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You know that saying about kids, that ANY attention is good attention? Well, it holds true in any public sphere of modern life as well. This is doubly the case in mixed martial arts, which is starved for any and all mainstream exposure. Sure, the UFC is worth somewhere between 4 and 7 billion dollars, depending on who you listen to, but the fighters themselves have precious little of that pie. Moreover, in this post-Reebok age of corporate sterilized monopoly, the secondary market for sponsors has collapsed, taking away opportunities for fighters to find a niche and develop their own audience.
So when a figure like Logan Paul, whose career IS mining mainstream attention, especially among young people, shows an interest in the sport, it’s like a feeding frenzy. Fighters trip over themselves in any and all attempt to call out the hot new guy. It’s only rational; non-fighters present both an easy fight and a LOT of attention. Brock Lesnar was among the first crossover stars to demonstrate this appeal; CM Punk showed that the UFC themselves are also greedy enough to cash in on the freak-show appeal even when a Famous Person has no fighting skill. Then, of course, there was McGregor-Mayweather, the Ultimate Circus.
Logan Paul is somewhere north of CM Punk on the “fighting skills” index, though it isn’t clear by how much. He wrestled in high school; he boxes with better form than Punk, but he lost drew in a boxing match with another YouTuber, KSI, so we can’t rate that too highly either. Today, Sage Northcutt called out Paul on Twitter, who responded by calling him Sage Northbutt.
Sage Northcutt might be the perfect opponent to capitalize on the popularity of Paul; also blond, unbelievably ripped and athletic, even more corny, probably the most likely fighter to capture the imagination of the demographic Paul brings to the table. The UFC absolutely ought to book this fight. It’s both an insult to the sport and the most rational decision for all parties, with the possible exception of Logan Paul. Sage Northcutt would beat the shit out of him while smiling the entire time, then do a standing gainer afterwards just for fun.
For that matter, Mike Perry jumping on the bandwagon and offering to train Paul is also perfect in many ways. Why not?
Darren Till explained why not, for anyone who was listening. This sport is incredibly hard work, getting mentally and physically broken over and over again until you are tough as nails, and then repeating that process ad infinitum until your career is over. Paul jumping in for one fight and undoubtedly making millions like Punk, is just insulting. But that’s our sport and our world now.
Insomnia
Mike Perry’s Twitter attacks on Donald Cerrone border on being legally actionable.
This RIZIN 13 trailer will get you HYPE, as the kids say.
I really hope this guy is okay. Real world violence like this
Darrion Caldwell, back in his wrestling days, might possibly have been a little bit of a show-off.
Islam Makhachev understands exactly how rankings work.
Twitter suspended an account for posting a PICTURE (not a video) of an MMA fighter
Aljamain Sterling is trying, with the rest of us, to figure out how Angela Hill comes up with these cosplay outfits. Turns out she makes them herself.
Derek Brunson might be onto something.
Shane Burgos is back for more high-octane featherweight action.
Floyd Mayweather posted this on Thursday
Random Land
Ted Cruz somehow sucks at basketball MORE than I do, which is almost impossible
This picture can really make you think about the passage of time, along which we are just ants in an ocean
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