UFC 268: Usman vs Covington 2 - Nov 6 🇺🇸

[Carbomb]

Wait a minute - I've just noticed Hawes vs. Curtis. They must've fallen out over their fashion outlet business.

[Carbomb]

And I've just found out that if your post starts a new page, you end up double-posting as if you were doing so from a much previous page.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Carbomb

[Keith Houchen]

 

[wandshogun09]

Maybe the best show of the year that. It looked like it on paper going in but of course you never know how it’ll play out in practice. This lived up to expectations and pretty much delivered on all fronts.

Usman going 2-0 over Covington was beautiful. Close fight just like last time, minus the finish, but I definitely thought Usman won. Great fight again though. And once again Colby showed a ton of heart and toughness. Usman’s just that bit better. Not by a huge distance, but enough. Seen a couple of cries of robbery from Covington fans online and it’s utter bollocks. I can see how you might score 3 rounds for Colby. The problem is, that second round should’ve been 10-8 for me, although none of the judges scored it that way. So, in my opinion, at best Covington might’ve got a draw out of it. The only round I had Colby winning clearly was the 4th. There were a couple of rounds that were up in the air and could’ve swung either way so any robbery talk is cack from bitter Covington fans. 

Have it. 

What’s next? At this point it’s almost exclusively rematches. If Leon Edwards beats Masvidal at 269, it’s got to be Usman vs Edwards 2 next. That’s surely the frontrunner, right? If Masvidal wins then I don’t have a clue. Rogan throwing in Belal Muhammad as a possibility at the end of the PPV says it all about how badly Usman’s rinsing the division. Nothing against Belal, he’s a decent fighter, but it’s scraping the barrel now. Covington and Masvidal are out of the running for the foreseeable future, Burns got his shot and was stopped recently, Wonderboy lost to Burns so he’s out of the picture for a bit. Vicente Luque was the backup for this card if Usman or Covington pulled out, so you’d have assumed he’s in line. But then he missed weight and the way Dana was talking at the press conference, it sounded like that might’ve scuppered his chances for the time being. Then there’s the Chimaev wild card but even Dana said he needs a couple more fights first. Weird times at 170. Ideally, Edwards beats Scarface Jorgey next month and looks impressive doing it. That would nicely set up Usman vs Edwards 2 and Covington vs Masvidal for the first half of 2022. Then hopefully by the time that’s done and dusted, Chimaev or Luque will have established themselves as the clear cut next contender. It’s MMA though and ‘ideal’ doesn’t exist. So we’ll probably be seeing Usman vs Muhammad next. 

Namajunas vs Zhang 2 was a close one. I’ll have to rewatch it at some point because I really wasn’t sure which way it was going when Buffer was about to announce the winner. Kind of lost track of the scoring myself but it was a good fight. Obviously much, much more competitive than their first meeting. It’s almost spooky how similarly these Namajunas vs Zhang fights have played out compared to Namajunas’ fights with Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Quick blowout the first time, razor close decision in the rematch but ultimately in both cases, Rose comes out 2-0 up.

My immediate thought after the fight was that this sets up Namajunas vs Esparza 2 for the strap, and Zhang vs Jedrzejczyk 2 in a no brainer rematch of their 2020 epic. But neither are probably happening. I’m not sure Joanna is ever coming back, let alone up for another potential all out war with Zhang after such a layoff. And on the title situation, Dana was asked at the presser about Esparza getting the shot and he completely dismissed it. Seemed pissed off that she opted to sit and wait for a title shot rather than take another contender fight and said something like “we have another option”. Doesn’t take a lot of digging to conclude that he’s likely talking about Marina Rodriguez. No gripes from me on that. I think Esparza earned a shot but so has Rodriguez and Namajunas vs Rodriguez is a killer fight on paper. 

Vera vs Edgar was a huge downer for me, for obvious reasons. Just hate seeing Frankie get knocked out. And after all those years of nobody being able to finish him, he’s getting ended in every possible way now. From Ortega uppercuts to Zombie flurries to Sandhagen flying knees to this…

Just fuck right off. Vera was being a bit of a cock in the fight as well, flipping Frankie the middle finger and stuff. So seeing Frankie lose in that fashion was even more crap. He wasn’t looking bad before that but I definitely think it’s over. He’s gone 2-5 in his last 7 now, been finished in 4 of the 5 losses and has now been stopped in back-to-back fights for the first time ever. He still looks the part, still moves well, still fights well, but there’s been a sharp decline in his durability. Whether it’s just the damage over a long hard career finally catching up to him, him not taking shots as well at 135 (although 2 of the knockout losses were at 145) or he’s just lost a fraction of speed and sharpness that would help him get out of the way of the killshots, fuck knows. Probably a combination of everything. But at 40 years old on this kind of form, in a fast moving division full of sharks like Bantamweight, it’s just gonna keep getting sadder. Vera’s a good fighter and tough as shit but he’s a guy a prime Frankie Edgar spanks 9 times out of 10 for me. This was a step down from the Sandhagens, Zombies, Holloways and Ortegas and he still got crumbled. He’s not there yet but I feel like if he carries on, it won’t be long before he’s in ‘last legs BJ Penn’ territory and nobody wants to see that. 

Burgos vs Quarantillo was a cracker but, unfortunately for them, they had the unenviable task of trying to follow Gaethje vs Chandler. On almost any other card, this is your FOTN. Apparently Dana said they’ll be getting an extra cheque despite missing out on the FOTN/POTN bonus. Really fun scrap as expected between these two. I don’t see either breaking into that title contender scene, just because 145 is so strong at the top end, but they’re both so consistently exciting to watch and have been a highlight of pretty much every card they’ve both appeared on over the last couple of years. Kind of a shame their fight wasn’t put on a weaker card, to be honest, because it did get overshadowed here. 

Gaethje vs Chandler was as advertised. What a tremendous battle. I said recently on here that there’s been a lot of fun fights this year but none that really stood out as nailed on FOTY contenders. It’s taken until November but we have ourselves a serious contender now.

Probably is my FOTY, to be honest. Can’t think of one I’ve enjoyed more. Feels almost sadistic to say but I wonder how much more craziness we’d have got if it was a 5 rounder? Mad bastards. I’ve never really warmed to Chandler but it’s easy to forget what an absolute bulldog he is in there. You hear him talk and he’s got the clean cut look and all that and you’d never think he’d be the blood and guts type but then you see him opposite madmen like Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez and he’s just as much of a maniac as them. Gaethje was just that bit more effective for me though, and it’s the kind of win he really needed coming off that crushing Khabib loss and then a year on the shelf. He needed to come back and remind people who he is and he did just that. 

No FOTY contender war can go by without the old post-fight hospital pic, can it?

I was saying I didn’t agree with this being a title eliminator the other day and I stand by that. I just think it’s a bit too soon for both to be getting another crack just yet. After a fight like this, I can’t complain too much if Gaethje gets the next shot though. Him against either Oliveira or the Poirier rematch? Can’t be mad at that. This was a hell of a fight though. If something is gonna top it before the year’s out then we’re in for a treat over the next 7 or so weeks. 

The UFC debut of Alex Pereira couldn’t really have gone a lot better. Wasn’t 100% flawless but he showed he’s been working on defensive wrestling and the finish was absolutely spectacular…

Can’t ask for a better finish to introduce you to the UFC audience. Still got my doubts he goes that far at 185 in the UFC though. It’d be cool if he did because Adesanya is fast running out of challengers and the Pereira rematch story would write itself. But I dunno. Ebb’s right though, you could hear Rogan falling in love on the commentary. “That dude’s made out of mahogany. If you touch him, it’s like he’s made out of wood!!” Something tells me Rogan was touching his own wood while he was saying that. 

Also got to echo Ebb’s praise for Bobby Green. One of the unsung guys on the roster. I think I mentioned in the opening post that I was unsure about Iaquinta. He’d been off the grid for so long and coming back against someone like Green who’s been out there consistently grafting was just something I had a feeling wouldn’t work out for him. Still, I never would’ve called Green to end it as quickly as he did. Win, lose or draw - and he’s done all three - he’s been going to gruelling decisions for years on end now. Nice to see him get the big finish on this kind of stage at MSG. Not sure where Ragin’ Al goes from here. He’s well out of the hunt at this point and I’m not sure his heart is even in it anymore.

I’d like to see Green tangle with Jim Miller next. It’s crazy that they’ve never fought before considering how long they’ve both been around but they were supposed to fight in March and Green had to withdraw. Get it rebooked, I say. Both coming off rare KO finishes, never a better time to do it. 

Chris Curtis had quite the Octagon debut. Hawes looked a handful at the beginning, as he often does, but Curtis stayed calm and came through with the finish himself. The experience edge paid off here I thought. Hawes probably would’ve blown through a lot of less seasoned opponents last night. 

Imavov vs Shahbazyan was alright but, man, it’s really not happening for Shahbazyan is it? I know he’s still young but all these consecutive losses could be something he never bounces back from, mentally more than physically. He came in with so much potential. I’ve seen a couple of comments on social media suggesting he was never any good, all hype etc but I think that’s shite. He was wrecking everyone and even wiped out Brad Tavares (who’d previously gone the distance with Adesanya and Romero). He just ran into Brunson and Hermansson too soon and now he might never get his swagger back. Credit to Imavov though. Strong showing from him. 

Fight Pass bit was decent. First 3 fights were so-so. Ian Garry had a good debut. Didn’t have it all his own way but he got the win, the finish and the post-fight interview was pretty good too. Loved the finishing counter right as well.

Beautiful. 

Chris Barnett stole the prelims for me though. More than Pereira, more than Garry, more than the Green and Curtis finishes. I caught little bits of his media interviews during fight week and loved how happy and positive he was. You could tell he was loving it and really soaking in the buildup and atmosphere. Then he dances his way to the cage and spin kicks fatty Villante head first into the canvas. 

Gotta love the big lump. He’s never gonna amount to much in the division. He’s been around a while and his skillset is what it is at this point. But he’s definitely a welcome addition to a Heavyweight division that hasn’t got much going on at all outside the top 5.

I thought the bout order of this show really worked as well. Obviously the main card was the tits but I liked the way it felt like the Pereira fight was kind of the ‘TV prelims main event’ and the Garry fight was the ‘Fight Pass main event’. Whoever decided to move Gaethje vs Chandler to the PPV opener spot made a good call as well because if they’d left that as it was, third from top, it might’ve killed the crowd off for the title fights.

Incredible show. They’ve gone 2 for 2 on fantastic PPVs now, 2 weeks on the trot with 267 and 268. And we’ve still got 269 in a few weeks as well.

Edited November 7, 2021 by wandshogun09

[Egg Shen]

Yeah, they used to have a prelim headliner all the time but it felt like they moved away from it, this show definitely had that feel back though, i like it.

[Egg Shen]

has there been much controversy regarding the scoring the main event? i had it 48-47 Colby but i put an asterix next to that.

Round 2 was clearly Usmans (potentially a 10-8, on the night i just said 10-9)

Round 3 was clearly Colby's. 

The other 3 rounds were super close for me and i leaned toward Colby in rounds 4 & 5 and i sat on the fence in round 1. 

Colby seemed to accept it, but i think its open to debate. I mean if you wanna score round 2 a 10-8 it kills the controversy but still. Cracking fight.

[David]

Best thing about the Covington and Usman fight was sticking on my headphones to watch it and being able to clearly hear the discussion between them at the end where Covington reiterates that he's simply working the marks and playing the character to help generate interest and $$$'s, and Usman replying that he knows that.

It's like WWF in the 80's, isn't it? "No, wait! I know some of it is fake, but that Terry Funk fire stuff is real! That guy is ~legit crazy~!!!"

It's kind of easier to tell when you see Covington in person when the cameras are off and he's interacting with people, but for a dude who was seemingly close to being let go he's managed to turn that shit around and carve himself a career and some good paydays.

[WeeAl]

No controversy for me. I had:

R1 - Usman 10-9

R2 - Usman 10-8

R3 - Usman 10-9

R4- Covington 10-9

R5 - Covington 10-9 (Close one)

 

[wandshogun09]

49 minutes ago, David said:

Best thing about the Covington and Usman fight was sticking on my headphones to watch it and being able to clearly hear the discussion between them at the end where Covington reiterates that he's simply working the marks and playing the character to help generate interest and $$$'s, and Usman replying that he knows that.

Well then he’s a shit worker for breaking kayfabe when there’s microphones about. If you must play a character, save that ‘but this is the real me’ shite for behind the curtain.

I think everyone knows he’s hamming it up to some degree but I also think that’s largely became a cop out to excuse his cringeworthy behaviour and a lot of the shitty things he says. He’s said some vile things over the years. Bringing up Usman’s manager who’d died, just to talk shit. The stuff he was saying to Usman before the first fight about ‘tribes’ and ‘smoke signals’ where he seemed one step away from throwing the ‘N word’ out there. He’s brought Poirier’s wife and kid into his crap ‘banter’ as well. There were even reports that he was giving Stipe Miocic’s wife hassle during an event and that obviously wasn’t to set up a fight with Stipe, plus no cameras picked it up so it wasn’t for ‘hype’. Stipe even talked about that and said he’d have to ‘have a word.’ Then there were his former teammates like Poirier, Jorge Masvidal and Joanna Jedrzejczyk who had fallouts with him. People who know him a lot better than us, even if you have seen Covington in person once, but I guess they’re all just marks as well. I don’t really give a shit about his gawdy suits or even the Trump worship. Coming out to Kurt Angle’s music and stuff. That’s a gimmick. But whether it’s fake or not, a lot of his schtick is just shitty and I feel like the real reason the majority of his fans get a kick out of it is because they identify with the borderline racism and childish insults towards families and dead people and the ‘it’s a gimmick bro’ line is just a convenient defence and at the same time a way in which they can also act like they’re in on some joke that the rest of us are missing. If it’s all a work then he’s catering to a low level, toe-rag section of the fan base anyway and fuck them. 

As much of a knob as I find Covington, there’s little worse on his fight weeks than his fans incessantly banging on about how they’re so much smarter than the rest of us because they’re not being worked. A lot of it reeks of insecurity and a need to constantly drill the point that they’re not having the wool pulled over their eyes, trying to feel superior to ‘the marks’. And I’m not saying it’s the case for all of them but for many I do think it’s a very thinly veiled excuse to celebrate dickheaded, racist behaviour under the guise of it being a gimmick. That way they get to deny they’re really a cunt and act like you’re thick at the same time. It’s either that or they’re just trying to be different, contrarian for the sake of it, and edgy. However you slice it it’s all pretty pathetic and I genuinely can’t fathom why any grown man would actually be a fan of the star spangled twat. 

[David]

Back when he was about to face Demian Maia his manager, Dan Lambert, said:

“I told him what I was told,” Lambert said. “He wasn’t going to be re-signed and we had one fight left and I asked for that fight to be in Brazil against a bigger name I was fairly certain he was going to be able to beat. I told Colby, ‘You need to change something between now and then or you’re going to get cut. “‘There’s only so much you can change your fighting style from one fight to the next, so it’s not going to be that. So change something else.’”

He went from the snooze-inducing dude we see talking before his fight with Bryan Barberena...

2,300 views. Literally no one gave a fuck. He comes off as a confident fighter, but the UFC are full of dudes like that. Even right down to his generic haircut. 

After the Maia fight where he was told he'd likely be cut...

1.4 million views for his interview alone. 

The Maia fight saw Covington take home $39,000 to show, $39,000 win bonus. His fight with Usman at the weekend he's reported to be taking home $782,000. Do the math.

For the record, I don't think he's particularly good at being a gimmick fighter. He's not the best talker, he stumbles over his words, he forgets what he's saying during interviews, but fans seem to forget that this is what we want. 

We're the ones who make the UFC put the pressure on these guys to do this shit. We're not interested in dudes who just want to fight in order to make some money and support their families. Everyone is quick to profess their love for the Jim Miller's and the Frankie Edgar's of the sport, but those dudes are making a fraction of what Covington is making now, and Edgar is a former champion and living legend. Once they're all done who's paying their bills? 

We make the likes of McG into huge stars by buying into the persona, the gimmick, the fake feuds and staged shoving matches at weigh-ins and pressers. 

So when a guy who's on the verge of being sacked off from his job looks around for something to get people to notice him, and he decides to pick up on current events in his home country, we can't be surprised.

Truth is, we can't (as in the UFC fanbase) throw dollars at the UFC when these fake feuds and over the top personas appear, then cry when the company essentially forces fighters into this kind of shit under threat of release from their contract.

We love the controversy, the pro-wrestling style shit, but only so long as it doesn't cross a moral line of our choosing? Nah, that's not how it works. 

Covington has positioned himself as someone we can boo the fuck out of. He's a caricature of what many believe a Trump voter is like and has found a niche in being the bad guy that left-leaning fans can hate, and that right-leaning fans can cheer. 

If some fans want to believe the gimmick is how he really feels, then fine. That's up to them. So long as they're buying the fight on PPV I doubt Colby or the UFC cares. I have no doubt Colby is most likely a right-leaning Republican. But he's undoubtedly cranking that shit way up, and is walking that fine line, which is what the company want. This is the era we live in now.

And in all honesty, it's what his opponents want. Usman, Woodley, those guys know how this game works. Once the dust settles they all walk away with more cash in their pockets, which is why they're happy to show Colby respect and acknowledge that, as McG said "it's only business."

Without a great bad guy, no one gives a fuck about the good guys. And the good guys know that as much as the bad guys do.

 

[wandshogun09]

I get all that. I just don’t get why people like the div. Or pretend to like the div. Or act surprised when so many people don’t like him. And he’s definitely not what I want. I don’t give a fuck what money he makes either. I’m not gonna start preferring him to the Edgars and Millers because he’s making more money.

1 hour ago, David said:

We love the controversy, the pro-wrestling style shit, but only so long as it doesn't cross a moral line of our choosing? Nah, that's not how it works. 

How does it work then? How far does it go before you say ‘nah he’s a knob’? There’s got to be a limit. If he actually called Usman the ‘N word’ at the press conference last week would that still be trivialised as ‘pro wrestling style shit’ that we should all just shut up and let slide? There’s ways to act the heel without taking as low a road as he has. Even if I’m watching pro wrestling, the heel bringing up dead people or throwing out racial stuff for cheap heat is shitty and indefensible. And while I get the comparisons to pro wrestling, it’s still not actually pro wrestling where Usman and Covington are mapping out a storyline where they agree to bringing families into it and stuff is it? It’s not the same as Jerry Lawler roasting Stu and Helen Hart at the Manhattan Centre and telling Stu to put his false teeth in backwards and eat himself to death. MMA has undeniable elements of pro wrestling to it but it’s not like these are angles that both guys are giving input in and agreeing on what’s gonna be said and done. Covington’s undoubtedly playing a gimmick to a degree. Nobody’s denying it. But it goes beyond a gimmick with some of the stuff he’s said. If Robert Whittaker just decided to start slagging off Israel Adesanya’s family, or bringing up his training partner who was murdered recently, or going the old racial route then it’d be rightly and roundly shat on. But because Covington comes out to a wrestler’s entrance music and ‘cuts promoz!!!’ then it’s just a work and we should all just let it slide? That’s not how it works. I’m not sure he believes 100% of what he says or not. But either way, he either legit means it which makes him a cunt, or he’s 100% manufacturing it - race, families and the dead - just for attention because he’s actually got nothing about him behind all that? Like I said, it’s pathetic. I’m all for someone being a bit of a wind up merchant and bringing their inner heel out. A sport like MMA does always need bad guys, I’ve never said otherwise. But I think it’s playing a dangerous game and going down a bad path, even by scummy fight hype standards, when race and wives and kids are being minimised as just ‘promoting a fight’ or ‘playing a gimmick’. It’s not a new thing, race baiting to sell a fight has gone on in Boxing years before MMA existed, but it should never just be accepted as a standard part of promotion or dismissed as ‘hype’ for me. 

Edited November 8, 2021 by wandshogun09

[Kfogg1991]

I think out of everything the thing that has really irritated me the more I think about what went down on this ppv, after the fight had ended the ref stood between them thinking they would start throwing down post bell and Colby shakes his hand, hugs him and said he respected him and all this shit.

Then in the post fight press conference he pretty much denied any of that happened and went back to being a disrespectful cock ring but the damage was already done he had already exposed himself and his character completely.

Also on Twitter someone made a fucking world class point in a interview this week he called out his previous coaches and corner men for saying in between rounds breathe Colby breathe. He said that was stupid and a waste of time because he knows how to breathe he does it in his sleep, well guess what was said between rounds this fight.......the exact same fucking thing. 

I don't mind being a character and cutting promos on everything and everyone around you but at the very least fucking remember the shit you have said 5 seconds before because otherwise you look like a fucking chump 

[David]

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

I get all that. I just don’t get why people like the div. Or pretend to like the div. Or act surprised when so many people don’t like him. And he’s definitely not what I want. I don’t give a fuck what money he makes either. I’m not gonna start preferring him to the Edgars and Millers because he’s making more money.

Oh yeah, the people who actually support him are arseholes of the highest order. Well, those who support him based entirely on his gimmick. I like him as a fighter, and having met him I think he's a gent who has a lot of time for fans of the sport. 

In saying that, their opinions are worth more than mines to the UFC because those are the dudes buying the event tickets and the PPV's in the US. 

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

How does it work then? How far does it go before you say ‘nah he’s a knob’?

Everyone has their own barometer for that kind of thing, but judging by the positive chants he gets in the arenas from the paying fans, I'd say he's not anywhere near the limit where people are indifferent to him. Some people don't like him, but that's what he aiming for.

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

If he actually called Usman the ‘N word’ at the press conference last week would that still be trivialised as ‘pro wrestling style shit’ that we should all just shut up and let slide?

But he didn't, and he wouldn't. He's made people think he would, which I guess shows how good he is at playing the part. If he did he'd be sacked, cancelled, disowned and at that point the gimmick becomes counter-productive. 

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

There’s ways to act the heel without taking as low a road as he has. Even if I’m watching pro wrestling, the heel bringing up dead people or throwing out racial stuff for cheap heat is shitty and indefensible.

There's few ways to get the kind of reaction he has though. Did you hear the chanting at the weekend? It was clear, loud and very prominent, swinging from pro-Colby to anti-Colby.

The political divide in America today is the definitive hot button topic.

While what he does may be shitty and indefensible to you or me, it isn't for the majority. He's getting the reactions. And that's going to ensure he gets paid well because people either want to see their Trump guy win, or see the Trump guy get his face smashed.

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

Covington’s undoubtedly playing a gimmick to a degree. Nobody’s denying it. But it goes beyond a gimmick with some of the stuff he’s said.

So you think he's really a racist then? Which means that when Cormier is chuckling away at his rhetoric, and laughs about Colby being all crazy, you think he's laughing along with a real racist? Or his non-white coaches are happy to work with someone who's a legit racist? 

Come on man. 

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

But because Covington comes out to a wrestler’s entrance music and ‘cuts promoz!!!’ then it’s just a work and we should all just let it slide? That’s not how it works. I’m not sure he believes 100% of what he says or not. But either way, he either legit means it which makes him a cunt, or he’s 100% manufacturing it - race, families and the dead - just for attention because he’s actually got nothing about him behind all that? Like I said, it’s pathetic.

He doesn't want you to let it slide. He wants the PPV and ticket buying public to be really pissed off about it, and want him to get his jaw cracked by the Nigerian champion, and be willing to pay money and tune in. It is pathetic, but that's what gets eyeballs and generates money these days. As a fanbase, this is what we demand of our fighters. 

And like any good bad guy he's ended the rivalry with Usman claiming in public that he got robbed, while in private both of them share a hug and a knowing wink while checking their bank balances. The fans are more upset and offended by the comments Colby made about Usman than Usman himself is! 

1 hour ago, Kfogg1991 said:

I think out of everything the thing that has really irritated me the more I think about what went down on this ppv, after the fight had ended the ref stood between them thinking they would start throwing down post bell and Colby shakes his hand, hugs him and said he respected him and all this shit.

Then in the post fight press conference he pretty much denied any of that happened and went back to being a disrespectful cock ring but the damage was already done he had already exposed himself and his character completely.

By the time his probable fight with Masvidal rolls around that won't even matter. It's a new angle, with a new rival. And the fans will all tune in, because they either want to see Street Jesus deliver a 3 piece and a soda to the annoying Trump guy, or see Colby drop Masvidal like a chump.

And on and on we go. 

[Jesse]

56 minutes ago, David said:

So you think he's really a racist then? Which means that when Cormier is chuckling away at his rhetoric, and laughs about Colby being all crazy, you think he's laughing along with a real racist? Or his non-white coaches are happy to work with someone who's a legit racist? 

Do you think there is a moral difference between saying racist things because it means you get paid more than saying racist things because you truly believe them?

[David]

8 minutes ago, Jesse said:

Do you think there is a moral difference between saying racist things because it means you get paid more than saying racist things because you truly believe them?

Me personally? No, but as I've said, I'm not the target audience. I don't buy tickets to events or pay the PPV prices. I think there's a fine line that he walks, and he's just about managed to stay on the right side of it thus far, which is why he's still employed and making money. 

It's also worth taking into account that we're talking about a "sport" where two men (or women) enter a cage and try to punch each other in the face or twist each others limbs until they reach breaking point. We can all pretend it's about martial arts and respect, but if you step away and look in, we're talking about cage fighting where the audience is baying for blood and for someone to get knocked unconscious. 

Some fairly questionable race-related chat and political antagonising isn't completely out of place in that environment, and certainly won't be the line in the sand that would make the fans who follow the sport walk away. And it's only that kind of reaction, or sanctions from an athletic commission that would make the company draw a line.

Only last month we had an Israeli fighter call an Afghan fighter "a terrorist" face to face before their UFC bout. The result? Nothing. The Israeli fighter was fined, but that was for missing weight, not his comments.