UFC 101 fighters warned to bring their ‘A’ game
PHILADELPHIA — During every UFC pre-fight press conference, the organization brings up the head of the state athletic commission to…
PHILADELPHIA — During every UFC pre-fight press conference, the organization brings up the head of the state athletic commission to address the media and the fighters. Almost every time, the executive says little of substance, essentially welcoming the promotion and the fighters and talking about the general economic impact of the event. But Pennsylania Commission executive director Greg Sirb had his own agenda at UFC 101, and that was warning the fighters about the notorious Philly fans.
“I want to tell the fighters, this ain’t Las Vegas or New Jersey, this is Philly,” he said. “You can have great fights in Las Vegas, no disrespect, and great fights in New Jersey, no disrespect. This is Philly. It’s a little different. People are going to expect it. You bring your A-game, they’ll bring their A-game. You bring your B-game, and they’ll bring their B-game. The B-game is you know what. They’ll boo you no matter what here if you bring your B-game.”
Given the perceptions of Anderson Silva’s last two performances, Sirb’s words seemed a bit ironic. Silva has been serenaded by boos during a win over Patrick Cote in which Cote suffered a freak, fight-ending knee injury, as well as a slow-paced five-round decision over Thales Leites.
His fight with Forrest Griffin is more likely to bring fireworks, however, as Griffin loves to come forward, and Silva keys off of his opponent’s rhythms.
Sirb talked a bit about Philadelphia’s history as a fight town, hosting bouts from some recent greats like Bernard Hopkins and Mike Tyson, and said he felt the city was looking forward to bringing a top-level fight promotion back.