Garcia
12-07-2009, 19:55
Bron: UFC vs Shamrock - FrankShamrock.com (http://www.frankshamrock.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2546126%3ABlogPost%3A16971)
This Saturday’s UFC 100 event has the attention of the world’s MMA audience with its Mir-Lesnar and St. Pierre/Alves title fights and its heavily-marketed, supposedly fan-based poll of the organization’s top fights. However, a bit of a backlash against the Zuffa-backed Dana White monopoly can be found in many mainstream media outlets as they combat the UFC’s attempt to rewrite MMA history with its own pen.
For most of us who follow “The Legend,” the most perplexing omission from “The Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights” is its unceremonious exclusion of all things Frank Shamrock, the UFC’s first (and undefeated) Middleweight Champion. Shamrock’s career is linked forever with the history of UFC, and this blacklisting of Shamrock is a black eye for the organization. Many opinions exist as to why no Shamrock fight was included; what is promising is the refusal of other MMA voices to play by the UFC’s dirty rules. Consider Eddie Goldman’s recent blog and radio show in which he chronicles Shamrock’s defeat of Tito Ortiz; also, Foxsports recently released its Top 10 UFC Fighters of All Time, which ranks Frank as number seven. Many online sites are including Shamrock and a variety of his fights in their all-time MMA lists.
However, what struck me as the most problematic anti-Frank Shamrock propaganda occurred on ESPN’s MMA Live show just this past Thursday when host Jon Anik asked guests Kenny Florian and Randy Couture about the omission of three fighters from the UFC Hall of Fame, including Frank Shamrock. Florian mumble-mouthed about there certainly being discord between the fighters and the UFC, but it was Couture who unwittingly articulated all that is wrong with the UFC monopoly and its smear tactics. The former UFC champion said that all sports have political issues; fair enough. However, Couture then asked “how long before Pete Rose is admitted into baseball’s hall of fame?”
See, this is the problem: Rose has been banned from his sport’s Hall of Fame because he admitted to breaking the rules of his sport by betting on baseball. Frank Shamrock is guilty only of calling out the UFC for its oppressive treatment of its employees and for engaging in a battle of egos with Dana White, not for violating any rule or law. To falsely connect Frank Shamrock to Pete Rose as a rationale for omitting Shamrock from the UFC pantheon of its greatest fighters of all time is a gross stretch of logic. To hear it mouth-pieced from a respected fighter is troubling because it provides mass audiences a tasty, easily repeated sound bite. If this false analogy was merely an uninformed misstatement from Couture, well, he should know better before he tries to provide comparative analysis. However, if this is the UFC talking point, then expect to hear it repeated by other fighters and commentators in other outlets.
While there are some titanic tilts on this Saturday’s card, a more important battle is being fought as the UFC tries to whitewash the legitimate history of mixed martial arts and one of its most pioneering figures, Frank Shamrock.
This Saturday’s UFC 100 event has the attention of the world’s MMA audience with its Mir-Lesnar and St. Pierre/Alves title fights and its heavily-marketed, supposedly fan-based poll of the organization’s top fights. However, a bit of a backlash against the Zuffa-backed Dana White monopoly can be found in many mainstream media outlets as they combat the UFC’s attempt to rewrite MMA history with its own pen.
For most of us who follow “The Legend,” the most perplexing omission from “The Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights” is its unceremonious exclusion of all things Frank Shamrock, the UFC’s first (and undefeated) Middleweight Champion. Shamrock’s career is linked forever with the history of UFC, and this blacklisting of Shamrock is a black eye for the organization. Many opinions exist as to why no Shamrock fight was included; what is promising is the refusal of other MMA voices to play by the UFC’s dirty rules. Consider Eddie Goldman’s recent blog and radio show in which he chronicles Shamrock’s defeat of Tito Ortiz; also, Foxsports recently released its Top 10 UFC Fighters of All Time, which ranks Frank as number seven. Many online sites are including Shamrock and a variety of his fights in their all-time MMA lists.
However, what struck me as the most problematic anti-Frank Shamrock propaganda occurred on ESPN’s MMA Live show just this past Thursday when host Jon Anik asked guests Kenny Florian and Randy Couture about the omission of three fighters from the UFC Hall of Fame, including Frank Shamrock. Florian mumble-mouthed about there certainly being discord between the fighters and the UFC, but it was Couture who unwittingly articulated all that is wrong with the UFC monopoly and its smear tactics. The former UFC champion said that all sports have political issues; fair enough. However, Couture then asked “how long before Pete Rose is admitted into baseball’s hall of fame?”
See, this is the problem: Rose has been banned from his sport’s Hall of Fame because he admitted to breaking the rules of his sport by betting on baseball. Frank Shamrock is guilty only of calling out the UFC for its oppressive treatment of its employees and for engaging in a battle of egos with Dana White, not for violating any rule or law. To falsely connect Frank Shamrock to Pete Rose as a rationale for omitting Shamrock from the UFC pantheon of its greatest fighters of all time is a gross stretch of logic. To hear it mouth-pieced from a respected fighter is troubling because it provides mass audiences a tasty, easily repeated sound bite. If this false analogy was merely an uninformed misstatement from Couture, well, he should know better before he tries to provide comparative analysis. However, if this is the UFC talking point, then expect to hear it repeated by other fighters and commentators in other outlets.
While there are some titanic tilts on this Saturday’s card, a more important battle is being fought as the UFC tries to whitewash the legitimate history of mixed martial arts and one of its most pioneering figures, Frank Shamrock.