In MMA, Time is the Enemy

Time waits for no one. As a rapidly aging baby boomer, I can attest to that fact.

From the time BJ Penn demanded a fight with Georges St-Pierre, I developed an ulcer from worrying during the four-month wait.

Of course, the ulcer had no time to even think about healing, what with the big shake-up over the great grease debate.

I even contemplated giving up writing over it.

Now the only one watching the clock and calendar with more of a sense of aggravation at the slow passage of time, is perhaps Ken Florian, who like myself, is not getting any younger.

The only thing more fruitless than waiting for Penn to defend the Lightweight Title, is waiting for the long overdue fight between the two Matts—Hughes vs. Serra.

Initially, I was so hot for this fight I thought nothing could dampen my enthusiasm.

Strangely, two years and counting, I have cooled off and even had a change of heart toward one of the combatants.

There was a time when I adored Matt Serra.

If anyone bad mouthed him in front of me, they risked a good old-fashioned granny lesson. I keep Lava soap just for that purpose.

Now, after both Matts have spoken words they can never erase from my mind about St. Pierre being a "cheater," I have lost a lot of love for Mr. Serra. Fortunately, I have never had any affection whatsoever for Matt Hughes, so there is no problem there.

In a way, I still want Matt Serra to win, because he will soon become a new father, a fact which can endear anyone to me.

But in another way, I would like to knock some sense into his thick knucklehead.

His spat with St.Pierre after they had been "almost" friends after UFC/TUF 4, was, I always felt, a misunderstanding that I would have loved to have mediated and helped Matt and Georges work out.

Boy, has a lot of water run under the bridge since then!

Talking about Georges being a Frenchman who loves red wine and hockey is one thing, but accusing him of cheating is quite another matter altogether.

Now I am mad!

It is just like I have taken a giant leap into the past when I was 25 and teaching sixth grade in summer school; believe me, that is one reason I decided to go into nursing.

When MMA fighters begin to resemble 12-year-olds approaching all the misadventures of puberty, I lose interest very quickly.

(All you readers may want to remember this fact.)

I will shut off quicker than the one minute setting on a microwave oven when men start to behave badly like mouthy pre-teen boys.

One of the reasons I looked forward to this fight in the first place is that the two Matts need to have the typical schoolyard showdown to see who can pee farther. Once that is determined everything can return to normal in the UFC and the world of MMA.

It is doubtful that the time off has treated Matt Hughes well.

He has not fought like the "old" legendary Welterweight champion he used to be since leaving Pat Militech's gym in Iowa.

Having your own gym after retirement is ideal for an ex-fighter, but with no boss to pressure the guy, or give him needed guidance, what is the motivation to train by himself?

However, with Matt Serra who owns three gyms and has an influx of young fighters to constantly challenge him, owning a gym appears to be a bonus.

I feel Serra still has an edge over Hughes in the fitness and is ready to re-enter the Octagon department.

Frankly, regardless of past records and experience, Hughes doesn't have a chance in Hell—the last place a "good" Christian like him wants to be.

Still in all, and with an ulcer that is just beginning to heal, this fight is so long overdue that I may have to leave a wake up call with someone responsible to wake me up on fight night and remind me to watch.

That is what happens when time marches on too slowly to maintain my interest.

Hey, when is the fight anyway?