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Miletich, Gracie, White
Can We Label Them Geniuses? |
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Written by Doug Jeffrey |
 Left to right, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes and Dana White.
I heard an interesting conversation about this on ESPN Radio one morning. Their conversation got me wondering if there are any geniuses in MMA. It only took about 10 seconds to come up with several candidates.
First up is Pat Miletich. Just look at the success he's had throughout the years. And how about all the guys he trains? To name a few, there's Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia. These guys are either champions or were previously champions. Give the fighters credit for getting out there and getting the job done, but give him credit for his role.
Rorion Gracie is next. Everything this guy does seems to flat out work. To begin, he came to America and taught BJJ in a park and out of his garage. Now he's got one of the nicest, biggest and most successful academies in the States. Rorion, who has a law degree, also helped create the UFC. And on top of everything else, he's got his act together as a father. All you have to do is hang around with him and his kids [at a tournament], and you'll see that he's got them on the fast track to success.
You can't leave Dana White off this list. The UFC is pulling in huge PPV numbers, "The Ultimate Fighter" is going strong, the event is big and getting bigger and they've got a weekly magazine show planned. Dana White is like a baseball slugger who studies the opposing pitcher's tendencies so well that he hits a homerun every time up to the plate. Does the 37-year-old UFC prez ever make a wrong decision? The UFC is hot, and no one can deny that. In fact, the UFC is like a meteorite streaking through the heavens. It's traveling at some obscene speed, it's blazing hot and it seemingly will go on forever.
Luck Is Not An Issue
Can we officially label these guys geniuses? I don't know. However, there's no question they're intelligent, diligent, dedicated and passionate. When everything they do seems to work, how do you label them? It's certainly not luck.
... On A Separate Topic
Finally, I have to acknowledge Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz. In October, as you know, Shammy and Ortiz fought for the third time. Sure, Ortiz knocked out Shamrock, but they were both winners because they put their feud behind them.
Give both of these fighters tons of credit for the sportsmanship they showed at the end of the fight, but give Shammy extra credit because he's the one who approached "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" to put the animosity in the past. They both showed unequivocal, irrefutable class.
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