Carwin, Simpson and When a Loss Isn’t Really a Loss
Jake Rossen Jul 28, 2010
Nobody ever really loses in MMA. There are weird anomalies where
the referee raises someone else’s hand, and misguided record
keepers apply an “L” to your resume, but it’s not really a defeat,
exactly. It’s just the absence of a win.
Following his loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 in early July, Shane Carwin -- who appeared to have the constitution of a man who had just completed the New York City Marathon for the second round -- insisted in interviews that his cardio was not a problem. He then proceeded to make a subtle request for information on “lactic acidosis” in a fight forum. This is akin to someone vomiting, insisting they’re not really sick, and then asking for information on E. coli.
Aaron Simpson, a promising middleweight who suffered his first loss in a fight with Chris Leben a few weeks prior, told MMAWeekly that he had “low thyroid, low iron, low vitamin D, and other things.” Both men follow a long line of fighters who lost not because the other man was better, but because of conditions including, but not limited to, a dead family pet; a fractured skull; allergies; whooping cough; black plague; bed bugs; enlarged prostate; and possibly carpal tunnel from looking up possible conditions on MedHelp.com.
I am not harassing Simpson or Carwin: what athletes do to minimize a defeat is a necessary bit of self-enforcement. To climb into a cage and risk your brain health requires some psychological tricks that most of us don’t need to concern ourselves with. But it might be best to limit their rationalizations to private conversations. Flicking sour grapes at fans doesn’t do anything for anyone.
Following his loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 in early July, Shane Carwin -- who appeared to have the constitution of a man who had just completed the New York City Marathon for the second round -- insisted in interviews that his cardio was not a problem. He then proceeded to make a subtle request for information on “lactic acidosis” in a fight forum. This is akin to someone vomiting, insisting they’re not really sick, and then asking for information on E. coli.
Aaron Simpson, a promising middleweight who suffered his first loss in a fight with Chris Leben a few weeks prior, told MMAWeekly that he had “low thyroid, low iron, low vitamin D, and other things.” Both men follow a long line of fighters who lost not because the other man was better, but because of conditions including, but not limited to, a dead family pet; a fractured skull; allergies; whooping cough; black plague; bed bugs; enlarged prostate; and possibly carpal tunnel from looking up possible conditions on MedHelp.com.
I am not harassing Simpson or Carwin: what athletes do to minimize a defeat is a necessary bit of self-enforcement. To climb into a cage and risk your brain health requires some psychological tricks that most of us don’t need to concern ourselves with. But it might be best to limit their rationalizations to private conversations. Flicking sour grapes at fans doesn’t do anything for anyone.
