuck, you know he wouldn't duck anything. This is all on Dana for trying to spread crap to people and hoping they'd buy it. - Huckaby, 411mania.com forums
With this and the Rampage/Henderson title confusion from last week, the Fertita's should consider putting a gag order on Dana White for a little bit. It seems every interview he does these days with the same questions asked turns up with a different answer. - CompletePlayer, 411mania.com forums
We say
Damian: At long last, the boys at the hometown forums have sounded off and hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head. I absolutely agree that given Dana White's recent interview track record, all evidence favors Silva. Keep in mind that I don't like Wanderlei very much, I think he's cocky and has a holier-than-thou attitude but even I have to admit the evidence is in his favor. Let's not debate over what the truth is and just spell it out. Negotiations were breaking down between White and Silva, White pulled an ultimatum, Silva didn't bite, White moved on to his "call him out in public to goad him into it" strategy. With most fan reports siding with Wandy on this one, it looks like Dana's tactics failed this time around.
They say
For an alternative bout, the UFC has scheduled Chuck Liddell to take on Keith Jardine at UFC 76.
You say
If Jardine knocks out Liddell I'll dance a merry jig, similar to the one I danced when Rampage knocked him out. - MikeFranccis, sherdog.net
This fight will mark the first time a fighter has been literally decapitated in the "ring". Chuck by guillotine punch. – cambo78, sherdog.net
We say
Damian: This is actually a fight I've always wondered about. It's obviously a tune up fight for Liddell but the match making is no random pick. Jardine pulled out a huge win over Forrest Griffin not too long ago and still has a chance to become a serious UFC commodity here despite his recent devastating loss. Obviously Chuck gets the favoritism here, but I refuse to count Jardine out. If anyone can pull an upset out of nowhere, it's him.
They say
Various sites are reporting that Renato "Babalu" Sobral was arrested and released on charges of battery and trespassing in Tampa, Florida. Details are sketchy but word is Babalu spit on a bouncer and was arrested at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
You say
I going to asume a couple drunk frat boys at the bar talked shit and Babalu put the regulatin' down.. - Hazdrubal, forums.mmaweekly.com
Hmmm....he was arrested wearing a shirt with his own name on it. If he was fighting in a sanctioned event thats cool, but I don't know if I would walk aroud with name on my shirt in everyday life.. - Rono999, forums.mmaweekly.com
We say
Damian: HA!! I speak from personal experience when I say that trespassing is a trumped up charge that results in a hefty fine at worst. This just looks like one of those passing situations that happen in social elements when alcohol gets too involved and things get too out of hand. I imagine the UFC will pull out a pricey lawyer and get this thing resolved quickly. On a related note, Babalu's mug shot looked very good and the UFC should get a copy for promotional uses.
They say
This weekend was full of upset victories at the Cage Rage and Bodog Fight events as James Thompson, Yves Edwards, Roman Zentsov, Amar Suloev and even Herb Dean all tasted defeat in bouts that weighed them as the favorite to win. On the other hand, Ross Pointon at last emerged victorious after a string of losses.
You say
The guy that KO'd Thompson was the 3rd alternate after Kimo and he works on a farm. They give this guy like 2 days notice and he shows up and KTFO James in 10 seconds. JT needs to get some new DVD's. – B-Vera1, sherdog.net
meh.. good for Ross. He may not be the best fighter out there, but I love his fighting attitude. The guy takes on all comers, and isn't afraid to fight anyone. So kudos to him, hopefully this win does him some good, and makes him some more cash in the future. – jminards, forums.mmaweekly.com
We say
Damian: Herb Dean got nervous, Thompson got caught, Edwards got caught, Suloev got surprised and Zentsov just got completely dominated. It just goes to show that even the non-UFC organizations out there are capable of bringing in excellent competition and that no fight is a cake walk. MMA is a beautiful sport because people from all walks of life can find victory in it. It's a great test of internal fortitude as well as training and skill, and its important to remember why we watch. As a fan, I'm upset that many of these guys lost, but the show will go on.
We're cutting out a little early due to a simple overpowering work load. I just want to take a second to thank everyone who supported our site coverage of Bodog Fight's event in Trenton, NJ this weekend, and send out a nice big round of jeers to the Eddie Alvarez green shirt cheering section. Thanks for reading and stay tuned to 411's MMA section for more news and updates throughout the week.
