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Fox Sports: "Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces."

« | Home | »

Ben Saunders and Mike Swick have a war of words online

By Zach Arnold | November 24, 2009

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I guess there’s interest in the two having a re-match.

Ben Saunders:

I used to be a Swick fan and respect him, but I feel I got to experience part of the underground rumors as for how AKA tends to be a bit arrogant. KOS was nice to me at the fights for UFC 106. So I got no problems with him, Fitch never did nothing, so no problems. I didn’t even say what’s up to Bob at UFC 106 fights cause the post ufc 99 remarks. Dave Camerillo actualy said what’s up and was nice, even though he was in the mix of things after my fight with Swick. But I was respectful back. I mean I can’t say it’s real serious or anything now. I don’t lose sleep or anything, I don’t hate any of them. It’s just not how I am, and I feel treat people the way you want to be treated. If you want to be disrespectful then I won’t respect you is all. Now Swick is saying it’s not true. But I know what I heard, maybe you guys didn’t think I would hear it, or feel bad about it now. Maybe it was just over excited post fight comments, so small and insignificant to you that you don’t remember. But I wouldn’t make it up. I am not really even to mad anymore, but I do remember how pissed I was and agitated after that fight because of it. Before that incident even happened all I kept thinking were the positives of my situation and try to not get worked up over it. It really got to me after they did that and it lit a fire in me that lasted a few weeks. Including me picturing Swicks face before and during the Marcus Davis fight. I am dissapointed with my fight with Swick and would love a rematch. But I am not trying to Hype a rematch. And didn’t expect to do a call out for one and get it. Just expressed my interest in it when asked if i would like one, and know it will happen sometime even if not as soon as I would like. There is a lot of good match ups for me in the WW division. I’m here to fight anyone.

It was just Swick and his cornermen at UFC 99 that did it. So I am not saying the whole team or school or anything about that. I am just saying i have heard stories around and I felt I experienced a bit of it first hand. Trying to emphasize that they felt I got “Knocked Out’ as opposed to being “TKO’ed” and then laughing about it is pretty lame. So Strong words or not, its how I feel.

Mike Swick in reply:

Dude don’t put words in my mouth. I came in your locker after the fight and hung out with you for 30 minutes watching the rest of the fights. I wasn’t even hanging out with my team. I had a lot of respect for you before this fight and after. I was just talking about you during my UFC party the other night saying how cool you are and how much potential you have. I didn’t hear anyone of my team say anything about you getting knocked the &*%$ out and if I did they know it would piss me off people off because I don’t disrespect people. I have been a martial artist since I was 8 and believe in respect and honor. You can talk to any former opponent I have ever had and none will tell you I was disrespectful before or after the fight.

If your just trying to hype a rematch then just ask for one. If the UFC wants to do it I will sign. You don’t have to try and make me look disrespectful on the internet.

Mike Swick now:

Saunders, what you are saying about our post fight is 100% inaccurate. I was totally cool to you and still think your a really cool dude.

No one from my Team disrespected you in anyway and would never say what you thought they said. 100% respect from me bro.

Really Saunders? Just read your interview. Your gonna try and make me look disrespectful then say you were injured for our fight?

If you want a rematch just ask the UFC. If they want to do it I will sign that contract ASAP…

While you are reading those two go at it with each other, I have an article that you can read here talking about UFC dealing with overexposure problems right now.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

13 Responses to “Ben Saunders and Mike Swick have a war of words online”

  1. klown says:

    No pointless rematches, please!

    I’d prefer Swick vs Davis and Saunders vs Kampmann.

  2. jr says:

    These guys need to take it old school and feud on livejournal

  3. 45 Huddle says:

    Swick vs. Saunders 2 would be pointless right now. Perhaps in a year if the bad blood continues, but they basically just fought….

    As for the UFC’s overexposure….

    1) A lot of people who follow the sport online get burnt out because they follow it everyday. Most casual fans watch it one to three time a month. It’s really hard to get burnt out like that. It’s actually much less of a schedule for fans then most sports. Even Football has people doing that fantasy stuff all week long so it is a constant 20 weeks straight….

    2) I wouldn’t mind seeing a small cooling off. Even with a small decrease, there is enough of a fanbase now established that the sport can thrive for years to come.

    3) Dana White needs to give up more control. Being a good manager (or in his case president) is never about doing as much of the grunt work as possible. It’s about getting the right people in the right jobs and stearing the ship properly. This is where White’s lack of real business background hurts him. Obviously White would still be busy, but his micro-managing (as Zach puts it), is not healthly for Dana White or the UFC in the long run.

    “There will always be injuries in the fight game. There will always be political battles between management and talent. However, the easiest way to minimize this problem is by not running as many shows.”

    They could run 100 shows a year, and it has nothing to do with it. It’s the way they are handling their talent and the gyms. From the information that is out there, it appears that the company is way too centralized.

    Take a typical insurance company business model. They hire people on local levels to bring in the business. Only the larger accounts make their way to the main office. That office can still assist these local offices when they need it.

    That is what the UFC needs. They need 1 guy to handle the Northeast gyms and contracts, 1 guy to handle the CA market, etc. Only when larger contracts or problems arise should guys like White and Silva be involved.

    Dana White & Joe Silva should be handling the PPV cards. The fact that White is even at Fight Night cards doing so much grunt work is proof that he isn’t running things as smoothly as possible….

  4. Shane says:

    In a thread about overexposure on f4wonline.com’s message board, German announcer for the UFC Oliver Copp has some alarming things to say, if true:

    “There’s currently a lot going on behind the scenes regarding this matter and it may lead to the departure of one of UFC’s biggest stars of the boom era.

    You’re running too many shows when you are running your fighters ragged.

    One major star flat-out refused to fight in Australia because he’s feeling burnout and wants to take a year off.

    One UFC legend blames having had to fight so often and take fights when he really shouldn’t have taken them for having shaved years off of his physical peak.

    Another name fighter blames UFC’s ever-increasing schedule for his marriage failing because he was never home and did one training camp after the other.

    And one of UFC’s core officials told me last Saturday that the only reason why cards are this fucked up right now is because they don’t have enough stars to fill the cards as is and every injury means that they either need to rush somebody back into competition or justify a subpar main event. This official calls Dana’s plans to expand even more “insane” and has indicated he’ll walk away if this trend continues.

    Next card most likely getting fucked over? Australia. Wanderlei Silva allegedly has been taken off the card to fight Michael Bisping, most likely on the Superbowl show.”
    http://forum.f4wonline.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=1713710#1713710

  5. Zack says:

    Weird triangle mixup with Saunder/Swick. Swick decisions Davis in a lackluster fight. Swick blasts Saunders. Then Saunders blasts Davis who if nothing else has been extremely durable. I wouldn’t mind a rematch as long as its not a semi main on a PPV. Neither guy is close to the title and I thought Swick/Saunders was going to be a lot more competitive.

  6. Ivan Trembow says:

    Speaking of Swick vs. Saunders, it’s time for another edition of “Great Moments in Athletic Commissions.” Saunders has written about the fact that he suffered a bad rib injury just prior to leaving for the Germany event on which he fought Swick. But this eluded the detection of the “UFC State Athletic Commission” and he fought anyway.

  7. 45 Huddle says:

    “Another name fighter blames UFC’s ever-increasing schedule for his marriage failing because he was never home and did one training camp after the other.”

    That’s like a baseball player blaming the sport he chose on wrecking his marriage. Fighters know what the profession is about. To blame it on their failed marriage is refusing to take blame themselves.

    With that said…. Why is there a Superbowl show AND a Australia show 3 weeks apart, both on PPV? There is no point to that. There needs to be 12 PPV’s a month. And they need the WEC guys in there to remove some of the stress. It seems like fighters are competing either once every 12 weeks or once every 6 months. There is no consistency….

  8. Fluyid says:

    “There needs to be 12 PPV’s a month.”

    Wow, 45 Huddle has really lost it this time. I guess I’m starting to believe that he’s insane.

    Joking.

  9. 45 Huddle says:

    You don’t want to spend $540 a month for MMA. Hahaha

  10. Steve4192 says:

    “You’re running too many shows when you are running your fighters ragged.”

    Huh?

    I don’t get this at all.

    I can totally understand the fans side of too many shows resulting in lackluster cards. But since when are the fighters getting run ragged?

    Most UFC champs only fight twice a year, and none of the established guys (other than Koscheck) fight more than three times a year. Contrast that with the kind of schedules guys like Wand and Cro Cop used to keep in Japan.

    Most of the fighter complaints I have heard are about not getting enough work, not getting too much work. Who are these guys who are getting run ragged and having years shaved off their prime by the UFC running too many shows?

    That report sounds pretty bogus to me.

  11. Fluyid says:

    “Most of the fighter complaints I have heard are about not getting enough work, not getting too much work.”

    Agreed.

    Take a middle-of-the-road guy like, say, Cole Miller. He’s under contract with Zuffa and therefore can’t fight anywhere else. How many times will he be used per year? Will it be enough to allow him to be a full-time fighter?

  12. rainrider says:

    OMG Baby Mike’s just being too nice and gentle.

    He should tell Sanders to fuck off if he did not say anything.

    Overdefending your innoncence does not look too professional. Just like Leben once said in TUF show, “we’re here because we’re fighters, not because we are nice guys.”

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