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Post by Codesters on Aug 17, 2008 3:28:39 GMT -5
MMAMANIA “I would fight any one of the UFC lightweights, but the problem is that I will never put my foot in the octagon after they (UFC) tried to be funny. I would rather have bleeding hemorrhoids than fight for the UFC. The Japanese MMA audience is the best in the world. They make magic! I would rather have one true Japanese MMA supporter than one million fake mainstream supporters that will turn their back on you as soon as you lose a fight. I don’t care about things that are mainstream.” -Winner of the DREAM 2008 lightweight grand prix and former PRIDE fighter Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen (19-7-1) talks candidly about his love for the UFC and the support of stateside sponsors. ============================================== The sad part is....It's true.  Japans's fanbase is much more passionate, and dedicated than American fan's IMO. American's want knockouts. Japanneese audiences want great fights, and they really admire skill and heart. |
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PdW2kX
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Post by PdW2kX on Aug 17, 2008 6:37:08 GMT -5
I read that as "I don't want to fight in the UFC because I have nightmares at night where BJ Penn manages to run circles around me before choking me out, all while eating donuts and toking the reefer." That said, he raises a decent point. But this is nothing new. "Mainstream" vs. "Dedicated" has been going on since the beginning of time. "Everyone loves the wheel, but we were there when it was just a  ing square block, man! ing mainstream n00bs." And so forth. |
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Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai
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Post by Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai on Aug 17, 2008 8:56:46 GMT -5
The way that quote reads, the mainstream thing sounds like a side issue to something else. It sounds like he took exception to something the UFC did/Dana White said (hence the "trying to be funny" remark).
And yeah... there's nothing more snobbish and ignorant than "dedicated" fans looking down on "mainstream" fans. I'm sure when these hardcore fans saw their very first fight, they instantly knew everything about MMA and never said anything ignorant ever again, right? Mainstream fans are no less intelligent or worthy than hardcore fans. They just started later. That's it. Only difference.
Also, Hansen's comment about fans turning on you for getting KOed sounds more like your average Sherdog poster than your average "mainstream" fan. A lot of fans make snap judgments about fighters when they lose, but I don't think you can categorize those fans as entirely mainstream or hardcore. There will be Monday morning quarterbacks in all segment of the fan base, including those who were fans 15 years ago, and including those who just turned on Spike TV last week.
So maybe it's just an American culture thing, and Hansen's beef isn't with MMA fans, but with our culture in general.
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The Top Turnbuckle
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Post by The Top Turnbuckle on Aug 17, 2008 13:00:16 GMT -5
Doesn't seem very smart of him to burn a bridge with UFC, word was he was offered a very lowball offer from them, so he went elsewhere. Problem is DREAM isn't doing so great with their low TV ratings and could possibly be going under in Japan. While UFC just signed a PPV deal over there. Good semi-recent article on the state of some MMA companies: mmamania.com/2008/08/01/the-rating-game-dream-perhaps-on-life-support-ufc-turning-japanese/I also think the guy is more pissed at UFC instead of the fans, Japanese fans may be more passionate/loyal (poor ratings may say otherwise though), but MMA companies over there can't seem to stay afloat. So hating on the biggest MMA company isn't the smartest thing to do. |
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Post by NYdream™ on Aug 17, 2008 15:02:09 GMT -5
The thing with me is. I like guys in UFC but Im exactly the opposite. I like guys that lose alot or win alot. If a fighter loses or is not at the top I will still like them the same. I still like tito ortiz. I still like Kendall Grove.
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Post by Mr. Orange on Aug 17, 2008 17:34:11 GMT -5
The thing with me is. I like guys in UFC but Im exactly the opposite. I like guys that lose alot or win alot. If a fighter loses or is not at the top I will still like them the same. I still like tito ortiz. I still like Kendall Grove. Yeah, I'm kind of the same way. I believe that if a fighter puts on a good performance, regardless of if he wins or loses, then I'll want to see him fight again. I like Wandy and he had 3 losses in a row, but he put on great performances, so I still want to see him fight. To me, its not about the win-loss records, it's about the performances. |
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Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai
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Post by Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai on Aug 17, 2008 20:09:42 GMT -5
The thing with me is. I like guys in UFC but Im exactly the opposite. I like guys that lose alot or win alot. If a fighter loses or is not at the top I will still like them the same. I still like tito ortiz. I still like Kendall Grove. Yeah, I'm kind of the same way. I believe that if a fighter puts on a good performance, regardless of if he wins or loses, then I'll want to see him fight again. I like Wandy and he had 3 losses in a row, but he put on great performances, so I still want to see him fight. To me, its not about the win-loss records, it's about the performances. You guys aren't alone. Exhibit A: Clay Guida. If all fans were as fickle as Hansen says, Guida would have no fans at all. Guida is extremely popular given his lackluster record, because he's a lot of fun to watch, he's always gracious, and he's easy to root for. |
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Post by Codesters on Aug 18, 2008 16:22:42 GMT -5
Guida's fights are ALWAYS exciting. Im still waiting for Huerta/Guida II
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Post by No Brokeback on Aug 19, 2008 8:31:09 GMT -5
I'm a complete 'mainstream' fan when it comes to UFC.
I like watching people fight, I don't really care who wins or loses. I have 2 favorite fighters and I liked them since I first saw them fight.
BJ Penn- I watched him first get his ass handed to him fighting Matt Hughes. There's something about BJ Penn that just makes him pretty cool. I hated Matt Hughes since I first saw that PPV. His ego and looking like a college moron made it easy for me to hate him.
GSP- I was at the UFC where Hughes lost to GSP. I wanted Hughes to lose so damn bad, but luckily, GSP dominated Hughes. I've never heard a crowd pop so loud when in the crowd we saw 'stoppage' as GSP was ontop of Matt, but it was only because the round was over that the fight was actually stopped. I'm gonna watch that fight again right now for the hell of it.
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Post by realghostbuster1a on Aug 24, 2008 20:58:04 GMT -5
hansen would plow through the UFC lightweight division on his way towards the title, and i would love to see him take on penn, it would be a classic style vs style clash and the results could be different on any given night. picking a winner in that fight would be difficult, the true winner is the audience that gets to see them beat each other into the octagon.
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