The Doggy Bag: The Unintended Consequences Edition

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A no contest in Tim Sylvia-Andrei Arlovski 4 will surely get us a number five. Is the MMA world ready for the most anticipated rematch of all time? Wow. That's all I have to say. -- Chris from Yorba Linda

Jordan Breen, administrative editor: So many things to say for this. First, let’s get the qualifiers out of the way: yes, Arlovski and Sylvia are faded shells of whatever they once might have been, and, no, they will not seriously contend for anything in the UFC even if we concede the possibility of them winning their way back. As always, we must accept the potential for one half-decent-but-flawed big dude to beat another half-decent-but-flawed big dude. However, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos aren’t sweatin’ ’em.

With all that out of the way, look at me and tell me that the first round of Arlovski-Sylvia 4 was not the best, most entertaining, competitive round of fighting that these two guys have put on. Their first three bouts were not exactly Morales-Barrera, but it was good, honest heavyweight MMA. How fun is a round when Sylvia comes on strong with a late flurry of hard punches to steal it? How fun is it when those same punches do not completely kill Arlovski all at once?

As for the botched stoppage and all that jazz, One FC simply needs to get its act together. Its “open attack” rule is one of the dumbest things conceived in MMA, hence the social-media-in-real-time-evisceration of the stipulation as the event streamed online. Everyone knows this is dumb. Referees can’t call it fast enough when it’s important. It’s like no one realized one overwhelming way people get soccer kicked is when they get dropped in front of their opponent's feet, like Arlovski-Sylvia. If you want soccer kicks, just have soccer kicks and drop the pretense.

Now, a fifth fight between them? First of all, the novelty alone is severe and worth considering. The fourth fight’s ending, as you mentioned, basically necessitates it. Sylvia won the first round, but Arlovski clobbered him with a three-piece and two penalty kicks. There was honest competition -- both guys wanted to kick the other guy’s ass -- and it made them more entertaining than usual. Surely this is worth sparking up again. This is better than one of the East Coast Gracies molesting some hapless ham-and-egger.

Let us also say this for Arlovski-Sylvia: they make great rivals in general given their fight history and the whole “How’s taste my pee-pee?” incident. However, the fact that both of them are so hard-up and desperate now makes the rivalry even better. If a fifth fight happens, the loss for either man is probably some kind of notable nail in the coffin for whatever slim hopes remain for either to get back to the UFC or a similar platform. A fifth fight gives Arlovski or Sylvia the chance to try to sabotage the other guy’s livelihood. Sylvia broke his hand and will not be ready for a little while, but we can wait until they’re both feeling froggy.

Isn’t this what folks are talking about? People want fighters to be real, to be genuine. People say they’re tired of fake trash talk and “hyping” a fight. Surely then, these folks would be entertained by two individuals that legitimately want unfortunate things to happen to the other. In whatever reduced state they might be in, Sylvia and Arlovski deserve each other once more, if only for the chance to cap the rivalry by blowing out the other man’s candle.

Unless it’s a draw, of course.

Continue Reading » Pulver-izing a Legacy