couture and..."the strap"

[zhorner]

how do you all feel about couture pimping fizogen's crap supplements...especially "the strap"

[THT]

I think it shows a swing in the right direction. Not that we should represent crap products, but the growing acceptance and popularity of mma. If no one gave a rats ass about the sport they wouldn't want to have our athletes as spokespeople. It's worked for Xience. That stuff was brand new and now it's everywhere. I also think it's good because it will make a career in mma more lucrative, thereby attracting more and more athletes to pursue it instead of go with things that may pay better.

[Penance]

Unfortunately, for me, what made MMA and the old-school UFC enjoyable was the fact that people were doing it because they loved it.

They were doing it for its own sake, not because they could make thousands of dollars helping to sell some bullshit spam product. In my opinion, if someone doesn't compete in MMA because they don't think it pays enough, then MMA is better off without them.

Do you really think the guys promoting Xience actually take it? It's funny, in my opinion, because the corporations are taking the images of these great fighters and using them to sell a bullshit supplement to people that want to be like those fighters. Take all the god damn Xience you want, you're never going to beat anyone in UFC/Pride/K1 because of it.

What would I do in their position? No idea. Obviously people want to get paid as much money as possible for doing what they want with their lives. At the same time, I wouldn't feel right taking money to promote BS products. Can you picture a UFC fighter in a McDonalds ad? "When I feel like losing my next match...I eat a nice greasy #3 meal...mm mmmmm mmmm!!"

[THT]

I'm sure that this sport will never in our lifetimes pay enough for people to not love it and still do it. Even with pro football or something along those lines that pays great, I'm sure just about everyone doing it loves doing it. If you don't love it, you'll never make it through the amatuer comps, the days and years of practicing and getting your ass kicked for free, and everything else that it takes to achieve greatness in any sport.

As far as the supplement endorsements etc... of course they probably don't take them. Randy was the man before that stuff and Chuck was knockin' fools out before xience was a glimmer in some marketing guys eyes. Same with bodybuilders. Do you think every mom on t.v. selling dishsoap always uses that brand? They just need to put a face with the product that people can identify with, and the mixed martial artist is a newer type of athlete that had never been marketed to specificaly before.

People start out in any sport just for the sake of wanting to so it. Now it may be because they admire someone else who does it, but they do it because they want to. The reason I think that the endorsment deals etc. are good things is because I love these sports. It shows growth and a forward direction for mma. Because I love them I'm happy that they can be shared with the world. I like being able to catch some mma on t.v. for free (though obviously not the caliber of a pride ppv). I like the fact that I can run into new fans while I'm out and talk with them about the sport, and help to educate them on it's history and stars of the past. While it may be cool or seem more tough and hardass to have it all underground and outside of the public view, I like for other people to be able to share and enjoy things that I appreciate. Granted, too much marketing and hype can eventually ruin anything, but I hope that we (older fans mostly, and hopefully new ones) are too smart to let that happen. And if it does, and it blows up and then dies, I know I'll still be right there, back on the internet forums, getting old videos at the store, and enjoying it just as much as I did before everyone knew about it.