Weird social network beef of the week

MMA fighters talking trash on the social network is a great way to put butts in seats, but sometimes the phenomenon takes off in odd directions, like UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes vs. Invicta FC flyweight Pearl Gonzalez. It began when Blaydes complained about female fighters getting opportunities for their sex appeal, not their talent.

"I’m a girl dad so lemme make this clear I’m not against female athletes getting publicity and media push and love from fans when it’s deserved and earned thru legitimate hard work and grinding," wrote Blaydes on Facebook. "My issue is why do so many female athletes complain and gripe about being overly sexualized by fans/media but then at the same time many of them are profiting off said sexualization thru media endorsements, high profile placement on fight cards, and overall popularity which leads to many other financial opportunities.

"I don’t hate hustling either like if that’s how a female wants to pay her bills thru her body which is what many strippers do and I have no problem with either hustle but you can’t live life that way and expect to garner the same type of respect and love that real grinders get. You can’t have your cake and your ice cream pick one, either you’re gonna hustle and make money off your athletic achievements and skill set or you’re gonna hustle and sell bikini pics and forfeit that respect hard work and sweat brings....this is an open table discussion just wanna hear y’all’s honest opinions."

Blaydes included screenshots from other messages he had written on the topic.

“So you telling me Paige Vanzant and Rachel Osto-whatever actually deserve time remain on the UFC’s roster for their ‘athletic achievements’ and their not just on cards for their sex appeal? Cause if I’m wrong about that then I guess the whole premise of my original statement is wrong and I apologize but if you’re a legit fan of MMA you couldn’t possibly believe the two females I mentioned are on the roster for anything other than the fact the look good in bikinis.”

"Pearl she’s another one who’s not a very good fighter but stays relevant cause she’s constantly posting bikini training pics, her skills are exactly what they were 5 years ago a brawler with terrible footwork and decent grappling. Too many females in the athletic industry are getting by on being sexy not actually being good at their craft.”

Gonzales, a fellow Chicagoan, was not impressed.

“A fighter complaining how my looks keep me relevant and that my skills haven’t improved," she tweeted. "The fact you are today years old and still can’t speak a full sentence blows my mind.”

Glades then cried foul.

"I’ve got a SPEECH IMPEDIMENT that’s why my sentences don’t sound as clear as normal ppls," he tweeted. "What’s your excuse for your lack of growth in MMA?"

Gonzales remained unimpressed.

"This is exactly an excuse! I’m a convicted felon and have read more books than you have w ur degree," she tweeted. "I put in work every single day in EVERY area of my life including my sport. I am 100% perisistant and consistent in my growth. You’re opinion is irrelevant, stop hating BRUH!"

“To be 100% honest I wasn’t talking about his speech impediment. I was talking about the stupid topics he chooses to speak on. We have such a huge platform & to choose to tear down women is so sad.”

“We’re both from Chicago… a city full of violence.. somewhere we need to uplift.. I used to shout this man out for being from the same city as me. I used to be a fan. Why not reach out & try to help women instead of criticizing?”

“You didn’t just shame me... you shamed all women.”

This kind of makes me miss Matt Lindland making fun of Phil Baroni for his choice of shorts.

h/t MMA Junkie

Not a fan AT ALL of Curtis, but he makes a fair point. 

Only counter I have is the chick divisions are pretty weak so Paige and Rachel are pretty good for chicks.

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He is saying the truth. He will be buried by apologists though.

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I think Paiges performances have been shadowed by a ton of injuries and half nude indstagram posts. She has some nasty finishes. Her first fight in the UFC was a bloodbath and she has a jumping switch kick KO on her resume. 

That being said I don't disagree with the losing respect part. 

I think there are very good people on both sides of this argument...

Blaydes has a legitimate point about the skill level of some of the women who are kept around for their "marketabilty", while more deserving fighters aren't getting their shot. On the flip side, fighters are paid such shit money that I dont knock them for taking advantage of any angle they can. It's not a lot different than creating hype and talking your way into a fight you don't deserve with trash talk when there are more deserving fighters out there.

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When you reach that point in your fight career that getting breast implants seems like a solid career move…

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If we're being honest, he's not wrong. 

Most of these girls wouldn't be long for MMA if there was more talent in the divisions, and the only reason some of them sdr even there is because they're less worse than the next.   If WMMA accelerates in terms of skill and athleticism, someone like Bethe Correia,  who is an active, ranked UFC fighter probably wouldn't even make it out of the amateur circuit, but right now, your top fighters like Nunes and Shevchenko, are still the exception, not the norm.

At the end of the day, you can't hate the hustle.   Unless you're one of Dana's chosen ones, you're left to fend for yourself, so if you choose to pursue other means of getting yourself out there, I'd say it's a smart thing to do.

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Thats a pretty decent dialogue as Twitter beefs go

He states facts about about some of the wmma fighters and ends it with his first argument, and all she does is insult his grammar and spew verbal diarrhea, Blaydes shouldn’t waste his time with this 

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Haha! He is right but picked a losing battle here. 

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I don't know if people remember or not but GSP claimed he lifted weights purely for physical appearance because it helped his marketability and made him $$ and it did not make him a better fighter. He profited quite a bit off his look. Luke rockhold is out there profiting off his body. Probably other examples out there. Sexyama was gifted huge fights and main card slots that his appearance helped him get. 

I don't think this is purely a problem with women's sports. 

Actually personally I don't think it's a problem at all, I'm totally cool with it for both genders. I do like Blaydes but think in this case he should just shut up. 

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Jayn200 -

I don't know if people remember or not but GSP claimed he lifted weights purely for physical appearance because it helped his marketability and made him $$ and it did not make him a better fighter. He profited quite a bit off his look. Luke rockhold is out there profiting off his body. Probably other examples out there. Sexyama was gifted huge fights and main card slots that his appearance helped him get. 

I don't think this is purely a problem with women's sports. 

Actually personally I don't think it's a problem at all, I'm totally cool with it for both genders. I do like Blaydes but think in this case he should just shut up. 

Seriously... Perhaps if Blaydes didn't look like a fuckin transient who overeats at the soup kitchens, he would feel differently. 

The Vulture could never understand the thoughts of the Peacock.

He’s right, yo. But he isn’t saying anything that everyone didn’t already know. Then again, fighting for 10-20k twice a year or making more money off Instagram/Snapchat/ onlyFans/ etc.? They aren’t exactly incentivized to do anything different. 

Yet again, two fighters desperately in the need of the UG Social Media Rapid Response Team. First of all give Blades major props for actually engaging in a debate and not just telling Gonzales to bite his nutz. You know and I know that is usually the standard social media response.

2nd, both of these fighters need to realize that on the social media battlefield, it's not about who's right or who's wrong, IT'S ABOUT WHO CAN GET IN THE BEST ZINGER!!

All Blades had to do is tell Gonzales, 'excuse me pumpkin, but I was actually referring to attractive women.'

Also 100% agree with this post:

I don't know if people remember or not but GSP claimed he lifted weights purely for physical appearance because it helped his marketability and made him $$ and it did not make him a better fighter. He profited quite a bit off his look. Luke rockhold is out there profiting off his body. Probably other examples out there. Sexyama was gifted huge fights and main card slots that his appearance helped him get. 

I don't think this is purely a problem with women's sports. 

Actually personally I don't think it's a problem at all, I'm totally cool with it for both genders. I do like Blaydes but think in this case he should just shut up. 

bbomber -

I think there are very good people on both sides of this argument...

Blaydes has a legitimate point about the skill level of some of the women who are kept around for their "marketabilty", while more deserving fighters aren't getting their shot. On the flip side, fighters are paid such shit money that I dont knock them for taking advantage of any angle they can. It's not a lot different than creating hype and talking your way into a fight you don't deserve with trash talk when there are more deserving fighters out there.

Let’s be real, even if Paige was getting Conor money when he fought Floyd she would still be as strong if not stronger with her social media presence. Let’s not pretend the UFC’s pay has anything to do with social whoring.

Jayn200 -

I don't know if people remember or not but GSP claimed he lifted weights purely for physical appearance because it helped his marketability and made him $$ and it did not make him a better fighter. He profited quite a bit off his look. Luke rockhold is out there profiting off his body. Probably other examples out there. Sexyama was gifted huge fights and main card slots that his appearance helped him get. 

I don't think this is purely a problem with women's sports. 

Actually personally I don't think it's a problem at all, I'm totally cool with it for both genders. I do like Blaydes but think in this case he should just shut up. 

Fair point, but that guy also happened to be one of the best of all time. None of the chicks he mentioned have better skills than looks. 

GSP skills are a 9.5, his body was probably 8.75

They're both from the same area. I wonder if this was just regular beef amongst people who know each other and are comfortable arguing instead of random internet drama.

GSP is one of the goats of mma and Luke rockhold was a champion, the point was about some women getting pushed bc of there looks even if they lose a bunch or barely fight and there technique sucks

Gsp and rockhold don’t make sense to bring up bcs they fought and won against the best, bcs GSP admitted that doesn’t make it fit the situation at all 

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I don’t know if there are any male fighters with a low number of fights, poor technique, and 50/50 or worse record co maining UFCs and getting a push bcs of their Instagram account, definitely not rockhold or GSP, whoever agreed with that nonsense  

The issue isn't that Rockhold doesn't profit off his looks and women do, it's that women profit a LOT MORE with a lot less skill, and seem to be kept around in the organization and the rankings based largely on how marketable their bodies are. I don't totally hold it against these ladies - I follow Ostovich on IG and I never complain when I see a picture of PVZ - but some of these women seem to "do" MMA because it increases their sex appeal and keeps them interesting, not because they're particularly devoted to the craft. Someone like Schevchenko and Ostovich aren't in the same league.

If I were a serious martial artist and I had to share the stage with unserious, narcissistic amateurs I'd probably be annoyed too. Blaydes is not going to come out looking like a winner here, though.

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