Twitter Mailbag: Fowlkes on Silva's arrest, Eye's deception, UFC's new bonus system

This week’s Twitter Mailbag digs into Thiago Silva’s arrest and release from the UFC, the bizarre story of Jessica Eye’s adventure with “cannabinoids,” and the UFC’s brand new fight-night bonus structure.

Somewhere in there I’ll also find time to drop some medical knowledge, courtesy of an actual doctor, and ponder the legacy of one Richard Jay Franklin II. As always, you can direct your own question to @BenFowlkesMMA on Twitter.

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@benfowlkesMMA UFC's new bonuses, what's really goin on? Is it more of an incentive for fighters to go out there and throw dem bungalows?

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Kevin Thang (@Skip2MyJays) February 12, 2014

Theories abound on the reason for the UFC’s change in fight-night bonus structure. Some say it’s the UFC’s way of covering its hind parts in case the “Knockout of the Night” bonus ever becomes a feature in a class-action lawsuit about brain damage. Others say the UFC simply wants more flexibility in who it rewards and why, so it doesn’t have to cut a check for some barely functional guillotine choke on an otherwise submission-less card. The really generous sorts will even tell you that this is the UFC’s way of making sure that all the potential bonus money makes its way to the fighters, as if there was previously some rule in place that said the UFC absolutely had to pocket the KO bonus if no one lost consciousness (nevermind that one time where it did withhold to check even after Frank Mir knocked out Mirko Filipovic).

Personally, I’m inclined to wait and see how this new bonus system works in practice before I make up my mind about it. Will “Performance of the Night” end up as another way to reward finishes? Will it shift the bonus money entirely to the main-card fighters since theoretically their fights are against tougher opponents, thus making their performances more meaningful? We don’t know yet. Thing is, neither do the fighters, and maybe that’s part of the point. When you don’t know which dance will bring the rain, you might be more inclined to try absolutely any and everything.

@benfowlkesMMA If the UFC went to Bellator formats, which division would have the most fun 8 man tournament?

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GGooglyBoogly (@ggooglyboogly) February 12, 2014

Probably lightweight, though welterweight wouldn’t be bad either.

Still, just imagine a 155-pound tournament that pits Josh Thomson, T.J. Grant, Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gilbert Melendez, Rustam Khabilov and Edson Barboza against one another, all with the promise of a crack at champion Anthony Pettis for the winner. Then imagine how quickly it would be ravaged by injuries, forcing alternates like Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson into the picture. Actually? That still sounds pretty fun. Too bad it won’t happen.

@benfowlkesMMA eye situation was kind of a mess.isn't this what we've been asking for.no suspension for weed?Will other states fall in line?

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joe mosqueda (@joedaddy85) February 12, 2014

Yes, the Jessica Eye situation in Texas was a mess, but a totally avoidable mess. If everyone – both the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and Eye herself – had come out at the very beginning and explained that Eye tested positive for “cannabinoids,” for which she would be fined and placed on probation, though not actively suspended unless she failed follow-up tests, I think a lot of us would have applauded the move.

Marijuana is not a performance-enhancer. Yes, it has plenty of excellent medicinal qualities (while you’re using it – not weeks later), and plenty of jiu-jitsu enthusiasts also happen to be pot enthusiasts, but it’s still a relatively harmless, mostly recreational drug. Even the old “it’s illegal because it’s illegal” argument is falling apart now that some states have decriminalized it. It’s silly to even test fighters for it, though it’s also silly for fighters who know they’re going to be tested to get caught for it.

That’s why the punishment for Eye was actually just about perfect. Taking away her win might be a bit much (does anyone think a few puffs of cannabinoids altered the outcome?), but the fine and the “fully probated suspension” seem like just the right degree of slap on the wrist. Naughty Jessica. Don’t do it again.

Where both Eye and the TDLR screwed up was in the public response. They both treated it like a shameful secret they wanted to bury, which only made it look so much worse once the facts inevitably came to light. Eye could have emerged as a semi-sympathetic character here. Instead she went all-in on the denial, trying to discredit some journalists while openly lying to others. And when the jig was finally up, what did she do? She posted a tepid apology on Instagram. Because nothing says sincere remorse quite like a picture of a statement.

Like you said, Joe Daddy, a mess. But it didn’t have to be. Hopefully other states – and other fighters – will learn from it.

@benfowlkesMMA rather random: If Anderson Silva keeps a metal piece in his bone, could this be somewhat of an advantage in future fights?

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  (@KingVinovu) February 12, 2014

While it would be terrifying to think of Anderson Silva transforming himself into some sort of metal-plated cyborg, MMAjunkie’s resident medical expert Dr. Johnny Benjamin assures me it’s not something we need to worry about.

“Nope, not at all,” Dr. Benjamin wrote in an email response to your question. “The metal rod is on the inside of the bone where the marrow lives. When he kicks an opponent, it’s still bone making contact, not the rod.”

Did anyone else just read the phrase “bone making contact” and have an awful flashback to the last Chris Weidman fight? I really wish there was a way to un-see that.

@benfowlkesMMA regarding the chemical arms race. Doesn't banning peds only change focus from finding best drugs to least detectable ones?

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  (@teamgDp) February 13, 2014

That’s a good point (for those unaware, @teamgDp is referencing this column), though you could argue that that arms race has been going on since the dawn of the performance-enhancing-drug era. Dopers are always trying to beat regulators, who are typically a step or two behind. That’s the nature of this beast. But if we remove that concern and let PED users engage in an open race to out-dope each other, a certain level of doping becomes the price of admission. Anyone who wants to engage in the sport on a professional level would have to use drugs. And those of us who watch it? We’d have to find a way to live with the knowledge that while PEDs might make humans better at dishing out brutal punishment, they don’t do much to improve the brain’s ability to withstand it.

@benfowlkesMMA Should the UFC have cut Silva before he was convicted? Or were they in line saying good-bye without proof? #TMB

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Bill Lavoy (@RumpoPlays) February 12, 2014

I guess it depends why the UFC cut Thiago Silva as soon as news of arrest got out. Is it because the mere accusation of drug-fueled violence against women is seen as damning enough to warrant a guilty-until-proven-innocent approach? Is it because the UFC knew Silva well enough to believe he probably really did everything he is accused of? Is it because the potential PR backlash is severe enough that it wanted to put as much distance between itself and Silva as possible, and right away?

I don’t know. I can see why it wouldn’t want to seem like it’s standing behind someone who might have committed those crimes, but it does seem like a very different approach than the one the UFC adopted with regards to other fighters like Jeremy Stephens and Quinton Jackson. It also seems like if it had been Jon Jones or Ronda Rousey accused of the same crime, the UFC might not have been so quick to cut first and ask questions later. Then again, it’s hard to imagine Jones or Rousey ever being accused of something as heinous as the allegations against Silva. With Silva, it’s not so difficult a leap, which might help explain the UFC’s response.

@benfowlkesMMA now that it's been gone for over 2 years, are you starting to miss the UFC's "gladiator" intro like I am? #tmb

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Nate Pagano (@NateP825) February 12, 2014

This is one of those TMB questions that is best answered with the magic of GIF:

@benfowlkesMMA How can a fighter negotiate a contract knowing DW will pick up a megaphone whilst adding a twist to it #tmb

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Chris C (@christopher_kit) February 13, 2014

I wondered the same thing after Tuesday night’s episode of “UFC Tonight.” It must be nice for a promoter to have his own TV show. Contract negotiation problems? Fighters not accepting the bouts you want them to? Just go on TV and put their business in the streets. Only, you know, with your own particular slant.

I don’t think I’d care for that if I were a fighter (or, for that matter, a manager). But then what are you going to do? The UFC is the biggest game in town, which is why it sounds more like a threat than an invitation when UFC president Dana White tells Gilbert Melendez to “start looking elsewhere.”

@benfowlkesMMA TMB: What will Rich Franklin's legacy be? Former champ, good guy, quiet ending though. One of the best? Forgotten hero?

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Brent (@_quikfingers_) February 12, 2014

I’ve wondered this myself, so much so that when I interviewed Rich Franklin this past May, I had to ask what he thought his legacy would be. His answer:

I think I’ll be remembered as a talented fighter who put on good fights. Realistically, I don’t really care. And I mean that in a good way. Fans formulate their opinions of you, and you don’t really have any control over what their opinions are. I mean, I’d love to be remembered as the best guy who ever walked into the cage, but that’s not going to happen. I was beat twice by the same guy for my title, and I was never able to recapture it.

When I pointed out that the “same guy” he was referring to might very well be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, which should probably take some of the sting out of losing to him twice, Franklin replied, “Yeah, that’s better than being beaten twice by some guy who was just a half-ass fighter. There’s some consolation in that. I guess there is.”

While I don’t disagree that “talented fighter who put on good fights” will likely be the headline on Franklin’s career, I also don’t think that it’s such a bad way to go out. I can understand why he might not be entirely satisfied with it. He was shooting for the top, and he landed somewhere below that. It must feel like a failure on some level. But I think the rest of us are willing to cut him more slack than that. He wasn’t the best, but he was a humble, sincere, genuinely good-hearted guy who made the most of what he had to work with. I don’t think any human being should be disappointed with a legacy like that.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Follow him on Twitter at @BenFowlkesMMA. Twitter Mailbag appears every Thursday on MMAjunkie.