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Suspend Frank Shamrock?
By Zach Arnold | June 23, 2007
On Thursday, Armando Garcia was quoted by Dave Meltzer as doing the following at the StrikeForce fighter weigh-ins and rules meeting:
Armando Garcia was very careful in explaining what wouldn’t be allowed, including swearing, lewd gestures, antagonizing T-shirts and hats, face paint in the ring (not a problem here since Warpath isn’t on the show), carrying an opponent and entertaining the crowd or anything that isn’t a 100% in earnest effort to win at all times.
Well, last night’s fight between Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni at HP Pavilion was a good fight. It was also a fight that featured Frank Shamrock taunting his opponent, including putting his hands together and motioning that he was going to put Baroni to sleep before hitting him with a 1-2 combination that sent Baroni to the canvas. Other periods (time marks) of taunting or ‘entertaining the crowd’ from Mr. Shamrock include — 1:19 left in round one, talking from the bottom position as the end of round one finished, 4:33 left in round two, and at 2:38 left in round two.
Mr. Garcia has suspended fighters in the past for questionable tactics in the ring. He has been vocal about fighters fighting to win and not to entertain.
So, will Mr. Garcia remain consistent in his behavioral policy and suspend Frank Shamrock for taunting? After all, the commissioner has an opening to do so with relatively little backlash after it was announced that Frank Shamrock tore his ACL and MCL a week before the fight. Those are injuries that could take over a year to recover from. Therefore, the commissioner can remain consistent in his behavioral policy while Shamrock stays on the sidelines due to injury and serves out any suspension handed down.
We fully expect and the general public fully expects that the CSAC will continue their consistency in enforcing their policies. Certainly the commissioner will live up to his high standards and remain consistent in suspending any and all fighters who violate such a code of conduct, including high-profile superstars.
All eyes are watching on Monday’s meeting at 400 R Street at the Sacramento River Room (1st floor) in Sacramento. Meeting agenda.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 18 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
I doubt it. But who knows what can happen when you’re dealing with the “Alberto Gonzales of MMA” Armando Garcia.
It would make the CSAC look like even more of joke, but they’ll do it.
After watching the fight last night, I came away with the impression that Shamrock will be facing a suspension.
He really shamed himself and MMA with his display last night. In-ring taunting and smack talk, rabbit punches, and kicking Baroni’s unconcious body off of him. very lame.
Armando Garcia is my most hated person involved in MMA right now. That’s saying a lot.
No antagonizing t-shirts.
Like “Gay Mezger is my bitch”. Tito Ortiz-you are out!
No carrying an opponent.
Masa Funaki- 6 month suspension. Kazushi Sakuraba- indefinite(pro wrestling connection)
Anything that isn’t a 100% in earnest effort to win at all times.
Genki Sudo- forget it. Armando Garcia isn’t feeling you.
Who cares? The only thing that needed to be penalized in the fight were the 2 illegal blows, and Mazzagati rightfully took a point from Shamrock for that. The taunting is not a big deal, and frankly, is entertaining to the crowd. I think we need to stop being Puritannical about some of these things. That was a great fight last night! There’s no need for a post-fight CSAC controversy.
Wow, suspension for taunting, it’s almost like the college football of professional fighting. IMO, you know what will stop something like this from happening in MMA, my guess would be for the other fighter to knock his opponent out mid-taunt. Not creating a stupid rule to make the fighter forget that he’s there to entertain the audience too :).
I think he should be punished by having to endure the stench of Andy Wang’s side mouth spittle.
“Garcia has suspended fighters in the past for questionable tactics ”
Who, Brian Ebersole? Who else?
Fighters should be able to market themselves, even negatively. Prince Hamed put butts in seats with people who wanted to see him win as much as those who wanted to see him lose. If Frank wants to come off as a heel that should be is right not just because of freedom of expression but also because its part of his job description.
I think that pushing for a suspension is the wrong move here. At least one based on the taunting. It would not accomplish anything significant.
I thought the way Shamrock kicked Baroni off after winning the fight was cheap. As well as the blows to the back of the head. If anything those things should be looked at before the taunts. They were harmless and entertaining.
“Garcia has suspended fighters in the past for questionable tactics ”
It’s wasn’t a questionable tactic, Garcia doesn’t know what a Cartwheel guard pass is. He suspended Ebersole because he thought that using the Cartwheel was evidence that the fight was a work.
And honestly that ONE piece of negligence is enough for me to want Garcia out of there. And yes, not having enough sense/experience to understand that a Cartwheel guard pass is a legitimate MMA move is negligence. And don’t get me started on how stupid it was when Garcia suspended Thompson for wearing a t-shirt.
And of course there’s the rumor he didn’t allow Gabe Ruediger to fight after watching an episode of TUF.
What Shamcork did doesn’t automatically fit the description of what was outlawed. A very vital point is that he DID follow up the sleep-motion by actually atacking – it did not come across as stalling.
Also, von Flue did the same on the undercard, and neither Shamrock or JvF copied Thomson or Ebersole’s actions of the past. What to look for here is not if Shamrock gets suspended or not(there is no past incident to compare it to), but if there is consistency in either suspending both F.S. and J.vF; or letting both go without punishment.
On another EXC note… It was another very good show(clearly the best of the June-bunch and then some), but having watched it I sit here with the same icky feeling I had after EXC Destiny – where the sport I usually love has just come off as perhaps a little too edgy and raw for my liking. It’s partially Shamrock and partially something I just can’t quite put my finger on.
Now that Frank is out for a LONG time, you have to wonder if EXC are gonna go harder after Lesnar. They’re building a solid stable, but just ran out of main eventers for a while. When Frankie comes back though…. Between Renzo II, Le and possibly Baroni II he’s set for the rest of his contract/career.
If the rules are, as relatively wide in interpretation, as mezger’s article seems to suggest to me, then I think garcis may be vulnerable to various types of questions (on mon) about the application of these rules to last night’s event. Hopefully, this will lead to either a clarification of what specific actions constitute taunting/entertaining or a revocation of this rule entirely (heck, he may have his role as executive director “revoked” depending on what the board decides during the closed session portion of the hearing)
Zach,
Let me get this out of the way first. Great website, and I for one really appreciate the effort you put into condensing worldwide news sources into an easily digestible chunk.
That said, I’m really disapointed by this piece. Unless the whole thing was ‘tongue-in-cheek’, and I missed the sarcasm (in which case, my bad), it sounds as if you’re rooting for Shamrock to get suspended. The CSAC dictates are JUNK. Shamrock v Baroni was an honest-to-goodness battle between 2 aging, yet honest fighters. They left it all out there. It was awesome to watch, and a little humbling to see afterwards just how much that cost them (physically).
Certainly puts all those TUF “dude, I’m a warrior, look at me” pony’s in their place.
On a side note, considering that the Governator is himself familiar with how some physical sports get trampled upon by ignorant authoritarians with an agenda – any chance of some MMA journo’s getting together and submitting a detailed dossier to his office, on the CSAC’s gross misconduct? You never know …..
Oh, I’m pretty sure that Zach was busting out strong with the sarcasm there, 🙂
I think Zach was trying to cast a light on the power-trip the CSAC has been on….