Trading Shots: Downes and Fowlkes on overhyped feuds and scripted scuffles

In this week’s Trading Shots, MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes and retired UFC/WEC fighter Danny Downes look at fighter feuds, in-cage squabbles, and reality-show donnybrooks in search of an answer to some important questions about where promotion gives way to pantomime.

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Fowlkes: So Danny, this week Bellator MMA kicked off another light-heavyweight tournament as Muhammed Lawal edged out Mikhail Zayats and uncrowned cruiserweight champ Quinton Jackson squeezed himself down to 206 pounds before knocking out Christian M’Pumbu. Then Bellator got Lawal and Jackson together in the cage for a mini-scuffle that was maybe pre-planned and maybe not, but which seemed, at the very least, not unexpected.

We also saw, thanks to the UFC, a glimpse of a supposed on-set brawl between TUF Brazil coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. I’m not saying that one was staged, but if you were a director trying to block that scene so the cameras would have a clear view of the action, you couldn’t have done it much better than that.

My questions to you are: 1) What the hell, man? and 2) Does this do anything for you? This whole bad-blood thing? It seems like the most reliable and most overused method for amping people up before a fight, but does it work for you, personally?

Downes: Not sure I have much for you on the first question other than to say, “Hang in there baby,” because there’s going to be a lot more of it coming our way. As for the second question, it depends on how it’s presented. The whole, “I’m gonna kick his ass!” kind of empty tough talk doesn’t do anything for me. The bad blood angle, though, does have some appeal. Is it the most overused angle in combat sports? Yes, but every romantic comedy has the same plot (two people with disparate personalties meet, hate each other, fall in love), and those are a delight to watch. We may not know if “Rampage” vs. “King Mo” will be fun as fun to watch as “Say Anything,” but they’ll make it interesting along the way.

I empathize with the desire to call out a cliché narrative, but fights need something to get us excited beforehand. I think about Ronda Rousey’s past two title defenses. On paper, Sara McMann makes for a much more difficult opponent than Miesha Tate, and you would assume that would naturally translate into more excitement before the matchup. Regardless of how the fights actually turned out, we both know that the anticipation for the Tate fight was far greater than for the McMann bout. It may be sportsmanly and mature to have two people respectfully compliment one another, but it’s boring. As a journalist, you know that. Aren’t narratives leading up to a fight sometimes just as important as the fight itself? Sure, it means something for promoters, but doesn’t “selling a fight” make a better experience for the fight fan?

Fowlkes: First of all, you demean yourself and the film “Say Anything” by lumping it in with the romantic comedy genre. “You’ve Got Mail” is a romantic comedy. “Say Anything” is a classic. Second, I get the necessity of selling a fight, but once I have reason to suspect that what I’m witnessing is essentially a sales pitch, that’s when I feel like I’m being advertised to rather than entertained.

It’s a hazy line, and it’s tough to say when a fight promoter crosses it. When the UFC brought Rashad Evans and “Rampage” together to mutter threats at one another in the cage, was that cool? Obviously it was planned because you don’t just walk into the cage without permission (what do you think this is, Strikeforce?), but does planned necessarily equal phony? And if it is phony, or even just an exaggerated beef, does it matter?

I feel like it does, and I feel like we could all stand to be a little more discerning about that stuff before we wake up in terror some day and realize that we became pro-wrestling fans so gradually that we didn’t even realize it. Then again, I also feel more excited about a fight when I really believe that the participants are fighting over not just money and rankings, but also bragging rights over a person they dislike. I enjoy the bad blood angle when I think it’s real. Does that make me part of the problem?

Downes: I suppose it does. If the these-two-guys-hate-each-other storyline didn’t work, promoters wouldn’t use it. We see it in other sports, too. Even if the two teams competing have nothing to gain from a win, it means something because they’re “rivals.” I understand why it may be uncomfortable or annoying to watch manufactured hostility, but what’s the other option? Like you said, if you take away the personal motivations of the participants, it’s just about money and rankings. While that may be fine for fighters, I think that type of deconstruction makes fans uncomfortable.

I guess I have a hard time trying to understand what qualifies as phony conflict. Some fighters need that little extra push to get geared up for a fight. I call it the Nick Diaz I’m-just-trying-to-hate-you philosophy of MMA. Your next opponent is more than the guy who’s trying to fight you – he’s your enemy. You find anything and everything to make yourself despise that person. When you talk to many fighters, you’ll find them insulting their upcoming opponent for a variety of petty or significant reasons. In the time leading up to my fight with Jeremy Stephens, I followed him on Twitter, watched his YouTube videos, and mocked everything he did to my teammates and friends. I never would have done that if we weren’t fighting, so does that make the conflict “phony?”

Fowlkes: Oh, come on. How can you not provide us with at least one example of something you mocked Jeremy Stephens for? Did you watch and ridicule that video blog where he rides a comically tiny scooter around Des Moines and then goes swimming at the public pool? Please tell me you did. There was so much material there for you.

I get what you’re saying about the things fighters do to hype themselves up, but there’s a difference between that and in-cage scuffles or reality show “brawls.” When that stuff becomes the centerpiece of the promotional efforts, I feel like authenticity does matter. I also feel like the more overused this strategy becomes, the more we’ll have to question whether every supposed rivalry fight is just a work. I hate that. It turns you from an enthusiastic fan to a pawn shop jewelry appraiser, scrutinizing every new offering with a wry cynicism.

It also seems unnecessary. Because in the cases of both Sonnen-Silva and Jackson-Lawal, they’re going to actually fight for real at some point. How excited am I really supposed to get about a lot of pushing and shoving and swinging and missing that gets quickly broken up? They’re professional cage fighters. Whether there’s genuine hatred there or not, at the appointed time on the appointed date, they’re going to try to hurt each other. What kind of weirdos are we that that’s not enough for us?

Downes: “Scrutinizing every new offering with a wry cynicism.” Isn’t that your thing?

A fight alone isn’t enough because we enjoy tension and conflict. It doesn’t matter if it’s reality television or a Greek drama, we need something to make the payoff worth it. Maybe the arc of an MMA fight is the same as a five-act play. All the hype beforehand is the rising action and the fight itself is the climax. As silly or juvenile as pre-fight trash-talk can be, it does give the sport a human element. These aren’t just professional fist punchers about to step into a cage; they are people. This human element also makes it easier for fans to relate fights to their own lives. I’m sure there are a lot of people that root against Jon Jones because they have a young, cocky co-worker and wish someone would humble him. Fans can become emotionally invested in fighters and the “bad blood” element adds another wrinkle.

We may not agree on whether or not this type of narrative is necessary, but I agree that it should not be disingenuous. In the coming weeks, I’m sure we’ll see Lawal and Jackson posturing and trading insults. Hopefully it’s more than one person yelling, “You’re old!” and the other responding, “You can’t hit hard!” But more than anything, let’s hope it’s real. We may like to be teased, but we don’t need to be insulted.

For complete coverage of Bellator 110, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who also writes for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.