What did you prove me wrong on, Kris P? It is still a douche move that makes a growing sports organization look like a bunch of thugs when they are trying to shed the image of being a bunch of violent thugs.

I don't see how one fighter can make an entire organization look like thugs. First of all, if you're watching two guys fight in a cage, you can't be that squeamish or sensitive. If that turns off someone to MMA, they probably weren't going to like the sport anyway. Secondly, anyone taking Nate Diaz flipping the bird as a sign that an entire roster is full of thugs had that impression before they watched that fight.

The UFC did several character profiles that night including that of the champion, Benson Henderson, a devout Christian and Matt Brown, a recovering heroin addict who seems to be turning his life around. Someone assuming the whole organization is nothing but thugs is either naive or had that view from the beginning.

4.4 average for the whole show, 6 million for the main event..

:cool:

It says the UFC did a great job of quality control, cutting away when it happened and FOX wasn't mad at all..

What are you talking about "shed the image of being a bunch of violent thugs"??

It's cage fighting for fuck's sake..

You can't say "FFS it's cage fighting!" and then complain when people don't treat it with respect.

You can have Nate Diaz' in the UFC the same way you can have Ndomakong Suh's and have the NFL thrive.. The audience they are geared after are predisposed to violence and aggression.. If the are against it, they will not watch the product anyway..

The percentage of high profile fighters acting like Diaz is higher than high profiler players acting like Suh. Once again, you are acting like Suh's action are looked upon with indifference. Far from it.

What other fighters (minus Nick Diaz)??

You are acting like this is gonna ruin the UFC when clearly there have been much worse incidents in ALL other major sports and they all do just fine..

All other major sports aren't unsanctioned in multiple states. Don't help people keep MMA from expanding and being able to be in MSG.

MSG has NOTHING to do with fighting and EVERYTHING to do with the server union in New York..

If your are going to argue something, atleast know what you are arguing about..

That's got less to do with the behavior of the fighters and more to do with how the sport is viewed. In New York, it's not about how the sport is viewed at all and more about the certain legislatures who oversee sanctions being in the pocket of unions who have a personal grudge against the Fertitas for how they run their casinos.

Fuck you Kris P. You should have known I was in the middle of typing. It's the culinary union by the way, not the server union so BOO YAH you thunder stealing ass.

Same diff..

It boils down to the Fertittas not using union employees in their casinos and not allowing said employees to unionize.. The culinary union in NY is powerful and has keep the bill from passing for sanctioned MMA..

Bottom line, it has NOTHING to do with Nate Diaz flipping off an opponent..

p.s. amateur MMA has been sanctioned earlier this year, FYI..

They sanctioned amateur MMA in New York? Damn. Now you know it's blatantly hate against Zuffa/UFC, the biggest professional organization in the sport.

The non-sanction could never had stopped amateur MMA, but they would crack down on venues, merch sales, alcohol licensing, etc.. then this:

The behavior of the fighters have nothing to do with how the sport is viewed?

Also, even with the political bullshit they can easily feed to people who will be against it by overamplifying the violence and such because they will show two dudes covered in blood, Diaz flipping them off, and Lesnar looking like he took bath salts and went after the camerman. We all know most fights aren't bloodbaths and most fighters aren't shitheads, but that is the perception. Perception is reality. Football is violent and has shitheads, but they make sure the overall perception is that it is about elite athletes doing incredible feats in athletic competition. Marketable superstars. UFC needs more of them and they can't be losing their shit.

Did someone fart??

Oh, it's just good ole James Steele talking out of his ass again..

Brilliant counter-point. Right up there with "Nuh-uh."

Do you think UFC has plenty of marketable superstars right now to maintain their rate of growth? UFC can't keep putting on more PPV cards and TV special cards if they don't get more marketable fighters. While UFC did a good job cutting away from Diaz, I imagine Fox won't be begging to see Diaz on another UFC on FOX show for more reasons than him getting his ass beat.

Seriously, am I saying anything that is all that farfetched? I'm not saying UFC sucks. I'm not saying MMA sucks. I'm saying that UFC is getting in its own way from being even bigger and better over stupid shit like fighters and executives acting like petulant manchildren and thinking that they are fine where they are.

You are nitpicking about ANYTHING you consider the UFC does wrong.. Do you think they wanted Diaz to flip him off?? NO.. Will it effect the UFC in ANY way shape or form?? NO..

stfu

But it has. It got coverage. It got publicity even if they cut away from it on live TV. It isn't good publicity for a sport trying to get more and more people to quit viewing it negatively. If this was the only time a UFC fighter/owner looked like a raging jackass, then yes it wouldn't matter but this happens more often than it should and it has hurt UFC. Has it made them bankrupt? Of course not, but it happens consistently enough to hold them back from where they clearly want to be.

Nitpicking? It is discussing about the only notable thing in a headline fight of a major UFC network broadcast. What else is there to talk about from that fight? "Diaz got his ass beat." "Yup." "Uh huh." "I agree. Man, that was rough."

So, you shut the fuck up if you can't handle any sort of MMA discussion that isn't just blowing fighters and the sport in general.

I think the fight itself and the outcome was pretty important..

That got 6 million viewers and I doubt even 1% turn the fight off because of this..

FOX is happy, UFC is happy, but James Steele is upset..

p.s. I've heard MUCH more about the toothpick than the bird..

Still missing the fucking point. I'm not "upset" or anything. I'm just saying that all these little flashes of stupidity keep UFC from having Monday Night Football type ratings. There is no reason UFC can't do that for a network special card. The crossover potential between NFL and UFC is pretty damn big and the one of things preventing that is the image of the sport moreso than the sport itself.

I haven't really seen anything about the toothpick. Of course, I don't visit MMA sites or anything. If anything, I figure that would be more of a hindrance to a fighter than anything. I don't like hitting speedbumps with a toothpick in my mouth after leaving a restaurant let alone getting my skull caved in.