WMMA Discussion Thread

Sunkist1207 · July 7, 2015, 6:31pm

Shayna Baszlers new blog

What a perfect time for a blog.”

I have heard this more and more frequently as the days get closer to the Four Horsewomen conquering the summer. And it’s ticking down to the wire. So, after many, many updates and revisions (I’ve been sitting on this one for awhile now), here it is.

My subject matter is all pretty similar: MY FRIENDSHIPS ARE NOT UP FOR PUBLIC DEBATE.

This is something that bothers me so much about MMA fans. Of course, Ronda Rousey is the champ. Of course, she’s undefeated. She is responsible for putting women in the sport of MMA on the most visible platform available. But to suggest that she should “drop” any of us because we suffer a loss or a setback of any kind… well, that just shows what shitty friends you people are.

Let me put that in terms you can understand. It’s pretty shitty that you would stop being friends with someone just because their performance review at whatever desk job you guys work together wasn’t quite as good as yours. You treat your friendships like you treat being a “fan” of a fighter. All in when they win, and jump off the bandwagon as soon as they’re down. Be certain of this: none of the four of us are bandwagon friends. The Four Horsewomen group, it’s about friendship. Loyalty. Ride or die. It’s not about anyone’s job, the UFC or title belts.

Which is another thing — to say that we can’t call ourselves the Four Horsewomen until we all have UFC titles is a little asinine, as there is only one title belt in the UFC. You guys know that, right? None of us are making 115 pounds anytime soon, so… yeah. One. The Four Horsewomen is a team based on friendship. But if you guys want to go that route, I will put the four of us and our accomplishments and records up against any other four girls active and training together in MMA today. But to say that the successes and everything any of us have done, and the titles (that all of us have) are meaningless is horribly shortsighted and only shows that your knowledge of MMA lives and dies with the UFC. There is life before, after and even outside of the UFC. Let me repeat that: There is life before, after and outside of the UFC.

I was fighting before the UFC was mainstream, even for the men. I was on TV before Ronda even crossed over from pwning bitches in judo to MMA. And I will keep fighting. Wherever there are bodies to smash, I will be there. It’s not about the letters behind it.

This week, I will be at Invicta Fighting Championships to watch my friend and teammate Marina Shafir, the “Supernova from Moldova,” wreck shop. Then, I will fly to Vancouver to scope out what bodies I can smash at ECCW, some of the best pro wrestling in the area and help my buddy, Kenny Lush. I will be in Chicago to support my friend Jessamyn Duke as she shows what “gun control” really is (I’m pretty proud of that one, that is some good stuff right there!!). And I will be smiling with bloodthirsty glee, fours held high, as Ronda makes Bethe Correia contemplate whether she ever wants to get back in the cage ever again.

This summer, all four of us will risk injury and put our bodies on the line, and we’ll do it with a smile. All so that for 15 minutes or so, you people can forget that you have a shitty job that you hate, that you have to return to the following Monday. We do that so that you can suspend that reality and, for a second, imagine that you are us, or our opponents. So that you can scream your fool heads off, for or against, it doesn’t matter. But we love it. Cheer for us. Cheer against us. Love us. Hate us. None of that matters. Come watch. Appreciate. Critique (however unjustified). Tell us how if we had only spend those 15 seconds’ worth of having fun at the end of a three-hour practice for Instagram, training instead, things would be so different. Do it! Talk. Blow up social media. But keep in mind: MY FRIENDSHIPS ARE NOT UP FOR PUBLIC DEBATE.

But then, my pro-wrestling fans know this stuff. But I digress… ;)

http://combatpress.com/2015/07/through-thick-and-thin-the-four-horsewomen-stand-tall/

FOX_Force_Five · July 7, 2015, 6:32pm

Love those Invicta pictures Sunkist.

Thanks for posting.

Chromium · July 7, 2015, 6:35pm

Sunkist1207 -
Invicta Media Day

Marina Shafir and Shayna Bazsler- Is Shayna back in Invicta?

Shayna is almost certainly cornering Shafir. She also served as a Guest Analyst at Invicta 11 or 10.

That being said, she'd be a welcome addition to their roster at either BW or FLW.

Sunkist1207 · July 7, 2015, 7:04pm

FOX Force Five and Chromium, Thank you-

GOAT Mega Megu and Ayaka Hamasaki

commonsense517 · July 7, 2015, 8:21pm

Sunkist1207 -

Invicta Media Day

Marina Shafir and Shayna Bazsler- Is Shayna back in Invicta?

Amy Montenegro

Amber Leibrock

I believe Shayna is working a pro wrestling match. Phone Post 3.0

Sunkist1207 · July 7, 2015, 8:46pm

Commonsense517,

Yes, Shayna will be working a Pro Wrestling event in Canada on the 11th

Faith van Duin

Irene Aldana

Pannie Kianzard

Ray_Elbe · July 8, 2015, 3:09am

Karnak any idea what cyborg Carano views were?

...1million buys easy Phone Post 3.0

FOX_Force_Five · July 8, 2015, 5:48am

I don't remember it being a PPV Ray, but yes the viewing figures were pretty amazing.

yabadaba · July 8, 2015, 6:51am

'So tell me, how in gods name is a commercial flop like Cyborg, going to take a 600k plus PPV draw Rousey, towards the 1M bracket, and in to the ludicrous 2M PPV range?'

I think it was Dana White who said that - not Sunkist. Cyborg's drawing power on her own certainly isn't on the same level as Ronda or Gina's. But Cyborg was Gina's biggest fight and I think it' pretty clear she would also be Ronda's biggest fight.

As for why Cyborg is paid so much my guess is at least in part it's because Gina is still out there. If Gina came back Bellator could create a women's 145 lbs division to rival the UFC's 135 lbs division.

Sunkist1207 · July 8, 2015, 9:16am

Karnak - Sunkist1207

Seriously.... you seen the latest piece of nonsense her and her team just put out? Yeah, to continue picking up her crazy Zuffa checks, she's playing everybody for chumps here, but leveraging her dubious past, and living off the hate the MMA bubble have for Rousey can only last so long. Tick.... Tock...

In the end though, Lorenzo had to finish a deal, that Dana on his own will be proven absolutely correct to not want to believe in. And come the end of this highly unusual contract, Dana will be saying I told you so, as the MMA bubble moan even more about their warrior of hate, not receiving even more special treatment, to get a one off contest that only benefits the amateurish antics of her, the cuddly underdog, to UFC's big bad Rousey lol.

Of course Rousey's potential drawing power is still unknown, but based on the reaction to UFC 184, it's a damn sight better than any other fighter in all of MMA right now too. So tell me, how in gods name is a commercial flop like Cyborg, going to take a 600k plus PPV draw Rousey, towards the 1M bracket, and in to the ludicrous 2M PPV range?

It no longer effects the UFC to listen to the idiotic whining of the MMA bubble, saying it will no longer watch Rousey, if it doesn't feature Cyborg; and with Rousey likely featuring on another 1M buy PPV card, and one day soon even headlining a 1M buy PPV card, I don't see how a mainstream flop like Cyborg will ever help Rousey double that in the near future.

You think Rousey's going to put her brand next to Cyborg, in a media driven world tour event? Or how about we see Cyborg on The VIEW or Conan lol. Or is this expected that Ronda do all the work, while Zuffa take on the task of making the mainstream believe a catchweight fight with Cyborg anything but a freakshow...? Please, enough with the bullshit already lol.

Karnak

I appreciate that you are a Ronda fan but with respect, your arguement is baseless because the fact still remains, Cris is signed to Zuffa. If she didnt have any value to them, Lorenzo wouldnt have pursued her to negotiate a contract knowing the risks and the fact that Cris may never fight at 135. Cyborg vs Rousey is the fight everyone wants to see, if you dont see how that will be a big PPV draw, I dont know what to tell you. No offense to anyone but I hope Chad beats Connor on Sat then with respect, the only big fight to make will be Cris vs Ronda Champ vs Champ at the end of the year.

Herica Tiburcio

Sunkist1207 · July 8, 2015, 1:58pm

Alexa Grasso is in Las Vegas to support her team mate

Sunkist1207 · July 8, 2015, 2:07pm

Jessamyn and Shaya talk about a street fight they were involved in

Duke then saw the woman walking around from the driver’s side door around the back of the car carrying a short baseball bat in her hand. “I had this moment where I’m like, ‘is she just going to threaten with this? Is she going to try to scare everyone?’ and I’m assessing that she has this and I don’t say anything,” Duke said. Then she saw the woman raise the bat straight at the back of Baszler’s head. Baszler had her back to the woman, so Duke reached up and wrapped her arm around Baszler’s head, like she was cradling it.

“I thought it was the guy grabbing my head to pull me down and knee me. In the scuffle, I thought that’s what was happening,” Baszler said. (Oddly enough, this street battle took place not long after Duke broke her hand—so she was shielding Baszler’s head with a broken hand.) Then, instead of hitting Baszler on the head, the woman cracked her across the lower back a few times. “I thought she was punching me, to be honest with you,” Baszler said.

Duke reacted fast with a head shuck by, and as soon as she cleared her teammate, the woman hit her on the head with a baseball bat. “I got hit so hard that I remember my head turning and looking at the buildings across the street and just looking at them … I got hit so hard by that, and I shook it off, and I tried to turn back and look at her and I got hit again in the head. I didn’t fall down, I didn’t go down, but I remember I looked around the parking lot and now I was out in the middle of the street like a good 10 feet away [from where I was], so I think I staggered and got over there before I got my wits back about me,” Duke said. “I saw Jess get cracked in the head with a metal baseball bat about three or four times,” Baszler said. Duke remembered getting hit in the arm, shoulder, and ribs as well—at least 10 times in all.