First off, I love UFC fights. I can't help it.
But, if anybody has any doubt as to whether the Jesse Taylor "firing" was a pure Dana White stitch up, they probably also think that WWE events are less real than De La Hoya events.
The UFC couldn't give a flying f*ck about the conduct of their "stars" at this point: MMA is huge, the UFC is sponsored by Bud Light - even "The Donald" is involved. MMA is now a bona fide money-maker and the number one criteria for a fighter's success is marketability. Jesse Taylor is a young guy who got drunk, kicked in a window, and yelled at some hotel staff (in sleepy Las Vegas no less). Big deal. He is, as he said, "a UFC fighter." For all of you who can't handle the fact that the spectrum of prize fighters has an abundance of confused meatheads, I dunno... buy Matt Hughes stupid book.
The sad truth is Jesse Taylor is a super-human athlete - to his detriment. He has a winning formula, and he executes it consistently and flawlessly. No matter the discipline of his opponents, he takes them down at will, pins their arms back, and pounds them for the rest of the fight (while they do nothing). Furthermore, have you ever seen a fighter look less tired after a three round fight? He literally could step back into the cage and fight - and win - again (and again, and again...). Take the Taylor vs. Credeur fight, for example, and then Dolloway. vs. Credeur fight. No comparison.
Sadollah and Dollaway are great fighters to be sure, but Taylor would completely dominate either of them in the finale. Unfortunately, it would be a completely boring fight; and, more importantly, the fans would cry. TUF has produced enough bums already (Evans, Bisping, etc.) while the majority of fans want to see hot boyz stand and bang. Imagine if sexy C.B. Dollaway had made the finale and it was him that went off that night. It would have been left to the media to create a free promotional bonanza for White and the Zuffa crew. If anything, the UFC would have gained even more popularity: fight fans love a*sholes.
The bottom line is, well, the bottom line. Sadollah and Dollaway appeal to the following demographics: young guys, young girls, gays, and the masses of casual fight fans who like to see a good bust up. Jesse Taylor appeals to fight-nerds - i.e., people who like to see the best man win. It should be noted that Taylor certainly doesn't lay and pray - he grounds and pounds as good as anyone. Unfortunately, it just isn't exciting. If you were running a business, who would you promote? Is it even a coincidence that both Dollaway and Sadollah have "doll" in their names?
I guess the worst part is (perhaps) that media groups like Sherdog, who seem to pride themselves on being independent, haven't even suggested that this season's TUF finale is bullsh*t. I guess they're afraid that the UFC would go from virtually ignoring them, to completely ignoring them.
Prediction: Taylor won't be calling White in a few months when he gets his head right. White will be calling Taylor when he needs someone to get rid of other pesky boring but successful fighters - like the "work the clock/win by decision" artist, Lyoto Machida
But, if anybody has any doubt as to whether the Jesse Taylor "firing" was a pure Dana White stitch up, they probably also think that WWE events are less real than De La Hoya events.
The UFC couldn't give a flying f*ck about the conduct of their "stars" at this point: MMA is huge, the UFC is sponsored by Bud Light - even "The Donald" is involved. MMA is now a bona fide money-maker and the number one criteria for a fighter's success is marketability. Jesse Taylor is a young guy who got drunk, kicked in a window, and yelled at some hotel staff (in sleepy Las Vegas no less). Big deal. He is, as he said, "a UFC fighter." For all of you who can't handle the fact that the spectrum of prize fighters has an abundance of confused meatheads, I dunno... buy Matt Hughes stupid book.
The sad truth is Jesse Taylor is a super-human athlete - to his detriment. He has a winning formula, and he executes it consistently and flawlessly. No matter the discipline of his opponents, he takes them down at will, pins their arms back, and pounds them for the rest of the fight (while they do nothing). Furthermore, have you ever seen a fighter look less tired after a three round fight? He literally could step back into the cage and fight - and win - again (and again, and again...). Take the Taylor vs. Credeur fight, for example, and then Dolloway. vs. Credeur fight. No comparison.
Sadollah and Dollaway are great fighters to be sure, but Taylor would completely dominate either of them in the finale. Unfortunately, it would be a completely boring fight; and, more importantly, the fans would cry. TUF has produced enough bums already (Evans, Bisping, etc.) while the majority of fans want to see hot boyz stand and bang. Imagine if sexy C.B. Dollaway had made the finale and it was him that went off that night. It would have been left to the media to create a free promotional bonanza for White and the Zuffa crew. If anything, the UFC would have gained even more popularity: fight fans love a*sholes.
The bottom line is, well, the bottom line. Sadollah and Dollaway appeal to the following demographics: young guys, young girls, gays, and the masses of casual fight fans who like to see a good bust up. Jesse Taylor appeals to fight-nerds - i.e., people who like to see the best man win. It should be noted that Taylor certainly doesn't lay and pray - he grounds and pounds as good as anyone. Unfortunately, it just isn't exciting. If you were running a business, who would you promote? Is it even a coincidence that both Dollaway and Sadollah have "doll" in their names?
I guess the worst part is (perhaps) that media groups like Sherdog, who seem to pride themselves on being independent, haven't even suggested that this season's TUF finale is bullsh*t. I guess they're afraid that the UFC would go from virtually ignoring them, to completely ignoring them.
Prediction: Taylor won't be calling White in a few months when he gets his head right. White will be calling Taylor when he needs someone to get rid of other pesky boring but successful fighters - like the "work the clock/win by decision" artist, Lyoto Machida