Liddell in next season of "Dancing With The Stars"

[mgoblue]

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/161...0817/mya.jhtml

Just saw this today...wow, how far MMA has come! Will be interesting to see how nimble he is for dancing.

[DJ]

He probably won't be as bad as some people may think. As a kickboxer, you're taught to be pretty light on your feet.

I hope one of the judges not named Carrie Ann insults Liddell and he KO's them with a looping right hand

[Wet Bandit]

I think this is awesome. It's a great way to break down those misconceptions that fighters are just big oafs who want to smash things. Chuck's a quiet, humble guy, so it'll be nice for him to represent MMA to millions of people who have probably had little to no exposure to the sport.

The one small negative is his look kinda feeds into the stereotype, with the mohawk, goatee, and tattoo on his head. But that might just throw people for more of a loop when they see how classy of a guy is.

And he's got a solid chance to stick around for a little bit. Dana's said that Chuck loves dancing, and anyone that good at striking has good balance and footwork.

[mgoblue]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wet Bandit

I think this is awesome. It's a great way to break down those misconceptions that fighters are just big oafs who want to smash things. Chuck's a quiet, humble guy, so it'll be nice for him to represent MMA to millions of people who have probably had little to no exposure to the sport. The one small negative is his look kinda feeds into the stereotype, with the mohawk, goatee, and tattoo on his head. But that might just throw people for more of a loop when they see how classy of a guy is. And he's got a solid chance to stick around for a little bit. Dana's said that Chuck loves dancing, and anyone that good at striking has good balance and footwork.

That's my thought as well. MMA's all ready really mainstream, but this will only help get more casual people who still think it's an "eye gouging bloodsport" to see the human side of the fighters.

Your negative is somewhat valid, I see your point. Say they could get Kenny Florian or something, he's a bit more clean cut, but Chuck will do fine.

[allBthere]

Quote: Originally Posted by mgoblue

That's my thought as well. MMA's all ready really mainstream, but this will only help get more casual people who still think it's an "eye gouging bloodsport" to see the human side of the fighters. Your negative is somewhat valid, I see your point. Say they could get Kenny Florian or something, he's a bit more clean cut, but Chuck will do fine.

most fighters aren't clean cut though - they're rougher looking or more extreme. That's perfectly fine imo - you're doing something more extreme than filing tps reports. Look at the tattoo explosion in basketball as well.

mma is already an unstoppable force...so i don't care what the average person thinks. We don't need everyone to look at a pro fighter and think 'what a great example'. And just like any other job, there are a bunch of morons in mma to so...let's get over the inferiority complex.

[Wet Bandit]

Quote: Originally Posted by mgoblue

That's my thought as well. MMA's all ready really mainstream, but this will only help get more casual people who still think it's an "eye gouging bloodsport" to see the human side of the fighters. Your negative is somewhat valid, I see your point. Say they could get Kenny Florian or something, he's a bit more clean cut, but Chuck will do fine.

Couture nearly went on the show a couple years ago. He would have been absolutely perfect. Doesn't look like a stereotypical fighter, nice, humble, former Army guy. Like I said, absolutely perfect.

Chuck's good, though. He won't make as good of a first impression, but he'll do just as well making a lasting impression, and that's what we want.

[Wet Bandit]

Quote: Originally Posted by allBthere

We don't need everyone to look at a pro fighter and think 'what a great example'.

No, but we need as many people as possible to know that there are some great people that are fighters. That's the whole idea of fighting these misconceptions. There's a lot of people out there who have these stereotypes in mind when they think of fighters. And no, we don't need them to think every fighter is a great person, that there isn't a moron in the bunch. But we do need them to think that at least some of them are good guys, that some of them are capable role models for their kids, etc.

You can pretend that the average person doesn't matter, but it's absolutely foolish. The reason MMA has only very recently really gotten any sort of mainstream coverage is because the misconceptions surrounding fighters are starting to come down. ESPN would be all over MMA if they didn't think they'd get a bit of a backlash from average people for covering such a "barbaric" sport.

So the sooner we can educate those average people, the better. We don't need to turn them into MMA fans, we just have to show them enough to let them know the fighters aren't convicted felons, the fights aren't bloodbaths designed to satisfy male bloodlust, show them enough just so that they get out of the sport's way. And if some of those average people become fans, all the better.

[mgoblue]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wet Bandit

No, but we need as many people as possible to know that there are some great people that are fighters. That's the whole idea of fighting these misconceptions. There's a lot of people out there who have these stereotypes in mind when they think of fighters. And no, we don't need them to think every fighter is a great person, that there isn't a moron in the bunch. But we do need them to think that at least some of them are good guys, that some of them are capable role models for their kids, etc. You can pretend that the average person doesn't matter, but it's absolutely foolish. The reason MMA has only very recently really gotten any sort of mainstream coverage is because the misconceptions surrounding fighters are starting to come down. ESPN would be all over MMA if they didn't think they'd get a bit of a backlash from average people for covering such a "barbaric" sport. So the sooner we can educate those average people, the better. We don't need to turn them into MMA fans, we just have to show them enough to let them know the fighters aren't convicted felons, the fights aren't bloodbaths designed to satisfy male bloodlust, show them enough just so that they get out of the sport's way. And if some of those average people become fans, all the better.

Nothing against Kimbo Slice, but that's what the non-MMA fan thinks of when they hear "UFC" or "MMA". They think of some dude brawling on the streets and ending up in a cage fighting...

Hopefully they go into their backgrounds. Chuck has a collegiate degree (a ton of fighters do, actually), but I think facts like that would surprise a lot of people who don't really think about it.