Teammate vs. Teammate Fights Will Be Required

[xtremebadass]

UFC president Dana White suggests teammate vs. teammate fights will be required
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 04, 2010 at 11:30 am ET

The days of Ultimate Fighting Championships competitors saying they won't fight their teammates may be over.

Following the recently concluded UFC 111 event, main-card winner Jon Fitch and UFC president Dana White had a brief exchange about the topic in which the promoter chided the welterweight contender for saying he won't fight teammate and fellow title hopeful Josh Koscheck.

After the formal press setting, White made a more definitive statement.

"It's over man," White said. "This whole 'we won't fight each other' thing is over. How long can they go on when they have two of the top guys in the division and they won't fight each other?

"It's crazy, man."

Thus far, White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva largely have been able to avoid teammate-vs.-teammate fights. With each UFC weight class containing approximately 40 to 50 fighters, the UFC brass has suitable options to avoid, for example, matching up an American Top Team fighter with a fellow ATT competitor.

Of course, one division provides the biggest potential problem: welterweights. In fact, it's one camp – the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. – that arguably boasts three of the division's top contender slots in Fitch, Koscheck and fellow AKA fighter Mike Swick.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported soon after UFC 111, White seemed annoyed when Fitch said the only way he'd fight Koscheck is "behind closed doors" at AKA.

"Yeah, that'll make a lot of money," White sarcastically said.

Fans seem split on the issue. Many takes White's stance that "MMA isn't a team sport" and that individuals should be ready to fight any other individual. Others, though, argue that MMA is a team sport for all but the few minutes of an actual fight; a fight camp puts that team before the individual and allows all to benefit from the all-for-one environment.

However, with the UFC's welterweight division, there could soon come a point in which the only logical matchup to determine a No. 1 contender is Fitch vs. Koscheck (or some variant with Swick, though he's lost his past two fights).

Fitch recently defeated Ben Saunders and has now won four straight since a lone UFC loss to champ Georges St-Pierre. In fact. he's 12-1 in the UFC overall. Koscheck, meanwhile, is slated to fight Paul Daley next month at UFC 113 in a fight that could determine a No. 1 contender. If Koscheck falters, it's hard to imagine him reclaiming top-contender standing without first fighting Fitch.

Fitch and Koscheck previously have stated they'd only consider fighting each other in a rare situation such as a title fight. But, they may have soon have to decide if a No. 1 contender's bout is equally rare.

Then again, if White's edict is to be believed, the decision may not be up to them to make.

I think any fighter who doesn't want to fight their own teammate is a bitch move anyways. How can you call yourself the best if you refuse to fight another fighter? That is just total BS.

 

[J...]

I think any fighter who doesn't want to fight their own teammate is a bitch move anyways. How can you call yourself the best if you refuse to fight another fighter? That is just total BS.

It all comes down to the respect they have for each other. Who wants to beat down someone they train day after day with. Someone who probably gets to the point of pretty much being a brother. If I was in UFC I sure as hell wouldn't want to fight my own team mate.

But Dana knows that people will buy out the ass if fighters start fighting there own team mates. Imagine Lyoto Machida vs. Anderson Silva.

 

[THE Renegade Diesel]

It all comes down to the respect they have for each other. Who wants to beat down someone they train day after day with. Someone who probably gets to the point of pretty much being a brother. If I was in UFC I sure as hell wouldn't want to fight my own team mate.

But Dana knows that people will buy out the ass if fighters start fighting there own team mates. Imagine Lyoto Machida vs. Anderson Silva.

This. It makes it hard for a fighter to go 100% when fighting a teammate imo. But then again, it can add to the intensity. I don't know, this is really a subject that always "depends" on the type of person the fighter is. I bet my ass that some fighters use the "I won't fight my teammate" thing as an excuse to pussy out of fighting someone you fought behind closed doors, and got owned. Then again, some fighter's really do love their teammates, and it's going to be real hard for them to fight, but I bet we're going to get some UFC Buy Rates from them!

 

[J...]

Yea some would use it as an excuse but majority do actually do it out of respect. Like if a fighter like Anderson Silva doesn't want to fight his partner its because he's a man of much respect. So much could go wrong. He fights one of his partners and doesn't go full strength cause he knows how much power he packs and loses, then its just a huge letdown or he does go hard and injures one of his team mates, how the hell is he supposed to feel.

In all honesty the fights would be cool but I hate the idea. I think UFC is a sport where even though its a 1 on 1 fights, just like wrestling you team can make or break you and this could tear apart teams which would sucks. I love seeing teams in UFC.

 

[xtremebadass]

Fighters don't want to fight their teammates because of the respect factor, I get that. However most of their opponents they respect anyways, unless you're in the HW division :shifty:

 

[phantomgerald]

I would understand if #1 contender's and title matches be forced upon teammates. That would make the most sense since Dana can just say if they don't fight each other, they'll never get the title shot. Simple as that really. But if he forced them to fight each other just for ratings, then that's unnecessary.