UFC Star Conor McGregor, Bellator and More: An MMA Thanksgiving
It hasn't been the easiest year to be an MMA fan. Between the UFC's precipitous financial decline, decimated fight cards and what seemed to be a bizarre crime ring made up exclusively of fringe fighters, 2014 was far from a banner year.
But you know us—here at B/R MMA we look for the slightest glimmers of hope and hang on with both hands. Could this year have been better? Sure. Did we sometimes want to hang our heads in shame, mostly anytime we saw the two words "War" and "Machine" in close proximity? Yes, again.
That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of great moments too. For that we pause to give thanks. What follows are five things we're thankful for this year—the main course if you will.
Have one to add? That piece of pumpkin pie goes in the comments. Won't you join us?
Jeremy Botter: Competition
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I am thankful for competition. Specifically, I am thankful that Scott Coker's non-compete contract with the UFC finally ran out, that Viacom sent Bjorn Rebney packing and that they hired Coker to run the new and vastly improved Bellator.
I remember being a pro wrestling fan in the 1990s, back before WCW was torpedoed by terrible management and booking. And those days were awesome, because you had to flip back and forth between the WWF and WCW's flagship Monday night shows. You had to. You never knew what was going to happen, and you didn't want to miss it when it did.
Those days of competition were great, and they briefly drove both companies to be better than they would if they were going it alone. My hope is that the new Bellator, with their mini-PRIDE style entrances, can push the UFC out of the funk it's in and help it be more than they currently are. The UFC is still the biggest fight promotion in mixed martial arts, but it has been a long time since it's been all that interesting.
Perhaps what it needs is the little guy poking and prodding and needling it on a weekly basis.
Duane Finley: The Big Tease
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I tend to become crankier around the holidays as I get older, but this year I truly want to say thanks for something, and that's the "Big Tease" the UFC has thrown out at us all year long.
Before I get started on this roll of gratitude, let me make one thing crystal clear. When I talk about the "Big Tease," I'm not referring to bouts that fell apart due to injury because knees and necks pop out at the gym on the regular just as 160-pound Brazilians black out in their effort to make the 135-pound limit in order to defend their titles.
I get those things, but what I don't understand is why I have to hear names such as Brock, Cyborg, Gina, Fedor and even pound-for-pound boxing great Floyd Mayweather's name thrown in MMA circles? I don't get it and probably never will, but that doesn't stop me for being thankful for it.
And the reason is as follows. When you work in this sport or on digital media as myself and the rest of my colleagues in this article do, there are very limited chances to break away from the never-ending news cycle of the sport you cover.
That being said, anytime I see one of the previously mentioned names and the rash of stories that come with one of them potentially climbing out of their bathtub filled with money to fight or something of that nature, I turn the computer off. I disconnect and look outside at the beautiful trees in my backyard, and it is glorious.
So this year I'm thankful people still continue to talk about things that will never happen or matter because a little extra free time is chicken soup for the soul.
Scott Harris: GSP
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I want to give thanks for a Mr. Georges "Rush" St-Pierre. I don’t want to get mushy about it, but COME BACK TO US GEORGES! WE’RE SO SORRY! WE PROMISE TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME CORRECTLY THIS TIME!
All it took was a few injuries to put me in the spirit. I just needed Johny Hendricks and Cain Velasquez and Jon Jones and Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis and a partridge and a pear tree to go down, and suddenly it was all so clear. There were also things such as War Machine and Thiago Silva. GSP wasn’t immune to injuries or imperfections, but he fought more often than he didn’t, and he did so while being a respectable person.
Crazy juggling act, I know, and it looks even crazier as the UFC limps to the finish line of a down year. St-Pierre stood by and watched his stock go up without moving, all the while tossing out quotes on taboo subjects such as drug testing and fighter unions the way Rockefeller used to toss dimes to the masses.
That big return is still on the table, and he reportedly put on a lot of muscle during his latest knee-surgery rehab. Imagine GSP mowing his way through the middleweight rank and file. Not looking too boring any more, is he? I think a lot of people would watch another run and be more than grateful to have it.
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Matthew Ryder: Special Moments
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I'm thankful for the fact that, in a world where there are too many events and too many fights, things such as Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes II can still happen.
A few times a year, despite the waves of faceless wrestleboxers and guys with the charisma of my socks, a fight between the truly elite of a division happens, and it reminds us all why MMA is great.
Most of us became fans because this sport was the type of entertainment not found anywhere else. The things these athletes were capable of was unmatched. It was a type of violent ballet that, when done properly, appealed to the basest of our instincts and the best parts of our humanity.
It's not often like that anymore. But on those nights when you get those great men putting on great fights, even if it's only for 25 minutes, it feels like it could be.
That feeling is something to be thankful for.
Jonathan Snowden: The Notorious One
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I can't lie to you people—because it's Thanksgiving. And who wants to sit down for turkey and stuffing with a lie hanging heavy on their heart?
When Chael Sonnen departed the mixed martial arts scene, at least as an active participant, I was afraid the energy, tomfoolery and madcap nonsense he injected into the sport was gone forever. Part nice guy, part human structure fire, Sonnen had a way of nonchalantly burning everyone and everything he came in contact with to the ground.
That's an exciting energy, one I could appreciate as a vocal supporter—even as the flames started licking my skin and blisters began to form.
I should have known better than to worry. The entertainment space allows no voids. Sonnen proved their was a market for his pro wrestling-inspired lunacy. It's a role that needed an actor to fill it, an archetype that demands human form.
Enter Conor McGregor.
No, the Irishman isn't quite on Sonnen's level as a verbal artist. He's more glib, less articulate and more flash than substance. But the energy is there. An event seems bigger, grander, and more magnificent by his very presence. Better still, it's starting to look like he's probably the real deal in the cage too. It's the kind of development that buoys MMA fans after a very tough 2014 and gives hope for the future.
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