MMA Takes Two Steps Back
The past 9 days were supposed to be a celebration of mixed martial arts, as UFC and Strikeforce put together two of the strongest cards either organization has had in a long while. With a total of 5 title fights and 4 of the top 10 P4P fighters in the world competing, this was supposed to be a week to remember.
Instead, MMA comes away with a pair of black eyes and a serious blow to its delicate reputation.
It could be argued either way which hurts the sport more; Anderson Silva's jackass-ery or the six-on-one beat down of Jason 'Mayhem' Miller. To be honest, it really doesn't matter what kind of superlative you put on either. Both were an embarrassment to mixed martial arts.
To many, what happened after the main event of Strikeforce: Nashville was a borderline tragedy. The underdog champion, Jake Shields, takes down his organization's prize free agent after almost losing just minutes into the 
battle. With the spotlight on the proud yet quiet champion, Grade A Asshat, Jason Miller, butts in on the champ's victory speech, asking for a rematch. Far worse things have been done and said in the cage, but rather than letting the champ fight his own battles, Cesar Gracie's clowns (aka Gilbert Melendez and the Diaz brothers) step in and start a ruckus.
Oh, and our shining, hero of a champion? Yeah, he initiated the battle with a shove to Miller. How disappointing.
And on the flip side, UFC 112 was supposed to be a celebration of the global reach of mixed martial arts. The first event for the UFC in the Middle East, a freaking stadium was constructed just to house this event. In front of a sell out crowd, two legends of the sport duked it out to a 3rd round KO, a 7-1 underdog defeated the greatest lightweight of all time to win his title, and the crowd was on the edge of its seat to see the greatest fighter in the world put on a show.
The problem is Anderson Silva had a different kind of show in mind, and it was the kind of show more in line with a Vince McMahon production.
Peacocking through two rounds, it was sort of amusing when Silva would connect with a few punches and taunt his overmatched foe, the all-world BJJ champion Demian Maia. Muhammed Ali did this sort of thing for years. But once the 3rd round began and it became apparent than Silva was more content with embarrassing his opponent rather than defeating him, the crowd began to turn. Fifteen minutes of Anderson Silva running from the fight and yelling at his opponent was enough for Abu Dhabi. By the end of the match, those in attendance were chanting the names of the throttled challenger and a man who wasn't even involved in the event.
Aren't champions supposed to be cheered and lauded for their excellence, not booed?
The biggest shame with UFC 112 is that the biggest story of all of 2010 should be underdog Frankie Edgar overcoming the legend of BJ Penn. It was the kind of story straight out of a movie script. Instead, it wasn't even the story of the evening, as the spotlight shone brightly on Silva, who cited his behavior was caused by Maia disrespecting him. Pot, meet the kettle.
Mixed martial arts has bounced back from far worse, and its resiliency will no doubt persevere. But there is no question that the past 10 days have been a giant step back for MMA. The behavior of Anderson Silva, Jake Shields, Jason Miller, and Cesar Gracie's camp was a slap in the face of everything Dana White, the UFC, and Strikeforce have fought for since the days of "human cock fighting."
When you get punched, you punch back, and you for sure punch harder. How will Dana White and Strikeforce strike back?
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