Crazy Guy Wants To Be on The Ultimate Fighter!

Check out this guy. His name is Maury and he is an ex-special forces dude. one day he says to me “Your an MMA fighter too, right?“  I respnd that I’ve seen the inside of a cage and then ask what he meant by “too?” .

Maury proceeds to tell me he has been into Martial arts for 25 years and was on his way to the top before he had an accident of some sort.

I suggest he get his career back on track and audition for the Ultimate Fighter show.

Being the big hearted guy I am I even help him put it on tape.

More to come at www.twitter.com/FollowMMA

Should MMA Athletes Have a “Union”?

I’ve had the privilege to be involved in Mixed Martial Arts for over 15 years now and I, like many, have watched the sport grow from its days of relative obscurity to the global phenomenon that it is today. MMA has been dubbed “The fastest growing sport in the world”. “Sport” is the word that sticks out in my head. Sports have athletes. Athletes perpetuate their respective sports, through hard work, practice and performance. In countless interviews fighters are quoted as saying they “want to put on a good show …” or “we care about the fans…” Clearly the fighters are looking out for the fans, but who is looking out for the fighters?

Many professional sports have some type of Union or Players Association to protect their athletes. Why not MMA? MMA fighters arguably train harder, sacrifice more, and put more on the line than any other sport for a fraction of the pay. Very few people are lured to this sport for financial gain, for the vast majority of guys and girls that get into the cage it’s much deeper than that.

I believe that a MMA Union would not only benefit the fighters but also perpetuate the sport. Many organizations dread the idea of a union; they view it as something that would impede the smaller shows, thus creating less up-n-coming talent for bigger shows such as the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator. I completely disagree. If done correctly a union could circumvent the headaches that many promotions deal with arising from the unprofessional conduct of its fighters. Things like missing weight, backing out of a fight, vulgarity, drug use, etc could all be monitored by a Union. It would, in essence, weed out the fighters that give the sport a bad name. It’s a proven fact that union workers in any field help create a more stable and productive workforce. Why not MMA?

On the other side of the fence a Fighters Union could open the door to a plethora of benefits for the athletes. Things such as creating a pension plan, the ability to negotiate as a group, standardized contracts and the much needed health plan.

Why isn’t there an MMA union? The simple answer…fear.

Fighters fear getting black listed form the bigger shows, managers fear they will lose power and in return money and the promotions fear that it will tie their hands.

Lets imagine a world where the was a fighters union. Something akin to SAG (Screen Actors Guild). SAG, is a professional actors union. It is something that you must join if you want to act in TV or film. It governs everything from health care and pensions to monitoring the jobs you work. They collect past due payments, ensure a safe work environment (I know the irony), regulate the number of hours you work, and are vigilant of well being of their members. Now mind you, you don’t have to join SAG to be a “working” actor, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons. If you do not join SAG you very well could end up working 20 hours a day for 100 bucks on an independent project that is “non-Union” and hence, does not need to adhere to any set of standards.

I suggest that if a union was formed, we follow a similar path as SAG. We could create a “union” that benefited both the fighters AND the promotions. Fighters would pay a small fee to join the union along with quarterly dues predicated on how much income was earned. In return the union would look out for the interest of its members. Fighters would not have to worry about not getting paid for an event, being asked to fight someone 20lbs heavier, have to fight when a last minute rule was changed. The list could go on and on. Similar to SAG minimums (the least you can get paid for a specific type of job ex: commercial, guest star, etc) there could be fighter minimums, calculated by “A”, “B” “C” and “D” level shows. This would help insure that professional fighter could actually make a living as such.

Various promotions could qualify based on things such as the size of the venue, past shows and ticket sales. This way promoters could count on a professional acting like a professional. I’ve seen and heard countless stories of fighters showing up in baggy short to fight, throwing a fit when they lose, some even going as far as to start fights at their fights. These actions not only reflect poorly on the individuals but the sport as a whole. With a Union, fines and suspensions could be imposed.

There are valid arguments on both sides regarding the formation of a Union. However, the 2 primary reasons that I am in favor of a Union have little to do with a fighter personal ethics. Those reasons are Pension and Healthcare. What is nice about a Union is that a certain percentage of your pay goes into the pension plan. Much like the 9-5 work force many fighters are living pay check to pay check and put very little aside for the future. The difference, is that a fighters career is usually a third to ,at best, half the span of what a “normal” career is. This being the case we need to be cognizant of our futures and save much more aggressively. There is nothing worse than putting 20 years worth of in blood, sweat and tears into fighting and having nothing to show for it. There needs to be some type of way for fighters to automatically have pay deferred in to a 401k, Roth IRA, SEPIRA, or the like. I would propose that a fighters union have a board of financial planners in place to guide its members.

The second is health care. As fighters we consistently push our bodies the limits and often times that can result in jury. An injury in our sport can take a fighter out of the game and food out of their mouth if they do not have access to affordable health care. We do not have the luxury of being able to work with a broken arm or leg, nor can most fighters even afford to go to a doctor for common training need such as ringworm or staph.

I have been approached by number people that support the idea of a Union and what it would mean to the fighters, but are afraid to speak out out of fear. Some of the baddest people I know lack the courage to stand up and speak out. But often times in life, the toughest fight to win is the one within.

Will there ever be a way to protect the fighters? Will there be a way to show the critics of MMA that we are in fact, professionals? Will there ever be a Union?

You tell me.

Strikeforce Brawl

Some CBS Strikeforce thoughts:

1) Im not saying that Kanye West, I mean Jason Millers actions were appropriate, but we kinda expect that from a guy named “MAYHEM’ right? Love him or hate him, he is entertaining.

2) Also we can all agree that Cesar Gracies camp escalating the situation was also ill advised, but again; we kinda expect that. They were looking out for tier “boy”. Ok, we’ve all been there, perhaps handled it better, but been there non the less.

3) What pissed me off more than anything was Gus Johnsons’ ass n hine comment that “This happens in MMA…” as if the casual viewer should expect this sort of behavior. I will never watch Strikeforce again as long as he is calling the fights.

4) If you think that any part of that was staged. Pull your ears until you hear a pop. Thats your head coming out of your ass.

Heres the video in case you missed the post fight-fight.

UFC 107 preview on “Attack of the Show”

I had the chance to stop by the G4 studios today and share my thought on a few match-ups scheduled for the UFC 107 card. Check them out in the video!

Spencer Pratt vs Jason Chambers ???

Feel like seeing some good done for a great cause?

You know Spencer Pratt, right? He a strong willed guy that knows what he wants...

…and he is a well trained Martial Artist…

Check out the ScaredyPratt site and leave a comment if you’d like to see him fight in a cage for charity.

“Robot Chicken” Does “Human weapon” Parody.

On my way home from watching the Dallas/Giants game, my friend Shawn shoots me a text which reads ‘have you seen the Robot Chicken spoof of you?”. My natural reaction was that is was someone or something similar, but no way would I be made into a claymation piece.

I was wrong…

Very surreal, thank you Seth Green!

“What’s This?” (Funny Video)

I don’t know who to feel worse for?

Interview With Bill Duff of “Human Weapon”

I decided my buddy and former Human Weapon co-host; Bill Duff, would be the perfect person for a 1st interview for my Blog. I shot him an email to catch up and here’s what he had to say.

Q. Most people know you from “Human Weapon”, what did you do before the show?  

A. I played football for the NFL XFL AFL and NFLEurope all but the NFL are now history.

 

Q. How did you hear about the audition for the show?

A.  I heard about HW on Craigslist thought it as BS at first but after I checked on it everything was legit.

 

Q. That was the beginning to an “odd” audition process. What did you have to do in the audition?

A. I had to box Sam Hogar (Former UFC Fighter) eat Raw Eggs and Beans and keep Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck from killing each other in the lobby of the Radison. Standard stuff really.

 

Q. You probably should have let that one go.  What was your most memorable experience from the show?

A. I heard (online) a girl used methods from the show to fight off an attacker . It made me very thankful.

 

Q. What was the best part about being on Human Weapon?

A. The best part of the show was being able to change peoples view of the history of Martial Arts.

 

Q. It was an enlightening experience to say the least! What was the worse?

A Sitting on a rusty folding chair in Cambodia at a Redcross waiting to see a Dr about the rash all over my arm from the jungle!

 

Q. I remember that!  Our well being was always a priority for everyone.(coughs *bullshit*) You had a great exhibition match with former UFC Heavyweight Champ Ricco Rodriguez on the MMA episode.  Ever think of taking a Pro fight?

A. I checked into it but no one wanted to fight me no “up side” to it is what they said.

 

Q. Bastards. There goes your chance to “Grip’em Up”. Speaking of; that sort-of became your catch phrase on the show. Where did that saying come from?

A.Grip em Up came from a great S and D coach at Tennessee named John Stucky he was a great man RIP.

 

Q. Well until we see Big Bill Duff in the cage, who would we find you rooting for on the outside of it?

A. My favorite  fighter right now is GSP because he has respect for his opponent in victory and defeat.

 

Q. Never heard of him. So what else have you been up to since the show?

A (I’ve been) working at LA Boxing in Cherry Hill training fighters and passing on what I learned on the show. Also looking for new projects that fit my goals.

Good stuff!  Thanks man!

Jamie Foxx is One Talented Guy

I was surfing YouTube the other day and ran across this video. Its a Roast of Emmit Smith which Jamie MC’d. Funny as hell. Enjoy!

Joe Rogan in Palm Beach

I’ve watched Joe perform at least 25 times since Ive known him and he always elicits a laugh. Largely because he is just such a funny Mo-Fo on his own and partially because his material is not only witty, but enlightening.

I haven’t had a chance to see Joe do his stand-up, or Joe in general for that matter – for several months. This was due largely to the fact that we are on opposites sides of the planet. (Joe’s in LA and I have been in Ft. Lauderdale.) So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out he was going to be in West Palm Beach at the Improv.

Joe had some really good new material. Some of which came from him owning a guy who was trying to be funny, in the middle of his act. (Side note to all:  If during the course of a stand-up show, you suddenly have the urge to blurt out some creative genius that is begging to spew from your mouth – have a friend kick you in the balls.  It’s better than getting berated in front of a room full of strangers and then thrown out of a comedy club.)  Also, I  got to see my buddy and WEC Lightweight Champ, Mike Brown.

After his set we all cruised over to 251 South Beach to add a few more drinks to the tally. Good times ensued.