The Lighter Side of MMA

By Scoop Malinowski

Brutality. Violence. Dedication. Sacrifice…these are some of the words often associated with mixed martial arts, the most serious of sports, where one lapse of concentration can be the difference between the agony and the ecstasy. But amid all the technical warfare and machismo, MMA has offered many instances of humor and comedy. Here is a collection of some offbeat moments in the world of MMA…

Tim Sylvia, Former UFC Heavyweight champ: “Rich Franklin and I were at Mandalay Bay, taking pictures with fans. And this fan was so excited that he actually pushed me into the water fountain [smiles]. I stopped myself with my hands. But I still got my shirt all wet. Yeah, and it happened in front of about four, five-hundred people. And I think the fan was more scared. Because he thought I was gonna kill him. But we all had a good laugh about it. I ran upstairs and changed my shirt and we went out.”

Mike Whitehead, Heavyweight fighter: “Heath Herring just rented this house in Vegas and it’s crazy. The house is like weird – you walk in and it honesty looks like Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The house is like MTV Cribs meets Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. You walk in and you’re like, You can’t imagine this happens in real life. Just so many colors and it’s like every room has a theme. It’s just weird.”

Jim Miller, Ring of Combat Lightweight champ: “During my brother’s fight with Mike Massenzio, my brother accidentally kneed him in the chin when he was pulling back his knee. And he said, Oh, sorry about that. Mike said, Oh, it’s okay. And then he punched my brother in the head – right after he apologized for accidentally kneeing him.”

Mikey Burnett, Ultimate Fighter 4: “Any time with Bas Rutten is a good time. Bas is a wild man. I remember one time, I think it was in Birmingham, Alabama, Bas got me in a strip club. Ken Shamrock and Maurice Smith were there too. We were in a strip club and I got up on a stage and was strippin’ with the strippers. I don’t know how he talked me into that one. I don’t think the bouncers were too happy. But they didn’t have too much to say about it.”

Monte Cox, manager/promoter: “My first no-holds barred show I knew nothing about the sport and had a hard time getting guys to fight. This is in 1996. I got this local kid Pat Miletich and he’s claiming he’s going to make something out of himself, you know, become a champion, marry a French chick and move to the good side of the trailer park. By the time the show comes around, everybody has heard of Pat Miletich, so we wait till the fighters get there, then do a blind draw to see who fights who in the tournament. This guy – Rick Klev from New York gets Miletich. We do a parade of athletes and when Rick’s name is called, nobody comes out. I go in the back and all his stuff is gone and he had run out the back door of the building [smiles]. And at that same show Pat’s former girlfriend sings the national anthem. She’s really good but has never been in front of 8,000 people. She messes up, stops and then argues with the crowd about being rude. Pat’s with all the other fighters standing in the ring and he wants to kill himself. Anyway, the crowd finally stops the catcalls and she starts again. From the BEGINNING!!! I ran back into the locker room to hide!”

Carlos Newton, former UFC Welterweight champ: “Me and Matt Hughes had some fun times. I remember one time for a pre-fight photo shoot we were supposed to walk up to do a pose-down. And I looked up and said, Okay, Matt, it’s a walk off (from the movie Zoolander). And we both just died laughing.”

Mark Coleman, UFC Hall of Famer: “I was cornering Gary ‘Big Daddy’ Goodridge in Brazil. Back then groin strikes were legal. So I’m in Goodridge’s corner for his brawl with Pedro Otavio. Back and forth the whole time. Pedro has been messing with Big Daddy’s cup all night. Goodridge had enough of it. Though I didn’t see it exactly, rumor has it Goodridge reached down into Pedro’s shorts and gave him a real hard squeeze. Pedro lets out a big scream and Big Daddy hits him with a right and Pedro falls to his ass. Fight was over.”

Phil Baroni, The New York Bad Ass: “At a UFC after-party. A fight between two guys broke out. I went behind the Fertitta brothers and yelled, BARONI’S IN A FIGHT! BARONI’S IN A FIGHT!! Everyone’s running over to the fight. They go, Tito, get over there! They’re looking for Tito to break it up. They’re all running over. Tito’s limpin’ over. They all thought it was me [laughs].”

Don Frye: “I had a fight in 1995, they asked me if I was interested to go to Atlanta for like a black-tie event, supposed to be entertainment for the rich people. With caviar and champagne. When I got to the airport, they said, We can’t pay you, do you still want to fight? I’m like, Ohh, okay. What the heck, might as well, I’m here anyway. They took me to a warehouse. One of them real warehouse fights. Potato chips and beer…that was the caviar and champagne. I fought a former Navy Seal. (Frye won “in a couple a minutes, by arm-bar keylock.”)

Paul Buentello: “King of the Cage, Wet ‘n Wild. It was raining there all day long. Just imagine – the venue was outside. The cage was full of puddles. But they had the fights go on. Guys were going for headkicks and slipping. People were bustin’ their asses left and right. You gotta see the video.”

Frankie Edgar: “Kevin Roddy at Cage Fury, as he ran out of the dressing room (to the cage to fight) he was throwing dollar bills to the crowd.”

Jose Rodriguez: “Bas Rutten was refereeing my fight when I fought John Cole at Bayside Academy. He did a seminar and that same weekend he refereed our fight. I remember he was actually coaching me, lecturing me as we were fighting. ‘We just went over this, you should know this.’”

Chris Ligouri: “Pete Sell – Drago – when I fought him in Ring of Combat the first time we were talking a lot as we were fighting. We were talking and laughing with each other while we were fighting and beating the shit out of each other.”

Shonie Carter: “I did a semi-strip tease in a fight during the round. I was wearing two pairs of shorts and the guy I was fighting was no more than three feet away from me. And I actually pulled my top trunks off and I kicked them over to my cornerman. And I started dancing in the middle of the ring while I’m fighting the guy. Just to be having fun, to do something unexpected.”

Kevin Randleman: “I saw Mark Coleman get beat up by an old woman in Brazil, an old, Wrinkly woman. She caught a pop on Mark and said, ‘Fuck you!’ I was fighting Sokata from Brazil, Ebeneezer Braga and Carlao Barreto in an hour and a half. Oh my God, I was in overtime in my first fight against Braga. I’m sitting on the ring rope waiting and I look over at Mark and this woman all of a sudden pours a cup of Coca Cola on him. He turns around to look at her and she goes, ‘I did it. Fuck you.’ Then I turn around and there’s Braga ready to punch me in the head! They started the overtime without telling me!”

Travis Lutter: “I was getting ready for Abu Dhabi 2001 and during the qualifier in Indiana they had the little angle irons sitting up under the curtains. And I shake my legs when I’m ready to go out. And I’m ready to go out. Two seconds before I go out, I frickin’ stub my toe, take my toenail off, completely and totally. I have my toenail not right and I’m bleeding all over the place – and they’re calling my name to go down the ramp!”

Travis Wiuff: “The first time I fought in Brazil, the day before the event, I was sitting out, lounging by the pool. I was sipping on a can of pop. And I was going to be fighting Carlao Barreto. And Carlao was like doing wind sprints in the pool, he was throwing punches in the pool. He was training like a madman in the pool! And I almost crapped in my pants. Man, there I was lounging, relaxing in the sun and there’s Carlao Barreto training in the pool the day before the fight. (How did you do in the fight?) I ended up winning the fight, it went good. But I look back on it now and I think, man, I was going crazy being in Brazil the first time.”

Dan Severn: “King of the Cage, he had his guard around me, pushing and pushing towards my feet. Basically, my trunks came all the way down and I was basically mooning the crowd.”

Dave Menne: “A story I heard, do I have to name names? I heard a story about someone running out of the ring, saying they shit their self.”

Trevor Prangley: “I was reffing and amateur show in Idaho. I guy got in the ring and a cigarette lighter fell out of his pocket when he was fighting.”

Matt Horwich: “When I fought Travis Wiuff, we were talking during the fight. He took me down during the fight and he goes, Are you tired, Matt? I said, Yeah dude. And he said, Me too!