vitor visited randy at the hotel after their fight and said "I don't feel like I deserve this. I don't feel like I'm winning," to which randy said "It's all part of the game,Anything can happen. Best of luck."
everyone agrees it was a freak accident and both vitor and randy have showed what a class act they are lets just look forward to a rematch rather than bitch about it on here
I've heard a lot of people claiming this should be a no contest, and for both fighters' sake I wish it could be. But Randy was cut by a punch, the glove is part of the hand, it counts as a landed shot on the judges' scorecard, and there is no question that it's a TKO stoppage. If you don't understand that, you don't understand the rules.
It wasn't a "good" win, but it was a "legitmate" win. One factor that no fighter can ever escape completely is the element of luck, both good and bad. Vitor is the champ now, plain and simple. However, given the fact that Randy lost on a fluke injury (the punch itself missed; it looked like the wrist of the glove cut him to me), I'm sure a rematch won't be tough to put together.
Vitor and Randy have both been really classy about it. The rematch will indeed ROCK!
The glove wouldn't have cut him if Belfort wasn't trying to punch him. I think everyone needs to watch the clip again, and realize the seam was not the only thing that touched Couture's eye. It was a grazing punch, which unfortunately did a specific amount of damage.
Scenario: The ref starts the fight, fighters exchange punches, one fighter sustains a cut, ref stops the fight so doctor can check cut, doctor stops the fight = Belfort wins. What the f*#k is this non-fight s@t?
LOL at minolover. Get over it, Randy has and its his eye. Do you know what actually makes a win or loss legitimate? The fucking RULES. The fight is defined BY THE RULES, so the rules DEFINE whether something is wrong or right in the octagon. If you know a guy out with an illegal blow, you knocked him out but you didn't win CAUSE IT WAS OUTSIDE THE RULES. If you win by freak occurence within the rules its a legitimate win. NOBODY wanted the fight to go that way, not UFC, not Vitor, not Randy. BUT IT DID. Reality can be a pain in the ass, but we all have to grow up and accept it.
"angelo dundee cut ali's glove against henry cooper to cut him. that is ILLEGAL."
um, that is not true and didn't happen. Ali cut Cooper and then later got knocked down. Dundee cut Ali's glove to buy time for Ali to recover while they looked for a new one. They couldn't find one, and the fight was stopped on the cut, but it was a cut that was already there before the glove was cut
Forgot to add, these two are probably the most humble, classy guys in fighting. Props to both, and looking forward to rematch. Oh yeah, bhamill is most correct.
Good post, rules are rules.
The win was a let down to fans, it didn't awnser much about who was better, but was legit none the less. I think we will see a rematch I just hope it is as soon as possible.
belfort is a cool guy..these two really respect each other. cant wait for the rematch.
Thats nice and all but post'er, were you there at Randy's hotel room?
I know this has been posted ad nauseum, but...
GO TIME is an idiot!!!
If it were Randy who cut Vitor half the people here bitching wouldnt say anything.
Also, if they ruled it a no-contest....Mandalay Bay would have lost a lot of money they took in from bets on the fight.
Let's all show the same kinda class Couture and Belfort showed.
They should take this as a sign to design better
gloves
""You threw a legal punch and it cut him." "
EXACTLY, if anything this fight should have been ruled a TKO by Vitor.
@bhamill:
Then how do rules change and improve? Rules are in perpetual change to gradually suit the activity in its desired form.
By pointing out when the rules are counter productive you infer said changes.
He is saying what he thinks the rules SHOULD dictate in that situation. An injury sustained by the opponents faulty equipment should not spell victory for the opponent.
Vitor knows this and Randy knows this. However, currently this is to the letter of the rules. But it does not need to be like that five years from now.
You can't use the rules as its own justification. Rules can be challenged. Of course braking them is not the way.
@ you other guys:
Vitor does have a dilemma.
Vitor is by definition the new champion, and should accept the role and not be "half a champion", "conditional champion", "paragraph jockey champion" or something. He is: The Champion, and has a responsibility of not diminishing its credibility. He should act the part. Randy has, as the class act character he is, no intention of making a public display of it. He also has a role. And Randy shouldn't be the one to challenge the rules' as it would seem like he is trying to debate the belt back.
I think Vitor in addition to accepting the belt would like to tell people to keep in mind the circumstances, but it's difficult to do that in a way that does not ridicule or hurt the credibility of Zuffa (having it's champion saying to not take them seriously).
The organization would not appreciate its champion questioning them by saying that he don't really want the belt. I think we all remember the ruckus of the interrim titles.
In the short term, let's wait for a rematch.
In the long term, let's hope for a rules' change. And someone other than the two fighters involved should be lobbying for it.
That would have been great if Vitor went to visit Randy and he was wearing his new belt.
Hab = dong. Vitor's equipment wasn't "faulty". That throws your whole bogus rant out the window. And I can't stress how much people need to watch the clip, the seem is not the only thing that hits Couture's eye.
Why do you say it is "bogus rant"? Apart from the "faulty" being an inherent weakness in the equipment. I have only seen the handycam clip.
As far as I am concerned, this changes things if the equipment was issued by the host of the event. The community response remains just as justified. Note that I did not argue to make it a No-Contest. I said that the rules would gradually be changed to fit the activitity in its desired form. Thus it is in order to question and challenge rules.
However, the rule to be changed seems to me now to be regarding general equipment technicalities rather than a flaw on either contestant individual equipment as that was not the case here.
The conclusion AFAIK remains that it was the equipment that cut Randy. Equipment causing show stoppers like that should not be allowed. Again: this is a natural development of the sport. Episodes will cause reactions will help the sport evolve to how it is supposed to be.
So a community reaction is in order and in the long term helpful.