Frank Edgar Thinks The Storyline Between Himself and Gray Maynard Will Sell
by Geno Mrosko on Sep 2, 2010 4:01 PM EDT
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When both Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard emerged victorious at UFC 118, fans and media who are fascinated by the business side of the UFC cringed. Not because of the style match up or because we feel like it will be a bad fight. But because Edgar and Maynard both suffer from the same debilitating promotional disease: a near total lack of charisma.
They're boring. They induce the absolute worst feeling in fans, which is apathy. Nothing that either of them do makes us love or hate them in any way. They seem like good men. They're both really great fighters that have put the time in to rise to the top of their weight class. They've met before, with Maynard coming out on top, and now they will meet again but with much higher stakes. Will that narrative sell? Frank Edgar thinks so:
"It's going to take time, just like it took time for GSP to be considered to be the best welterweight because Matt Hughes was so good for so long. Now GSP has so many wins and people think he's the best. It just takes time for me to get my respect and that's how it works. You have to earn your time ... Being a marketable champion takes time. I've got to get some more exposure. I've been in the main event on the main card two times in a row and that helps out some. As far as the storyline goes, I think it's a great storyline. [Gray Maynard] got a win over me and I've got the title. He's worked his way up and is undefeated. My only loss is to him. I think it's a great storyline. People will want to see that."
I don't agree. Being a marketable champion sometimes does take time but again, you have to have something that the audience can connect to. Either you act ridiculous and we hate you and want to pay to see you get beat or you have charisma, great looks and a story that's easy to get behind and we want to pay to see you succeed. Just being in the main event and holding the title is not the recipe to becoming a draw.
The not so sad truth of the fight game is that a fight itself is not going to draw huge numbers. The UFC has always had issues with main events such as this where they have to manufacture drama. How will the UFC go about promoting this? I don't think they're going to worry about it. I think they'll throw this on a card where they won't have to be the primary selling point like the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen rematch or the GSP-Josh Koscheck rematch. Because as much as Edgar likes to think it will, the storyline of his fight with Gray Maynard just won't help sell their bland personalities.
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Not because of the style match up or because we feel like it will be a bad fight.
I think I disagree with this. A lot of people are already talking about how this will be a grinding, boring wrestlefest similar to their first meeting. A lot of people, esp newcomers who saw 118 left with a bad taste in their mouth. Not exactly something to look forward to.
That's a good point.
I think Maynard has the perfect style to foil the quick in and out game of Edgar but I don’t think that plays a part in the larger conscious of fans to purchase a fight between the two.
Forget it Donny, you're out of your element.
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MMA really needs those knees to the head of a downed opponent to be reinstated.
That would stop all this whining about wrestlers being boring right in it’s tracks.
Unfortunately, the rules do make it hard to obtain and maintain dominant, punishing positions without creating opportunities for reversal. Wrestlers (especially American wrestlers who grew up on the Collegiate scoring system) are generally risk-averse, preferring to score two points and ride it out, rather than score two, sacrifice the ride in an effort to gain two more but opening yourself to losing those two you just gained. To them, it’s like “What’s the point? I’ve already won.”
If I was a hungry man with a gun in my hand and some promises to keep...
One other thing to think of here
is that these guys get paid on a show/win structure. They don’t get paid enough to say fuck it and go out there and wing it. If you fight exciting and lose and only make $25,000 as opposed to going out there and winning and getting paid $50,000, that’s an easy decision to make. Granted the UFC tries to help these things along by rewarding the bonuses and supposedly giving under the table locker room bonuses as well but most guys don’t get paid nearly enough to sacrifice winning. The money is too important.
Forget it Donny, you're out of your element.
CagesideSeats.com
Follow me on Twitter at GenoMrosko
Good point.
The flip-side is, if you’ve lost the first rounds and it’s obvious you can’t win on points, you should then throw it to the wind and create loud, exciting exchanges rather than playing it safe.
Too many guys wait until the last minute to do this. A guy like Kenny Florian in 118 needed to throw whatever his original plan was out the window and start headhunting with reckless abandon at the beginning of the third round.
If I was a hungry man with a gun in my hand and some promises to keep...
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