Anderson Silva and Dana White debate fighting friends
The issue of whather fighters should fight friends is a long running one, with UFC President Dana White on one side saying…
The issue of whather fighters should fight friends is a long running one, with UFC President Dana White on one side saying among other points that MMA is an individual not a team sport, and that the equivalent would be one professional team refusing to play another because they have friends on the opposing team.
On the other side of the debate are a number of fighters, including Black House member Anderson Siva, who in a recent interview with Brazilian media giant OGlobo says fighting is different.
UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva:
“(Laughter). It’s funny he should say that, right? He never asked me that question. If I did, I would ask if he would like to split the UFC with Lorenzo, each having their own event, fighting audience, sponsors and everything involving their business. They are friends, partners …
“What I think is that friends should not fight. Dana does not fight. He sells fights well, is a good promoter, but not a fighter. I have nothing against Dana, I love him, but he does not know what it is, and can not say that two friends have to face.
“We spend more time together than with our families. We divide the pains, frustrations, and because he wants to sell a fight, he thinks it will be okay and that the public will enjoy seeing two friends fighting? He wants to make a fight between two friends? This is impossible, only happens between people who are not real friends.
“In our team we have a philosophy that, even though both the same weight and same goal of being champions of the UFC, we know that will not happen. MMA is not a team sport. It is not natural for me to fight with a guy I live with every day. It is natural to him because he does not fight, never took a pinch.”
Read entire interview… (original Portuguese)
UFC President Dana White
“This is not baseball or football. (Blackhouse is) not actually a team. They train together, spend time together, but they are not a team that plays together. I want Anderson to tell me if I’m wrong – he has the belt, fame, money, and that is why there are many guys who want to be Anderson Silva, including guys on his team and his friends. Many of his friends would love to have the belt and should try to fight him for it. If they have to fight, it does not mean cannot be friends. It’s business, is what they do for a living.”
“If the deal was that Lorenzo had the title and I would have to fight him, that is what would happen. It’s not personal, it’s just see who is the best. Imagine two famous Brazilian soccer teams like Flamengo and Corinthians. Imagine if they did not want to play against each other because they are friends, because they like each other. “We do not want to lose, we hurt their feelings.” Oh, Anderson, c’mon …
“Vitor used to train with (Anderson). Did you see what (Silva) did to his friend? I guarantee you that the guys that are his friends want to be like him. Your friends want your belt, and they won’t pay your bills when you’re done fighting.”
Read entire article... (original Portuguese)
On a related thread, former UFC fighter Nate Quarry weighed in on the subject.
From: Nate ‘Rock’ Quarry
Member Since: 8/24/02
Posts: 261
MMA is not point fighting. I for one could not go in with the intention of breaking my brother, who’s helped me achieve my dreams and feed my family, I couldn’t go in with the intention of breaking his arm.
If you say it’s just a sport then that’s fine. In my mind that means that you’ll beat anyone placed in front of you to achieve a title or to win money. So then, how much would it take for you to break your best friend’s arm? Or hospitalize him because you elbowed him in the face and shattered his orbital? Maybe he’s fighting for food money and this is his last shot at following his dreams.
Take your VERY best friend, the guy that bails you out when no one will, the guy who’s stood by you in your darkest moments and I want you to picture smashing his face. I want you to picture him cut and bleeding, his bones breaking. His wife and kid, the look on their face when he comes home. What they will think of you when the man they love the most is undergoing surgery because his face was destroyed by your elbows, and because he lost, the $6,000 that he won for his show money is what they have to live on for the next 6 months while his bones heal. And then another 3 months while he lines up another fight in a smaller organization where he makes a grand.
And because you did it in such a grand fashion they show your knock out of your best friend over and over. It’s a great highlight for you. And maybe the ref steps in too late and you have to continue beating on your brother Curran style.
If you’re cool with that then fine. But don’t call yourself a martial artist. Because you know nothing of Bushido. If anything call yourself a Ronin. Because you answer to no one and have no loyalty to anyone.
But that’s my opinion. Feel free to have a different one. When you’ve walked my path you may change your mind.
Or not. Like I said, that’s my opinion. And if you feel differently, that’s fine.
But you never see any fighter’s that come from a good team, which is a family, saying they’re going to rush to fight each other. Because for us, it’s not just about money.
—
From: Nate ‘Rock’ Quarry
Thanks for the props all.
Obviously if someone is new to the team, then that’s a whole different story. But you rarely see guys go to an established gym if they have possible opponents in the same weight class.
Promoters want fights. So of course for them, the bottom line is the whole driving force. No matter if it’s Zuffa or the guy putting on fights down at the Y.
Let’s look at what gyms in the past have regularly had teammates fight each other. I can only think of one. The Lion’s Den. About 12 years ago or so. And look how that ended up.
Your team is not like an episode of TUF. You’re not sitting around guarded day after day worrying about having to beat up or get beaten up by your roommate.
I can’t express how deeply I care for my team. I can count about 6 guys that without them I wouldn’t be here today. And there’s no amount of money or fake gold belt that would make me betray them or beat on them. If they called me to bury a body, I would without question. In this world where everyone is shoving other people down to get theirs, these guys would take beatings for weeks to help me chase my dream.
But fighting is not a sport for me. It’s my life.
And you NEVER see a real fighter say that it’s just a sport. Never.
Bushido.
—
From: Nate ‘Rock’ Quarry
So, if two teammates want to fight. That’s cool by me.
Like I said, that’s my decision. I even shook Leben’s hand on Tuf and agreed that we wouldn’t fight. I’m very glad we didn’t have to deal with that. That would’ve been tough.
And I completely understand where promoters are coming from. Their job is to put on the best shows possible.
But fortunately it just doesn’t come up that often. And when it does then one of the guys is generally saying that they’ll move up or down in weight.
—
From: Nate ‘Rock’ Quarry
Yep, our job is to fight. If you’re a fan and that’s all you see and you’ve not only never trained but never stepped into the ring.
But for us, it’s not about money. I didn’t start training or fighting for money.
That’s been a nice surprise.
IF you train and fight for money, they cool. Go make your money. And good luck finding a good team that will care about your success. Because when all you care about is money and yourself, no one else will. But in all honesty, I can recommend a few gyms like that. And you’re in luck, there’s no one in your weight class. Because they don’t have anyone but one guy training there with a leach of a manager.
Have at it.
—
From: Nate ‘Rock’ Quarry
People who know me will say I’m a very friendly guy, like to be pleasant. Until fight time. Then I’m a miserable person to be around. This isn’t a sport for me. My fight against Pete Sell was the most important day of my daughter’s and mine’s life. This is NOT a sport for me. I can’t express that enough. Due to that one day we now live in a great neighborhood. My daughter goes to the best school in the state.
Where did I live before? My front door was kicked in TWICE in the first month of me living there. My daughter hated her school and lived with her mother in an even worse part of town. Now if my best friend said, “Hey sorry man, but I’m getting my shot in the UFC so you can go F yourself, it’s just business,” I’d never forgive him.
Really? For a payday you’re going to try and crush my dreams of success for my daughter? Then quite simply, you’re someone I never should have been friends with in the first place. A grappling tournament? All day long I’ll go against my buddies. Because I really don’t care if I win or lose those. That’s a sport for me. But let’s just say I get an armbar on my buddy, there’s no way in hell I’m going to crank it like it’s some stranger.
But you know, I’m on one side of things. Fighting has given me everything so of course I take it personally. I didn’t have a college education to fall back on. My father died a carpenter working for someone else. This was my one shot to break out of the mold that I was cast in.