The Corner's Impact

Dr. Margaret Goodman has been the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for the Nevada State Athletic Commission since 2000. For 12 years, she was a ringside physician. In two of those years, she was the chief ringside physician. In the following story, Goodman provides another glimpse into the world of ringside physicians.

These sidebars will run in the next several UFC reports.

In the world of MMA, there isn't a fighter who enters the Octagon who wants the ringside physician to stop his fight, and the same can be said for every fighter's corner. It's the nature of the game for corners to argue and disagree with us, but it's important for us to accept that [they will argue] and not let that alter our decision. Some guys in the corner want to be a real cowboy and let the fight go too long. Thus, during the fight, it's important for us [the ringside physicians] not to listen to their input, but it is important-and extremely valuable-for us to know the corner, so that we know if they are providing an honest assessment of their fighter's condition.

Quote of the Night

 


"The title means a lot, and it has been a dream of mine since I was 12. There are no words to describe what it feels like. I think it's going to take a while for this to sink in, and I plan to hold onto this for a long time." - Sean Sherk, the UFC lightweight champion

By the Minute


5:20     Adjacent to the Octagon, Tim Sylvia poses for pictures with a gorgeous (to put it mildly) blonde.
5:35     A group of fans give Dana White, UFC pres, a standing ovation as he enters the restricted area near the Octagon.
5:51     Looking like a Detroit Tigers starting pitcher, Kurt Pellegrino throws a fastball (his shirt) into the crowd.
6:20     "Protect yourself down there." - referee Steve Mazzagatti to Justin James
6:30     Kalib Starnes enters the Octagon, runs to Yushin Okami and touches gloves.
6:40     "Squeeze, squeeze!" A fan yells to Starnes, who works a guillotine on Yushin Okami.
6:53     Matt Hughes poses with two ring girls (Why do fighters have all the fun?)
7:06     Ring announcer Bruce Buffer greets MMA fighter/announcer Frank Trigg, who is in the audience.
7:17     Wearing a suit and tie, Tito Ortiz grabs a seat.
7:51     Forrest Griffin celebrates Carmelo Marrero's victory.
8:23     The crowd boos when N.Y. Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi is shown on the big screen. He smiles.
9:00     "That's the Kenny I know." - Florian's corner
9:03     Before Round 4 starts, Florian (out of respect) points at Sherk.
9:09     Showing respect and support at the start of Round 5, one of Ken Florian's cornermen gives him a peck on the forehead.
10:45     While in the media room, Anderson Silva and his entourage pose for pictures and sing (if you can call it singing!).

Fundraiser Benefits Bennett's Family


While covering the UFC, most journalists scramble to write their story in between bouts. They utilize the brief time between the fights as an opportunity to tighten up their copy and fill in any blanks. Randy Harris is different.

Harris-the sports director at WTAN, WDCF and WZHR Talking Sports-left his seat after every bout, as he scrambled to the locker room to get a fighter to autograph a piece of equipment or clothing. But these autographed items are not for himself. They are for the Ryan Bennett Memorial Fund.

"Ryan was a good friend of mine," said Harris. "His death hit me hard."

Bennett was an MMA and sports broadcaster and play-by-play anchor and co-founder of MMAWeekly. He died in a single-car automobile crash in May. His wife and four children survived the crash, which occurred in Utah.

Harris began the fundraising shortly after Bennett's death. After the fighters sign the item, Harris auctions them off on eBay. Thus far, he's raised more than $16,000 from a variety of athletes. Among the items he's auctioned include the shirt and beanie Tito Ortiz wore for the Ken Shamrock fight and Chuck Liddell's gloves, for which someone paid $3,500. Among others, Tim Sylvia has vowed to donate some items.

4 W's
Who: Gladiators
What: UFC 64
Where: Las Vegas
When: October 14, 2006
Attendance: 10,700

In Quotes


Following are some quotes from the post-fight press conference.

"I am disappointed in my performance, but I will be back and better for it. He [Sean Sherk] is a phenomenal fighter." - Kenny Florian

"A lot of people underestimated him, but I trained hard for this fight hard because I knew it would be difficult." - Sean Sherk, UFC lightweight champion

"I am now going to go back to Brazil and see where I can improve. Who would I like to fight next? A clone of myself." - UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva

"Yeah, my vision was blurred, but I prepared for this stuff and expected to get cut ... though not that early or that bad. The cut and blood did not affect me that much. Mentally, not at all." - Sherk

"Your [Sherk] blood tastes delicious." - Florian

"I am not better than him. It was just my night tonight." - Silva

"Kenny put up a good fight. He hung in there and had blood in his eyes, but Sherk proved he has the best takedowns in the business." - Mike Swick, UFC middleweight contender

"I felt poised and felt good, man. For me, it's relentless pursuit." - Clay Guida

"I want Silva. I come from a muay Thai background, and I'd be aggressive and fast and that would make for an exciting fight." - Swick, talking about a possible bout with Silva

"Does my hair get in the way? It's just like tying shoes. I don't even think about it." - Guida

A Moment With the Prez

Following are some comments from UFC president Dana White.

"We had a changing of the guard. Anderson Silva is the new middleweight champion. He destroyed our champion, and he was impressive."

"Wait until you see our plans for the next five years. It's good s***."

"It's [boxing match with Tito Ortiz] pretty stupid, but I can't back out now. We have an agreement, and I am going to honor it."

"How old am I? 37. I didn't think it was old either, until I got back in the gym."

"We are taking over the world. We are coming."

"I think I'm going to start answering like him." - White, laughing, in reference to Anderson Silva's succinct answers during the post-fight press conference

"The athletic commission appoints the refs and judges, but everyone yells at me when stuff goes wrong. But it's not me [who appoints them]." - White, laughing

Injury Report

Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, provided the following injury report.

Sean Sherk: "Sean needed stitches for a cut on his head. The cut occurred where the scalp meets his forehead. He's suspended from fighting until November 14, and he can do no sparring or contact drills until November 5.

"When the physicians checked his cut in the second round, our concern was with the volume of blood loss. Because of the location of the cut, we were not concerned with Sean at all. The cut was not near his eye, which, in some cases, can cause a loss of vision. The only question was he bleeding too much. As it turns out, the blood loss was not a concern, so we let him continue."

Rich Franklin: "If he wants to fight before April 2007, he will have to be cleared by an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist). He needs this time to let his nose heal. To my knowledge, this was the only issue of concern, and it was a big concern. But he did not have a concussion."

Jon Fitch: "He suffered a nasal fracture and cannot fight until April 9, unless he is cleared by an ENT before."

Kalib Starnes: "He was knocked out in the third round, so he had a CAT scan to rule out any facial fractures. We are still waiting for the results (October 18). We also ordered an X-ray of his right arm. At the minimum, his suspension will last until November 29, but we'll see what the CAT scan reveals. If there are any fractures, he'll be suspended until April."