Is Misfits Boxing actually finding a foothold in the combat sports world and delivering good bang for the buck? Is Darren Till “the most annoying guy in combat sports”? Should the early positive reactions to “The Smashing Machine” give us more reason for optimism?
All that and more in this week’s mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit up @BenFowlkesMMA.
@shadore66: I was actually entertained by the top 3 fights of the Misfits boxing card. I didn’t pay to watch it so is that a victory for them? Paid in exposure?
As with many upstart fight promotions, the question of how/when/if Misfits Boxing expects to turn a profit is an open one. But as someone who’s watched a couple events now, yeah, I concur. I have also been entertained. And that’s as an American who has never heard of some of these “influencers” who show up in the ring.
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There’s a willingness there to play with the rules and the format and have some fun with it. I appreciate that. Especially because, if you aren’t offering us the best fighters in the world (and lol, Misfits sure isn’t doing that), you have to offer something that’s different enough to be interesting. Misfits has been doing a good job on that score. Does that add up to a profitable enterprise in the end? No idea. But that’s their problem to solve.
@beastin364: Another fighter (Mackenzie Dern) just said they found out about their title shot from Instagram. Is it really that hard to tell fighters ahead of time?
At least this time it’s a fighter learning good news via Instagram. That’s way better than fighters finding out they’ve been cut from the UFC via social media, which used to happen quite a bit.
But yeah, the UFC has never really prioritized clear communication with its athletes, and for reasons I cannot fathom. It can’t be that hard to reach out to Mackenzie Dern and tell her that she’s going to fight for the vacant strawweight title, can it?
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Especially since UFC CEO Dana White does these announcements without any pre-set time to abide by. He essentially just says that some time today he’ll tell us what’s up. Why do it that way if not to make sure you’ve got all the ducks in a row first? If you don’t have to consult or inform the fighters first, what’s stopping you from being like, “OK, it’s going to be at 5 p.m. ET”??
@GabeDert: Is Darren till the most annoying guy in combat sports?
Gabe, my man, do you have any idea how competitive the field is for a title like “most annoying guy in combat sports”? A person would have to surpass Dillon Danis. And since we’re talking about all of combat sports and not just MMA, that person would also have to beat Jake Paul. And if you start adding in non-fighters who are nonetheless still a part of this world? (Looking at you, Ali Abdelaziz.) Then the competition gets truly fierce. Sorry to disappoint you, but Darren Till doesn’t even crack the top 10.
@WorldsWorstHero: Thoughts on your fellow over-40-year-old man Luke Rockhold getting folded
That was an ugly knockout no matter what age you are. But at age 40, when the brain and the body aren’t bouncing back the same way anymore? Well, I was glad to hear Rockhold say he’s stepping away on Wednesday’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” He seems to realize that while there may be a paycheck in these kinds of fights, there’s also a cost. Fighting is a young man’s sport. You can’t do this forever. So if all you’re doing is putting a little bit of distance between you and whatever the next phase of life is, it’s not worth paying for that time with damage you can’t undo.
@NeedXtoseePosts: Am I being a stick in the mud or “why are you booing me, I’m right” about being a bit perplexed about the hype for The Smashing Machine & thinking just watch the Documentary!!!
I suppose it’s hard to find these days, and it’s good for new fans – oh God I’m a stick in the mud
It is hard to find. Like, bizarrely hard to find. You can buy a DVD copy on Amazon for $164.95, but the original documentary does not seem available on any streaming service I’ve ever heard of — and I’m a dad of two kids, so I have basically all of them.
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A more conspiracy-minded person than me might get suspicious about how that came to pass. But I’ll just say that, while I’m keeping my expectations low, I am still going to see this movie no matter what. At this point, I just have to know. I have questions.
Is Dwayne Johnson going to really do some acting here (as opposed to just playing basically the same character he always does)? Is it going to add something to the story we already know by dramatizing it? Is it going to feel weird to see Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman while Bas Rutten is still played by Bas Rutten? I have no idea, but I must find out.
So my advice to you is reserve judgment until you’ve given it a chance. Or at least until those you trust (me) have given it a chance and can tell you whether you’re better off saving your money.
