First of all, I would like to apologize for my long absence from writing columns for the Torch. And if there is anyone that enjoys my columns, I apologize to you as well.
"Trash talk" is a part of many different sports, and we have seen it quite often in MMA with grudgematches such as Rampage-Evans, Ortiz-Shamrock, and Hughes-Serra. For the most part, this pre-fight banter can be forgotten after the fight, and fighters generally move on with at least some level of respect for each other. However, we have seen the issue of trash talk going too far come up several times in the last few months, most recently with Donald Cerrone's latest comments regarding Jamie Varner.
Cerrone said: "I'm just [expletive] fired up, and all I want to do is go out there and kill him. I want to come in that first round and just rip his face off. I don't want to come in and sit back and let him dictate it. I hope my emotions drive me. I fight better on emotion. ... I hope my emotions take over and I just kill this dude. I hope this is the first death in MMA."
These are the type of comments that do no good for anyone involved. They look very bad for Cerrone, the WEC, and the sport in general. While he would go back on the death statement, the damage has been done.
Frank Mir also made similar comments earlier this year, regarding Brock Lesnar.
"I want to fight Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries. That's what's going through my mind."
These received even more press than Cerrone's comments, as Frank Mir is a better-known fighter. Dana White was not impressed, and referred to Frank as an "idiot" for saying he wanted to kill Brock in the Octagon.
Now, neither Cerrone nor Mir would actually go into the Octagon and kill their opponent. The major problem with these statements is they fuel the fire for critics who feel that MMA is essentially a cage-fight to the death. They can be used by people who try to prevent sanctioning in markets such as New York and Toronto.
Many people, including myself, enjoy some good smack talk leading up to a fight to provide an additional emotional feel to it. It is also proven that trash talk can sell a fight (see Silva-Sonnen). However, fighters must remember that they represent the sport, and taking it too far by hoping for someone to die does nothing good for either fighter, their promotion, or MMA as a whole.
While I am on this topic, here are some of my favorite fighter quotes of all time, just off the top of my head, in no order, feel free to share your own.
1. Chael Sonnen - 80% of what he has said since he was given his first UFC title shot.
Some will disagree with me, but I find him absolutely hilarious.
2. Mirko Cro Cop - "Right kick, hospital; left kick, cemetary."
I can not even describe the awesomeness of this quote.
3. Michael "The Voice" Schiavello - "The grandparents from Willy Wonka moved more than these two guys."
Okay, he is not a fighter. And many people who will read this probably hate his guts. But the commentary of the man known as "The Voice" gets me laughing, and I love it. This is just one of my favorite quotes from him.
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