First of all, I just have to say that Mike Whitehead is a certified idiot after listening to his latest interview.
1. He says that Rampage Jackson thew a lucky punch and put Wanderlei out.
2. He says that the UFC only wants the UFC to do well and not the sport of MMA.
3. He thinks Rashad's antics/showboating is setting the whole sport of MMA back.
First of all, that punch Rampage threw had nothing to do with luck. Secondly, the UFC is the only organization that's spending money to try and get the sport of MMA sanctioned in the states that currently do not sanction MMA. If that's not helping the sport of MMA I don't know what is. Do they want the UFC to do well? Sure, it's a business and what normal business minded person wouldn't want to protect their investments? Thirdly, his whole thing with Rashad really pisses me off and just seems like he's a bitter individual.
Does Rashad Evans "Showboating" or whatever you want to call it bother you? If so, I don't understand why it does. You will not find a more respectful fighter than Rashad Evans, and he's a great ambassador for our sport. The guy has a college education, he's articulate, and the guy is a winner. Just because the guy makes a gesture during the fight he automatically becomes a bad representation of the sport of MMA? According to Whitehead those type of things is going to set the sport back? Wow, I guess people have never done those types of things in the past. Why didn't Whitehead and others voice their displeasure against Frank Shamrock when he made gestures toward Phil Baroni during their fight? What about Randy Couture spanking Tito Ortiz on the ass during their fight? How about what Rich Clementi did to Melvin Guillard at UFC 79 last year? Isn't that showboating or unnecessary gestures so to speak?
Combat sports and most of the sports that involve males will always have these sort of things happen. It's human nature for a guy to let another guy know that he can't hurt him, or that he's better than the next man. That very thing is what fuels individuals to go to their limits and beyond to improve themselves. There's also this thing called showmanship in which fighters like Mike Whitehead no nothing about. It's also why you have never seen Mike Whitehead's name on a fight card and said "Oh, I've got to see him fight". Showmanship is what helped Floyd Mayweather Jr. sell over 2 million PPV buys at one of the lowest points in boxing in terms of PPV buys. Showmanship helped Roy Jones Jr. become the best boxer of the 90's and a very good PPV draw in his own right.
Many of the people in MMA get caught up in the minuscule things without seeing the big picture. I'm not saying that grabbing your crotch is a must to become a superstar or anything. I suppose that's just Rashad's style or what he did in the moment. My cousin saw the Evans/Griffin fight and it's only the second MMA card that he's ever seen. Guess what he said when Evans made the gesture then swung at Griffin? "Oh snap, did you see that?" That's the type of impression that generates more fans to the sport of MMA. It definitely doesn't detract fans, as I'm sure that my cousin would love to see Rashad Evans fight again. That effect is exactly what you want to have with someone that's watching you fight for the first time. That equals new fans for the sport, and exactly why his gestures shouldn't bother you.
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