Tim Kennedy: Terrible behavior in MMA is rewarded
Max Bishop: Do you think it would’ve been a shame if (michael Bisping) would’ve basically been rewarded for his actions…
Max Bishop: Do you think it would’ve been a shame if (michael Bisping) would’ve basically been rewarded for his actions in (the Rivera) fight with a coaching spot on “The Ultimate Fighter” and getting a big money fight from it?
Tim Kennedy: Realistically, that was very possible. He was two athletic commissioners away from getting a spot on “The Ultimate Fighter” as a coach. Not only was he given a hand-out win from a ridiculous decision in the cage, but then even worse, he’s then given a spot on one of the most prestigious aspects of the UFC as a coach on the show and then fighting for the No. 1 contendership. That’s absolutely asinine. He cheated! He should be punished. He then spit on the corner. He should be banned! He shouldn’t be rewarded! It doesn’t make any sense.
MB: Do you think it’s a problem right now in the sport in general where you see guys who misbehave and end up getting rewarded for it, whether it’s big fights or things of that nature?
TK: Absolutely. Here’s the problem, you know. Let me give myself a mohawk, dye it red and go out there and talk some smack and then I’ll be fighting for six figures. Or let me illegally knee a guy in the head, spit on his corner and then give me a spot on “The Ultimate Fighter.” And then we’ll take Brian Stann, a Silver Medal recipient, a war hero, a Marine captain. He’s had like 10 fights under the Zuffa banner between the WEC and the UFC but he’s fighting a newcomer to the promotion in Jorge Santiago. It doesn’t make any sense. Let’s reward the guys who deserve rewarding. The one’s that fight fair, the one’s that work hard, the one’s that do the right thing and punish the guys that say the wrong things, who do the wrong things, that fight unfairly.