It’s been TWENTY FIVE YEARS since he was at the Olympics.
yes it has…
but…
it is yoel… he will always have a name and drive interest…
he is different…
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the crossed straps…
a few years ago the club brought in borrero to wrestle our senior guy in an exhibition match…
i gave borrero a hug and it is still the craziest back i have ever felt… it did not make any sense…
this is exactly what everyone says about yoel…
the genetics and supplements that the cubans were feeding their guys in their run is insane…
their training situation was different…
even at almost 50 years old, i would not be surprised if yoel makes it a match just on his life alone…
bo has only felt one other guy like this in his entire life and bo got tech smashed when he did…
it is interesting…
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is there weight class…Yoel is way bigger now
You’re right. Everyone knows the best way for combat sports to thrive is bland sportsmanship. There is centuries of data showing the importance of storylines or narratives increasing viewership.
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legitimate competition does not need made up beef to stand on its own…
if there is real heat fine, but, to suggest they should go full jackass pro wrestling mode is just silly and childish…
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Have you ever seen the UFC, boxing or even bjj at the professional level? I want this organization to work. For it to work, there is a very specific formula that they must adhere to.
Odd bjj didn’t really start bringing in big money until King Ryan and his drama.
Mayweather couldn’t draw a dime back when he was actually knocking people out. Suddenly Money Mayweather appears and he’s breaking ppv records fighting conservatively.
Every successful combat sport follows the pro wrestling blueprint.
Whitaker on fighting Romero:
“When I was punching and kicking him [at UFC 225] he felt like metal — like a dude made out of concrete, it was a ridiculous,” Whittaker said on Grange TV. “I fought him a year ago, and he didn’t feel like concrete. Not like that.”
“He’s a tough guy, and like I said before, he’s a top caliber athlete,” Whittaker continued. “But for him to come back the way he did, and for him to feel so differently and to perform so differently than he did a year ago — cause let’s not forget, I have fought him before. I’ve experienced his shots, I’ve experienced landing shots on him, I’ve experience fighting him before. For him to make those changes physically and athletically, in a year, at the age of 41… I’m leaving that down to nothing more than magic.”
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you are not wrong… i just think it is boorish and not a long term strategy for real growth…
look at mcgregor when he first came on the scene and created fan interest by being clever in pre-event build up… then he just turned into a caricature of himself and it turned silly…
the press conference for the last RAF with bassett and caldwell… caldwell did not make anything up, he just basically told bassett he was a child and was wrestling a grown man… threw the poor kid off his script… it was entertaining enough and built up some steam… and early in the match caldwell was doing exactly that until he made a U10 mistake on a chest wrap attempt and got stuck…
the actual match up is the juice and that is what should be promoted for a legitimate sport…
saying that, i fully understand the unwashed masses may need more to generate initial interest, but, that will run dry eventually when it is realized it is just play pretend…
whatever…
this is the juice…
is Yoel still capable of being that guy for one match…
he might be… or might not be… got to watch to find out…
JO beat woods last event… JO has not competed in years and woods just took a world bronze…
the match itself is the actual juice…
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The general public haven’t figured it out yet and it’s been going on for 100 years or more
the general public is more interested in scripted entertainment than actual combat sports and has been for well over 100 years…
and that pales in comparison to stick and ball sports that does not rely on made up narratives to be popular…
so?
Contrived feuding brings in casual fans who aren’t knowledgeable to the sport. The competition either turns them into fans or drives them away.
Wrestling requires training fans who didn’t wrestle how its scored. It’s easier to train them if they have a vested interest in the contestants beforehand.
You don’t have to like or watch the drama.
just how are these casual fans (of which international wrestling has none, never has had any, and likely never will have any in america) going to be exposed to this contrived feuding?
the answer is they will not…
so what good does it do but just turn off the “fans” that are already watching?
there is no mainstream media covering wrestling except during the olympics, period.
shit, the wrestling “media” (which is a laughable term… just a few guidos and Flo) does not even cover it because it is seen as competition…
the only real hope for this league is to capture collegiate “fans” who are typically only interested in the color of a singlet and if they can capture some international audience… and i do not even pretend to know if fox nation would even be available within the borders of the countries that would be most interested…
PWL has been operating for several years but i really have no clue how they promote…
Germany has the Bundesliga league that has been around in some form or fashion since 1964… i know a kid that wrestles in that league and i have a somewhat limited idea of what he makes per match and it is not much in the eyes of professional sports, but, is a fairly substantial amount to someone who is trying to actually live as a young adult in international wrestling…
how many “casual fans” are even aware of these leagues?
i would be very interested in seeing any actual numbers of MMA fans who have tuned into RAF because they have had some fighters competing…
i doubt even RAF could even produce a real number…
it has to be some, but, as evidenced by this forum, if any “typical” MMA fan can’t find an illegal stream they are not going to watch…
how does fight pass actually do?
i genuinely have no clue…
wrestling really screwed up by not partnering up with the UFC in the early years…
Dana went to USAW and tried to get a partnership working but USAW is run by complete scumbags and people of low vision and character who were concerned about any perceived backlash from being associated with the barbaric sport of MMA…
now when MMA has been legitimized Dana has no interest in talking with USAW… because why would he? they were not interested when he could have used them and now he doesn’t need them when USAW could use the help…
i think the UFC still has some sort of sponsorship of Iowa wrestling, but, it is never really promoted at all by either… that feels like a personal project and maybe a tax ride off of some sorts…
clealry Dana is not offended by RAF as he is allowing UFC athletes to compete at RAF events… one has to assume that RAF has been in some kind of promotional talks with the UFC, but, clearly nothing has materialized…
i wonder how many casual fans are aware of the CLAW league that just started up here in america…
they just finished up their initial season and championships…
even wrestling “fans” are generally unaware…
There’s room for sportsmen and unsportsmanlike people. Randy Couture was a star and kept a fairly clean image while he was fighting.
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