Cesar Gracie: ‘Fights happen in every sport it’s really not a big deal’
“Unfortunately the after fight skirmish shifted the focus away from what was probably Jake and Gil’s biggest wins and that…
“Unfortunately the after fight skirmish shifted the focus away from what was probably Jake and Gil’s biggest wins and that was very disappointing. We’re a very tight team and in all the years we’ve hung out together there has never been a team street fight or anything like that associated with us.”
“After reviewing the tape I think I saw alot of blame on all sides. I have spoken to my guys and with Strikeforce to make sure this never happens again.
“There were people in there that had come to support our team that really should never have been in there as well. Those people that participated have been banned from future events.
“I’ll be honest and tell you I think there has been somewhat of a double standard when it comes to MMA. I frequently attend hockey games and if a fight breaks out it’s routine and the fans have come to expect it. Fights happen in every sport and it’s really not a big deal but if a fight breaks out at a fight between fighters it seems like some people want to act like it’s the end of the world and pretend they are outraged.
“That night in Nashville was emotionally charged and I wish cooler heads would had prevailed. I think it would be better if we fight in a professional manner and not in free for alls. For the disruption it has caused we are sorry and would like to extend an apology.”
“It doesn’t help anybody. Nobody’s getting paid for fighting after the fight. It makes crybabies come out there and talk about it more, and then we have to do interviews talking about crybabies.”
“So a fight broke out at a fight. That’s not a good thing, and I’m not condoning it … but a lot of people are jumping on this because they’re babies. The same night, they had an NBA fight. They want to talk about a fight at an MMA fight between MMA fighters.”
“How would it be damaging? If you’re a sports fan, you’re used to seeing fights all the time. It’s really, seriously, a bunch of pussies latching on to this and trying to make it a bigger deal than it is. Is it a good thing? It’s not a good thing. We’re sorry. Everybody involved has apologized.”
“But you’ve got a lot of crybabies that are going to latch on to this to the bitter end, but they’re not going to say anything when a hockey game has fights every night. Young sport, old sport – people are making a much bigger deal than this. It’s hype; it’s all hype.”
