Weighing In: Fight for Troops

In an effort to bring more content to WKR, we are teaming up with Michael Comeau of mmaeruption.com for a new feature called 'Weighing In'.


1.) Was UFC Fight for the Troops a successful show?

WKR: The legacy of UFC fight for the Troops is muddled and confusing, making it apt for comparison to the War that scarred the soldiers the promotion was attempting to raise money for.

The juxtaposition of individuals engaging in combat and being significantly hurt in the effort of raising money for wounded veterans seemed like something from Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary.

While we should applaud the charitable efforts of the UFC, the production itself left a sour taste in my mouth. After hearing from veterans who had been lost in the system or were maimed in combat it made enjoying the fights a near impossibility. It pointed out the glaring selfishness of our culture and how easily we have forgotten about the two wars our nation is in.

The fights themselves and the carnage that ensued just furthered the irony of the evening. One of the most violent nights in UFC history was the result of a freak accident, poor officiating and green fighters. The new referees were clearly out of their league, and Joe Rogan pointed it out. Steve Chantwell’s tactless post-fight interview where he thanked god then laughed about possibly breaking a person’s arm was the most hypocritical statement I have heard from a fighter. The Corey Hill incident may of been a freak accident but couple it with the other events and it appeared the UFC put on a live Horror Porn show.

While it may be easy to say the events negatives will outweigh the good, I cannot go that far. Every dime for the wounded veterans is far more important than the perception of MMA. Yet that night may of harmed MMA more then any humanitarian effort could help it.

MC: It's pretty sad that we even need events like Fight For The Troops, because they illustrate how poorly soldiers are taken care of once them come home. The government is sending billions and billions of dollars to Wall Street and Detroit but veterans that come back broken both mentally and physically can't always get the care they need.

BUT ANYWAY...

Kudos to MMA fans for donating millions of dollars for The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, but I have to agree with my arch-enemy Zak, the night was a bit of a clusterf*ck. When you put well-trained men in a cage to fight, some crazy stuff will go down just about every time. However, I was simply shocked at the sheer quantity of bizarre happenings at Fight For The Troops.

Corey Hill's broken leg is perfect ammo for uneducated MMA critics to knock the sport, especially since the UFC posted the entire fight on its site. Steve Cantwell's pride over injuring Razaak Al-Hassan's arm was incredibly unprofessional, ranking right up there with the Babalu/David Heath incident. And of course, we have to question whether Al-Hassan should have been in the cage in the first place. He must have skipped BJJ class because as far as I know, you're supposed to tap when something hurts! I won't even get into the EliteXC-esque refereeing.

Besides the raising of the money for the troops, the only positives I can take away from the night were Ben Saunders' breakout performance over Brandon Wolff (who may belong in the lightweight division), and Josh Koscheck's and Mike Swick's first-round finishes. All three guys are now higher up in the welterweight division, and hopefully, Koscheck will stay in the division given that he may finally have some people behind him!