Props: In The Guard
Quoteworthy:
“I would fight any one of the UFC lightweights, but the problem is that I will never put my foot in the octagon after they (UFC) tried to be funny. I would rather have bleeding hemorrhoids than fight for the UFC. The Japanese MMA audience is the best in the world. They make magic! I would rather have one true Japanese MMA supporter than one million fake mainstream supporters that will turn their back on you as soon as you lose a fight. I don’t care about things that are mainstream.”
Winner of the DREAM 2008 lightweight grand prix and former PRIDE fighter Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen (19-7-1) talks candidly about his love for the UFC and the support of stateside sponsors.
172 Comments »
Had alot of respect for the guy until this…
the only thing wrong with what he said was generalizing ALL ufc fans as being fickle and disloyal. but a quick survey of the blog postings would show that, on the whole, hes right. like ’scott’ and ‘youtapped’ said below, theres truth in his words. anyway, even if a fighter i liked said somethin i disagreed with, i wouldnt lose respect for him (as a fighter)…that seems like something fickle fans would do
Hellboy is absolutely right
Hellboy is an absolute idiot. I’m as loyal and true an MMA fan as any Japanese and don’t appreciate being spat on by this idiot because he didn’t like the deal the UFC offered him.
Ya right – he’s an average fighter that is looking for an organization to support his losses. UFC doesn’t want you so go away. Fagboy.
The UFC sure wanted him when they bought his contract and refused to let him sign elsewhere….
I agree Zeke. I am not really a fan of hansen anyway, but I felt insulted aswell..As much as he is right about Japanese fans being more into MMa, he should not go ahead and insult American fans like that..
I cant wait until Eddie takes that strap from him!
I have a question (honest question-not based in sarcasm). How loyal are these fans if they can’t buy enough tickets or PPVs or whatever to actually support an organization? Granted I do not personally buy PPVs, rather I go to the bars that have the events and pay my $10. That way I can support MMA, Camel, small breweries and hopefully Trojan all in the same night.
funny one win over Gomi and a lucky strike in dream with a reminicent win over the shell version of luiz azeredo and long bout with jason ireland leads him to think he can talk smack about anyone he wants in any org yet he is happy he didnt have to fight his way thru the real tough competition till the very end….truth is the mainstreamers elite xc produces and newer more action orientated fighter are to blame here. as well a hellboys genrerilization of all american MMA Fans.
Where does he say “ALL” American fans, I’m a Huge UFC fan but i see his point, UFC got alot of decent fans but there are also alot of main streamers. some of the things that usually piss me off the most with UFC bouts is when the crowd start changint “U S A U S A” i understand that they want to support a fighter from their country but cant they even bother to learn his name? and i think the fighter himself would much rather be appriciated for his abilities then for his nationality : /
anyway, hansen is a great fighter and im still waiting for his next match to make up my mind for sure.
If you want to fight the best lightweights in the world, then right now you have to be in the UFC. You have to put personal feelings aside and realize this is a business.
You should change your comment to “If you want to fight the best lightweight in the world then you need to be in the UFC” because as any knowledgeable fan would know the best lightweights actually fight outside of the UFC, but the UFC still has the arguable #1 in Penn. Although Aoki and Gomi are pretty tough.
well some of the best..ufc has 49.99% of them and dream has 49.99 of the rest…now the .02% is somewhere in WVR compiling a list of fighter that he can manipulate to fight him in the final title match.
No. It’s not business for him. It’s the love for the game, and he won’t sell his soul to the UFC just to make money.
He can stay with Dream until they run out of money, since they cant pay all their fighters. Then whats he going to do?
One more guy that just burned his bridge with the UFC. This mofo gets a lucky shot at the title and now all of a sudden hes too good for the UFC? Thats the dam reason most of these guys are in Dream, they wouldnt cut it in the UFC.
Eddie Alvarez AND Joachim Hansen would probably KILL guys like KenFlo and Roger Huerta, no contest
Yo Truth, You say that but, we have seen a lot of guys come to the UFC from other orginizations that were supposedly so great and they get their ass kicked. Aside from Anderson Silva no one else has come in and dominated the UFC fighters.
except quinton rampage, and maybe fedor (not yet been in the UFC but beaten alot of fighters that was in the ufc and did good there)
for the record this shit happened before he won his tittle, when pride got bought up.
can i just ask how is that concerning you? for most fighters it is not about the money. think before you say something.
It doesn’t concern me. Its no secret that Dream is losing money and may go under. What I was more or less saying is what is he gonna do after that? Also, Im more than certain Hansen wouldn’t fight for free.
Monthblanc – Who the hell are you replying to? Use the “Reply here” link when you reply to a post so the rest of us know to whom you are replying.
I have more respect for the guy, because of this. He’s an exciting fighter that was fucked over by the ufc and put into limbo when his pride contract was bought out. Of course he’s going to be pissed
probably the reason why his generalizing got put in limbo in the first place.
He is right about that. The japanese fans have PROVEN that they are the most loyal fans in MMA. I mean just look at all the pride events and compare them to ufc events…fans cheer not mock the fighters the majority of the time unlike here. But w anything, it starts at the top. So monkey see monkey do, look at dana white, if he cant even respect his own fighters, how should we expect to fans to do the same?
Yeah,those loyal Japanese fans… Like the ones that don’t watch MMA unless there are freakshow fights on.
MMA in Japan is dying, Dream is about to go off the air because the ratings are so low and then Hansen will have to go back to getting beat by B-level fighters in Shooto.
The great “Japanese fan” idea is a myth created by internet nerds who hate anything mainstream
The great “japanese fan” idea sure gets a lot of backup from the fighters that have actually fought there. Maybe there is actually something to it.
I think it’s more in the contrast. American fans don’t know about true competition and think of fighters as extensions of action movies. The lack of tournaments and marketing hype machine also biases people to think in fallacies about winning and losing.
Again, watch the pride events and you will know what im talking about…the point of my comment is that japanese fans are more faithful, wether is a freakshow matchup like you say, wrestling, or fedor vs cro cop… they respect the individuals who are in front them entertaining them, and that as an american is something i cannot hate.
Why do alot americans think america is the best thing to happen to the world with anything??? maybe thats is why when i travel to other countries we are still hated as a nation passionately, and that is unfortunate. and so what if MMa in japan is dying like you say? though i disagree with you, the bottom line is japanese fans will more than likely continue to appreciate whatever gets put in front of them…RESPECT is something we can learn a thing or two from the japanese in terms of fans/promoters, so maybe that was JH’s point!
Amen, blah. Amen.
BLAH. if you hate america so much….leave it! go live in one of these countries that you visit and that you PERCIEVE to hate america and are so much more respectful. where have you visited, iraq. ive met people from all around the world from germany to france to mexico to brazil and none of them hated the u.s. they loved it. the japanese are obsessed with american pop-culture and the american way of life so dont try and tell me that they are more loyal or more respectful than anyone else.
Here in the Philippines, we love anythin’ American here. From food, to music, to entertainment[MMA, basketball]. What we do hate are arrogant foreigners who think that their race[be it Germany, Spain, USA, or what not]is superior to ours. That’s bullsh1t! There is no superior race!!Only Hitler believes in that balderdash!!
Same song differet beat. (Set to Bad techno no less)Everybody hates the US, which is obviously why the Indians, Mexicans, Europeans, Africans, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims are migrating to…Venezuela?
That is not the point here at all. The POINT, is that people,and in my opnion, Hansen as well, are suggesting that Americans should have to behave like a completeley different type of person, from a different part of the world, and from vastly different cultures.
The Japanese are a great people, with a great respect for all martial arts. Which by the way, is based in thousands of years of history in the sport and way of life. So thier prespective should be different. Look, It would be stupid and “ignorant” of Americans, or anyone for that matter, to ask Brits to take a more casual and sophisticated approach to a soccer match between Millwall and Southend. Different cultures sometimes have largely different experiences, with the same sport.
So, asking us to support “losers” for the love of the game doesn’t wash with me at all, and at best, sounds like a cop out.
So here’s my simple stereo type “ignorant American” position for all those that hate the good ol’ Red, White, and Blue. I’ll use the old 1st Amendment clause and just root for whoever I want, whenever I want, for any reason I want, and guess what, Someone will figure out how to make money on that very notion. Oh wait, they already have!
I was sad to see Pride go, but if the fans in Japan are really as great as we think they are, they will open up thier wallets (as millions of Americans have)and possibly prevent Dream from suffering the same fate as Pride.
well said again! as far as im concerned, as soon as a person buys a ticket to a sporting event, wether it the ufc, mlb, nba, or the nfl, they have the right to cheer or boo any time they see fit. the mma fans are getting better in the u.s., it seems to me, about what’s actually going on in a mma match once it hits the ground, but we are never going to be perfect, no one is. im sure some of the japanese fans boo or hiss at a baseball game, or a sumo or judo match. imo hansen shouldnt hold it against the american fans about his shortcomings with the ufc, he should hold it against the ufc and the ufc only.
Japanese fans rarely boo and hiss at any event. Stop making assumptions.
LUCKY. enlighten me then.
Nah bro. From reading most of your posts you seem pretty content to keep pretending you know what your talking about.
Yeah, dont even bother. I have read his nonesense comments, and I must say, it is 10th grade minded jibberish. Nothing in her posts are factual, just assumptions and hear say.
Sounds to me like someone needs to grow up.
bw: at what point did i say i hate america? on the contrary, i said it is unfortunate that when i travel to other parts of the world europe especially, south amercia etc we are not that well liked, and im talking from experience…silly goose!
Sure guys, the japanes fans may be great. But there don’t seem to be enough of them that are willng to watch Hansen to keep Dream on TV.
Most Japanese fans would rather watch Freakshows than real fights.
Kimbo Vs. James Thompson is the highest rated fight ever in the US. Looks like that is true of most places.
being on free national t.v. might have been the factor on that one. hell who am i kidding, it was the deciding factor. if elite would have tried and put that show on cable or ppv it would have tanked.
The next show didnt do anything being on free national t.v…. The ratings for the Kimbo fight doubled the ratings from when the card started. You dont think it had anything to do with Kimbo being one of the most known and exposed to the public fighters out there due to youtube huh?
sure it did, but how long do you think thats gonna last. proelite is in dire straights and getting damn close to folding. the ufc is doing better than ever, so i think the americans like their fair share of good contested fights more than they do freakshows. dana has stated several times that the ufc could have went the freakshow route, even during the hard times, but they didnt and look where they’re at now.
The UFC has been building their brand since 1993, Zuffa since 2001. Nowadays the brand name gurantee’s a PPV base of around 300,000 buys for US cards regardless of who is fighting. When you have an established brand you dont need to do desperate things to establish your brand.
And spare me the Dana rhetoric, Dana signed Sean Gannon with virtually no experiance based soley on the popularity he got beating Kimbo on the internet.
the ufc was 40 million in the hole about 5 years ago and didnt sign gannon to a fight until 2005( who did by the way, have 1 pro mma win under his belt at the time) and he wasnt nearly as popular as kimbo. so spare me the going all the way back to 1993 crap. back in those days it was freak show stuff and thats why they failed at 1rst. they dont have to stoop to such desperate measures because they learned from their past mistakes.
Are you actually implying that the Gannon signing had nothing to do with Gannon blowing up in popularity and generating more internet hits then any fighter the UFC had under contract? Its a business, a bottom line $$$ business.
The brand itself is what sells. The brand that the UFC has spent 7 years establishing. Anderson Silva is dominating like its nobody’s business. Yet his PPV’s have drawn among the lowest of any UFC headliner in the last 2 years. Thats why you got the P4P, free t.v. repackaging when the UFC renewed his contract.
To say the freakshow stuff is why the UFC initially failed is pretty short sighted since the UFC struggled well into Zuffa purchasing it. The UFC turned around due to a reality tv show and it being the first exposure to MMA for a lot of pople. Thus, establishing a brand.
The reason the UFC brand does so well is because the vast majority (not all) of the world’s elite fighters are in UFC. If UFC didn’t have enough top-level fighters to consistently put on great cards 15 times a year then I guarantee the UFC brand would not be such a draw.
ZUFFA only struggled in the beginning BECAUSE of its early reputation as mma being a “human cockfight”. zuffa getting states to regulate the sport with standardized rules, weight classes, and smart marketing( zuffa themselves paid spike 10 million of their own money to produce the 1rst season of tuf, now spike pays them hundreds of millions for the RIGHTS to air tuf) thats smart marketing. GANNON was exploding up with popularity? since when? in 2005? maybee to you.
so your saying that its the “vast majority of elite fighters” being in the ufc that enables them to be so successful. your right its the fighters not the brand. any organization with as many elite fighters that they have would be able to succeed, under any banner. you say they would fail if they didnt have so many great fighters, no $hit.
and hansen aint one of them.
b.w. The lengths that your going to pretend that Gannon being signed by the UFC had nothing to do with the Kimbo fight is scary. Guess what? His popularity boomed when he was put on the cover of the Boston Herald and fought Kimbo on an internet match that instantly made him more known over the internet then any fighter under contract to the UFC. You do realize how big Kimbo’s fanbase is (most of which know nothing about MMA) and Gannon’s exposure to that fanbase.
The UFC gambled on the ultimate fighter that turned them into a household brand. I cant tell if we are in agreement there since thats exactly what i’m saying. The rule changes and comisison connections didnt put the UFC anywhere near the level that the reality show did.
PW, thats the point. The UFC has built up a roster and brand over 7 years with practically no competition in North America that made them the undisputed leader in MMA. When the UFC gambled on the reality series that ended up breaking them into the spotlight, they only put on 6 traditional cards
I think having a deep enough roster to put on cards on a monthly basis is more of a factor then having the best fighters in the world since most PPV buys come from casual fans that dont follow the sport enough to know who most of the fighters are. I believe Dana once said that the hardcore fan of the sport accounts for less then 10% of buys. All of us bickering on the internet make up a pretty slim margin of PPV business.
JASON.and you trying to diffuse the issue entirely is what’s laughable. hansen shouldn’t hold it against the american fans about his shortcomings with the ufc, he should hold it against the ufc and the ufc alone. you thinking that the regulation and adding weight classes to the ufc was only a minor part of their success is really selling them short. next youre gonna tell me that everything just fell into thier lap and how lucky they are with this big gamble they made, nothing to do with hard work and being innovative. whats scary is that you know so much about sean gannon. still think we’re in agreement?
PW. my bad, i got your post mixed up with jasons. your’e 100% correct and my bad for being so short.
So I guess you’ve decided to drop your Gannon wasnt signed because he was popular due to Kimbo point with an immature insult.
You’re acting like Dana didnt comment on how they almost sold the UFC (after regulating and implementing wight classes) and that despite regulation the UFC was still struggling. Point I am trying to make is that the UFC became an established brand because of the exposure from the reality show turning them into the brand associated with mma. When did I say that was luck? And how was banking huge amounts of money on a reality show for a sport with no exposure not a gamble?
Not once have I talked about Hansen and American fans, dont diffuse the issue by bringing up something I have never talked about. If it makes it easier for you, research Hansen’s other comments on the situation in which he exclusively talks about Zuffa.
Comment never showed up so i’ll post it again.
I like how you have gone to the UFC didnt sign Gannon due to his popularity to a childish insult. I guess you dropped that point.
An attempt to diffuse the issue is you bringing up Hansen and American fans since I have never commented on that and could care less. You kind of ignore how Dana has commented that they were close to selling the UFC after the regulations and comission connections due to them still struggling. Where did I say the UFC was lucky? And how is commiting large sums of money they didnt have to a reality series involving a sport that hardly anyone knew not a huge gamble?
The reality series was the first exposure to mma for a lot of people and was the brand that became associated to it.
haha he ran off. What a dingle berry..
Dont worry man that guy is always talking smack. He is one of the many trolls around this site.
What a penis!
Fight BJ you pussy, see what happens to you!
Yeah, since fighting BJ is the only way for a fighter to prove his validity. FAILURE. Hellboy is rightm, he was offered 60% less to fight in a promotion he had no desire to be apart of. The Japanese fans being more loyal is a horribly biased comment with little to no substancial evidence to verify. Hansen deserves what he has though, no doubt about it.
Theres some truth to that. One loss seems to be able to take a guy from fan favorite to “overrated can”. It gets kind of silly. To me its hard to believe guys like Overeem dont have more fans (although he has been turning things around). Fast paced exciting and creative fighter… but has never seemed to put a winning streak together and everyone dismisses him.
Rich Franklin losing to A.Silva -> done
Matt Hughes losing to GSP -> done
Diego Sanchez losing to Koscheck/Fitch -> done
C’mon – there is alot of truth in his words. I have never seen less loyalty to a fighter. All of the above are excellent fighters. Even if you don’t like their personality, there is some respect to be given for their past performances.
In Japan you can lose and still be loved and respected by the fans. Its hard to explain to someone who isn’t either from asia or had an martial arts education, but bushido is a little bit more than just a buzzword.
I’m myself am a huge Cro Cop, Babalu, Sakuraba and Kawajiri. They may not win every fight or maybe some are past their prime, but they are amazing fighters nonetheless and gave entertaining performances in the past to deserve some fan loyalty on my part.
Well, your mileage may vary…
“I’m myself am a huge Cro Cop, Babalu, Sakuraba and Kawajiri.”
Put in a “fan” somewhere in that sentence to make sense. I’m not yet a huge Cro Cop.
What makes you think there is less “loyalty” directed to either Franklin or Sanchez?? Sanchez was over-hyped to begin with..yet I still see both of these fighters on the top of main cards all the time still. UFC fans being unloyal is B.S. and Joachim is prolly jaded b/c of his crappy salary offeer from the UFC. The UFC has a problem overhyping their fighters. In turn, guys like Lesnar & Sanchez are expected to over-perform..but I haven’t seen any lack of fan-favoritism. Hughes & Franklin lost their belts and naturally fighters gain a higher fan base with titles.
Franklin’s getting a comeback fight in September, was given a shot against Silva in his own hometown, and got his return match as fast as anyone ever has in UFC history. What do you mean by done–what more should have been done for him?
And by any measure, Hughes is done.
Ive seen fight AND
think he would lose to LW’s BJ, Sherk, Florian, Clay Guida (yes), spencer fisher, frankie Edgar, Tyson griffen, and most top 10 LW’s.
they’re in the UFC. they must be the best, right
well since his comments were towards the UFC and the UFC’s fighters i thought id respond with “UFC” fighter he CAN NOT beat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
UFC offered him a deal and wanted to cut his pay more than 50%.
Hansen has beat Gomi, Aoki, JZ, Uno, Edwards, Sato, and Imanari. not many guys have that rep at LW.
exactly. BJ Penn made his name beating Hughes, Gomi, and Uno. Hellboy already beat 2 of those three. BJ is better imo, but the guy is definitely a top LW
This guy was one of my fav. lightweights but now he just needs to shut up…just because the UFC disrespected him doesnt mean all of the other fans from around the world are morons…he needs to check his shit at the door.
I hate to see you say that, Hansen has said this ONCE. and when asked in later interviews (that i’ve seen) he’s simply said “no comment” or “I would rather talk about whats going on in Dream” he said it one time when pride went down and now you loose respect for him becuse he needs to shut up? I dont know what you do but if your job got bought up and you where offerd a new sallery that was 50% lower then your original one wouldnt you be slightly offended?
^^^
Your delusional.
The guy had to sit out almost a year because the UFC bought his contract and refused to honor it. People are surprised he would be upset about this? It’s not like after he said no thanks to fighting for half of his contracted payout the UFC let him make a living somewhere else.
Its funny how so-called “MMA fans” think thats not a problem, yet if they would be unemployed and someone would prevent them from earning a buck for a year, they would cry out and demand a congressional hearing.
Everything about the UFC sucks, except the fighters themselves.
Hahahaha! RandomTask,it appears you’ve thought this out very thoroughly! Why do you believe everything in the UFC sucks minus the fighters (out of curiosity)?
1. Dana white
2. If you aint in the ufc, your shit ( boll ox )
3. The whole ‘poster boy’ bull shite
4. Dana white
5. …..
6. Dana white
I figured as much
The guys a dick. Sounds like a 2 year old spitting his dummy out and throwing his toys out of his cot!!
BJ would rip him a new arse-hole
he would get whooped, they don’t need him..
Here is your bridge..
And now it is burnt.
He is right
Hemerroids arent in your colon are they? ok dont answer that
I’m pretty sure the UFC will make it without “Hell Boy” fighting for them. Seriously who even cares? Stay in Japan with all your loyal fans because no one besides die hard fans even know who you are in the states.
Too many ignorant american fans out there, right?
I’m pretty sure the comic and movie ‘Hellboy’ is pretty mainstream. so much so that they made a sequel. Tattoos and shaved heads are mainstream too! This kid’s a tool.
sleeves are mainstream?
go to any mma event and try and keep count of the ink you see. as far as mma goes, tats are as mainstream as they come. also, seems to me that ufc/dana bashing is a pretty mainstream ideal these days. i bet this idiot shops at hot topic.
he shaved his head cause he was going bald
In all honesty, I hate most ufc fans too. I loathe the fact that they think the sport is called “ultimate fighting” and think the UFC needs to sign Kimbo so we can see Kimbo vs. Chuck. Sh*t runs right through me.
the backstory is that Hellboy was offered an insulting number by the UFC when they acquired his Pride contract, despite his salary already on paper. basically the UFC creates contracts that allows them to drop a fighter for any reason and f*** them if they don’t agree to arbitrary changes in terms (such as salary). think about that when you hear about fighters wanting to renegotiate a contract they already signed.
they know the stipulations before they sign the contract(if not thats there own stupidity) so if they dont like them dont sign, and dont try and renogiate just cuz you think your better than what you are (see roger huerta). ive said it a thousand times, its a priveldge to be a pro athelete, not a right! the ufc takes care of its fighters, win or lose, as long as they fight hard, put on a good performance,make weight and train hard and if not, then the ufc should cut their a$$. the nfl is the same. only the signing bonuses are guaranteed, after that any team can cut any player for any reason, but normally dont as long as they perform. thats why the nfl is #1 in the u.s. becuase they have a salary cap and avery good payscale set up for players that perform up to their ability. thats all the ufc does. there have been alot of fighters with multiple losses that the ufc hasnt cut (cote,hendo,chuck,leben and franklin to name a few) becuse they alway put on a good show or try at least. guys like lutter,starnes, rudiger where let go cuz they under-performed.the ufc offers the best place for job security and the ability to make a great living as an mma fighter. hansen will find this out within the next year os so.
Thats the point. Hansen already had a contract, one that he knew all the stipulations for. The UFC then bought that contract and refused to honor it, insisting that he would not be allowed to fight anywhere unless he signed a new contract. It’s not like he could say no thanks and sign somewhere else. He didnt agree to the them not honoring the contract they bought and the UFC refused to release him.
well said
then hansen should have brought it to courts instead of holding it against the american fans. them (the ufc) saying that if he signs with them and cant fight for anyone else is in every fighters contract that they sign. sounds like he should have signed the contract if fighting was his 1rst priority, not money or his ego.
Say what? What is Hansen holding against the American fans? He is saying he likes the Japanese audience better. Your hypothetical doesnt make sense, Hansen never signed with them, they bought out his contract yo.
yea me too. I’ve had ppl ask me some pretty crazy shit.
I agree with Dirte, although there are educated fans in the USA, I have to hear endless rants about Liddell and Kimbo whenever I say that I train mma. It gives me the feeling they only watch UFC because it is the flavor of the month. I absolutely hate the term “ultimate fighting”, mma is a sport, the UFC is a promotion.
He would show up and lose in the octagon…He isnt that good…He would get smashed!…End of story period he is just bitter that UFC didnt pick up his contract…If he is sooo good then why isnt he there…Why isnt he fighting top tier light weights and do NOT say the Japanese is TOP of the food chain…If you are sooooooooooooo bad then step up to the plate and sign a two fight deal…Joe Daddy would stop him…And hell I would put Money on Melvin…
they did offer to pick up his contract, only the UFC is looking for fighters like Huerta that they can build up in sub 30k range, and then drop any good fighters who don’t have marketing muscle behind them if they ever lose
Not all of us American fans are mainstream; some of us actually do appreciate the sport and the talent in it – not just the big current names.
Insecure are we?
Yes, because thats what winning a Lightweight Grand Prix makes people usually. Duh ..
Id be inscure after winning a GP . . . And still not be on any top ten lists for my weight class, yea, id be insecure dude. Besides, who was in that weak *ss GP, no BJ, no Gomi, and no Melendez . . . The UFC probably offered him something standard and he thinks hes worth more, its no ones fault but his own that he isnt marketable enough in america to get some sponserships which is where a large percent of a fighters income is from. Sounds like an idiot, not a fighter
right, because you know what guys in the UFC are making
alls i hear is a soar loser. Powr widdle disgruntled Hansen.
Only reason he doesn’t like “mainstream” is because he isn’t mainstream. Just like when people say:
I don’t need money. You say it because you don’t have it.
That Porsche is “alright”. It is just alright because you don’t have one.
That HOT girl isn’t all that. She isn’t all that because you don’t have her and your wife isn’t HOT.
These people are better off just staying quiet.
yeah, he’s just on national tv in japan. mainstream only counts if it’s in the US, right?
He is the one that said mainstream, not me.
But considering he is talking about a US owned company, a company that primarily fights in the US, talking about a US vs Japan audience, and I dont watch Japanese TV, yes mainstream, to me, is US TV. But that is a side note.
Point is, you say you don’t want something when you don’t have it. But when that “something” is made available, they all of a sudden think it is important enough to have.
“Point is, you say you don’t want something when you don’t have it.”
Ok, just for the sake of entertainment: can you tell me what to say when you actually want something? “I want THAT, oh look, I have IT already, thats why I .. erm .. still want IT!?”
Look at me Biatches!
he is right to a certain extent i see alot of fans who like certain fighters till they loose i.e liddell fans fans of tito, matt hughes, karo,(3 dickheads but you all liked em when they were winning), rampage, rich franklin and the best example is chris leben.
however he generalises far too much. not all fans are like that! but to be honest alot of em are. how many people are suddenly bj fans??
i still love watching leben im a fan of that guy win or loose. gotta love rampage. always loved heath herring always will but my favourate fighters are nate “the punk” diaz and clay guida
i see alot of people on this thread gave out about diaz giving the fingers but that just his style man and as for clay guida he is a badass motherfucker.
hellboy paints an image of fans that makes me not so sure about the future of mma!
if all these guys just like winners how will they feel when bj and gsp and others start loosing aswell. will mma survive as a sport?
bj and gsp have lost! twice, and their fanbase only grew larger. if people gave up on chuck or franklin cuz they lost, then they were never realy their fans. HELLBOY IS AN IDIOT. i see all the people that went nuts over dana’s remarks about something non-ufc and they went ape-$hit. what hellbuy said was much more insulting and he is wise and clever! give me a break.
I am very offended by mr hansens comments it just goes to show you how humbleness goes away when by the luck of the draw you win a belt. All of a sudden you deserve the world. It Happened to couture after being retired by chuck he comes back…all of a sudden he is royalty and needs to have 6 million per fight. Roger Huerta has a solid run and he needs to go and talk smack and think he is the top contender. Hansens comments are based on the fear of what happened to gomi when he stepped in a ring stated side could happen to him. Bottomline he is in a good organization for him “Dream” because he is a dreamer.
good comparison. if alvarez wouldnt have been injured and hellboy wasnt given an exhausted aoki, he wouldnt be saying a thing. now that he has a bit of success its all going to his head.
People do realize that he made these same comments while he was sitting on the shelf for 9 months unable to fight because Zuffa wouldnt allow him out of his contract.
no ones replying to what he said then, they are only replying to what he has said recently, the quote that is being posted now. if he is so happy with the way his career is going now, why even worry about the ufc, it sounds like they did him a favor. he sounds just like lindland and barnett, bitching about the ufc, while bodog has never paid lindand for his fight with fedor and barnett claims that pride still owes him money. why make disparriging comments about a company that doesnt even want anything to do with you or owe you anything. they are disgruntled, thats why!
You do realize he responded to a question that he was asked in an interview and gave the same response he has given for over a year now.
Its not like he made some blog bullentin just because.
Lindland was paid for his fight for Fedor…. The problem was that he had more exclusive fights on his contract that werent honored.
yes, i do realize this, but my response is, after a year he should be over it by now,even when asked about it again. it should be all water under the bridge by now. why hold a grudge for that long? why does lindland still harp on the ufc? no, i didnt know that lindland was paid for the fedor fight and his beef was for contracted fights that were not honored. thanks for that info.
Why is relaying what happened to him holding a grudge? He should let it be water under the bridge… for the good of the UFC? If you feel that you got royaly screwed over by somebody, you want him to pretend like nothing happened even when he is directly asked about it?
If you want to understand Lindland’s situation you need to look up the comments that Chuck’s longtime trainer/manager John Hackelman made ripping into Dana on the situation.
after a year has passed and the success he has had in japan, what he is saying IS holding a grudge. if i got screwed over by somebody, but where still a success a year later, i would just let it the fck go. what hansen says or does has no bearing on the ufc at all, good or bad, he doesnt fight for them and probably never will.. as far as lindland is concerened, i know that his mouth is the probably the main reason that he got the boot from the ufc. and the ko to david terrell didnt help either.
he IS holding a grudge. if someone screwed me over and a year later i was a bigger success than what i was before, i would just let it go. as far as it being for the good of the ufc, ha! what he says has no bearing on them, good or bad. he doesnt work for them and probably never will. as far as lindland is concerned, im pretty sure it was his big mouth that got him the boot from the ufc, not to mention the ko lose to david terrell probaly didnt help much either.
not to mention it is hansen himself who is putting down the american fans, not everybody is the same.
You’re pretty determined to hold onto the belief that being put out of unemployment for a year and held prisoner under a contract that is not being honored is nothing to be upset about, and should not be commented about when directly asked about it. I guess we are just going to agree to disagree.
Somehow I think if you were put into a comparable employment situation of a company buying your contract and offering you 50% of your wages and not allowing you to work elsewhere if you wanted, you would be upset.
How exactly does Hansen not have a right to be upset about this?
held prisoner? was a gun being held to his head? he doesnt have to fight for a living. the world needs plenty of ditchdiggers. sounds like that might be his next job.
Yeah, he should have entered another profession despite dedicating his life to training for MMA and having his life financially tied into running a MMA gym that he has sinked all of earnings into, as well as his time.
We went from having an intelligent discussion to you now insulting just insulting Hanson. Awesome.
he insulted me 1rst. so stop being a drama queen. last word.
Its only an insult if your a fake mainstream supporter… Is that what all of this comes from? You connected with an incredibly general statement?
If he is so right about the fanbase, why was dream about to fold until signing with HDnet – unable to get a TV contract anywhere in asia? If he is so right about the Japanese fans, why did dream stage fold? If he is so right why aren’t there more MMA organizations around the globe?
The UFC might be the devil of MMA, but they are the only organization that has been a proven money maker, without one or two key fighters, and the likes of about 30. As far as fans, they are fans, be it for now, or months down the road. I’m a pretty big MMA fan (could ya tell?) but I don’t swing from any fighter’s nuts (unless its Gina Carano’s taters.. then I’d swing.) But Japanese fans are fickled some of the weirdest shit, totally overlooking many facts – look at their fascination with Bob Sapp…
When Hellboy is looking for a job, I somehow doubt he will find one.
Setting aside any discussion about “hellboy’s” individual success and negotations with the UFC. That’s his take and is entitled to it. With that said, my response to the rest of the dribble follows.
Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s set up an alternate universe, where all the fighters that lose still get treated like all the fighters that win. Please, GET OVER IT! I am so sick of hearing about the “purity of the sport” and how the fickle “American fans” are ruining MMA. News flash! Americans have a different take on just about every sport. Soccer fans, sorry, “futbol” fans, hate us due to our lack of refinement and appreciation of thier sport, so what. We like winners and despise cry babys, and what is the freaking deal with all this heartwarming, “fairness”, load of horse pucky.
I don’t care how the Japanese treat their favorite fighters, or their approach to MMA, Cause this isn’t Japan! (no offense). If we want to package MMA in America so that only the “pure” fan is pleased, go ahead and start writing the eulogy.
I’ve spent thousands of dolars on PPV’s over the years. You can call me whatever you want, but in America, that makes me a consumer, which in turn, makes me and others like me, an asset to organizaions like the UFC and hopefully affliction. If my lack of intimate knowledge about an individual, Japanese fighters bowel movements, make me a casual fan? Then so be it.
I want to see great fights, period. Look, I now root for guys that I once hated, simply cause’ of one fight where they really impressed me. fighters I used to love & respect(Tito)have tanked, so I’m a fan no longer.
Bottom line, If guys like “Hellboy” need my love and affection to be succesful, they don’t belong in the UFC, or maybe MMA at all.
well said!
He is right
Right on, Hellboy. Spoken like a true brother of metal!
it’s hard to tell if he’s criticizing stateside fans or just the particular brand of UFC fan that jumped on the wagon a couple years ago at the earliest. either one is a crap generalization, but i’d respect him a lot less for the latter. i think he’s saying the former, though, in which case i can only say that, at times, i’ve agreed with him. there’re so many sea changes in band-wagon fandom amongst UFC many fans that it’s hard to tell when people actually like a fighter. the other sad thing as hat the band-wagon is usually picked, or at least made shiny by the hands of the UFC. when they abandon it, so do the fans.
UFC is not america make the distingtion first. In states there is Elite, affliction and other companies. if UFC did you wrong you will do your best elsewhere and make them regret the decision, but saying things like that is BS the only reason he won the Dream lightweight championship is cause alvarez cold not continue. I really don’t like how Dana is not realy honouring the sport and only make match up that make money. it is a business and nothing wrong with that as long as he states that is business decisions not putting the most deserved fighters up for title shot.
i don’t think he mentioned “america” in a blanket statement.
Americans, get over it. He said “UFC”, not americans in general. All the cowboy-style comments like “WE LIKES TEH WINNARS” are amusing though.
PRIDE is dead! get over that. i see most of the posts that are pro-hansen are’nt really about america and its fans oe even hansen. its abou UFV VS PRIDE. MMACROSSFIRE made a good point on this site that there ARE still fans that do everything they can to make this arguement stay alive. now its the ufc vs dream or ufc vs affliction or elite to keep that crap rolling. pride had some awsome shows and some great fighters come out of their org., but the main reason they folded was because of the japanese fans and their dis-intrest of the sport, not because evil dana took them over. dana did them a favor (not purpousely), cuz they were dead in the water and dse was done. we wouldnt even be having all these great dream gpx tournies if not for the 60-70 mil that sakikarabba jipped zuffa out of. hansen should be joining lindland on the unemployment line before long.
When did Hansen become a little cry baby? Oh well, he’s not even that good anymore and that’s even coming off this win over a Aoki.
WOW!!!!!!!!
How many of you know the in depth details of the offer the UFC gave him? Maybe his “per fight” pay WAS lower, but do you have any idea the kind of money UFC fighters make from sponsors and advertising compared to any other organization? Its rediculous!
As for Ace, Nightmare, and Hughes being done because they lost? Who comes up with this stuff??? Diego was a boring LnP fighter who neer deserved the hype he got to begin with. He was “done” before he started. TUF produced a turd. Sorry. Ace? Im a huge Ace fan and he is FAR from done in the UFC! He has a SUPER FIGHT IMO left in his career and it has NOTHING to do with Silva. Its Dan Henderson. Both have fought at 185 and 205, so it doesnt matter much to me what weight. Id like a catch weight around 195 so both come in without having to cut much. Full speed and full strength. Killer fight IMO!!!
As for Hughes, hes was hated even when he was winnig. He is an elitist prick and most hate him for his attitude, not his loss to GSP. He even said himself he planned to retire. It had nothing to do with losing to GSP, idiot.
I will agree however that Japanese fans are awesome. Doesnt matter if they are there for the freakshows or not. I like staying up til 3 am and watching Dream events just for the fact its refreshing to watch an entire event without seeing fighters be booed! In that regard, Americans are tasteless and classless. I know some fights can get boring at times, but no fighter should be booed after spending 12-16 weeks in a gym preparing themselves to put on a show for a bunch of drunk, booing who have little respect or understanding for the sport………….
“How many of you know the in depth details of the offer the UFC gave him? Maybe his “per fight” pay WAS lower, but do you have any idea the kind of money UFC fighters make from sponsors and advertising compared to any other organization? Its rediculous!”
And you know the in-depth details of sponsorship in the UFC? Riiiight. Last time I checked the UFC was pretty picky what sponsor a fighter is allowed to display and have.
The whole argumentation that they earn alot with sponsorship is so utterly flawed, its hard to write a response to it. Name a single mainstream sport where athletes DEPEND on sponsorship to make a living please!? Oh, you can’t? Exactly my point.
Everyone’s favorite comparison (boxing) comes to mind. Boxers get paid for their fights or get a part of the entrance/PPV or whatever, not a single one of them is acting like a friggin mascot after the fight, trying to get a t-shirt, hat and soft drink in the picture as fast as possible to get a little money.
NASACAR.
whoops. nascar i meant. nascar relies heavily on sponsers. and they might very well be the 2nd biggest sport in the u.s. next to the nfl.
I didn’t even knew the NASA was building cars!?
In all honesty: I had to lookup what nascar is. But I don’t wanna start an argument over that – and if driving in circles can be considered a sport. I’d certainly not try to compare a full-contact-sport to driving yourself dizzy.
if you had to look up what nascar is ( you knew it was about auto racing or you wouldnt have came up with the nasa building cars crack, good try though) then you have no business commenting on “mainstream sports” because obviously you dont know what that term means. im sure youn know what f-1 racing is right. you may not consider them atheletes, but both are considerd a sport.
I deduced from NASACAR -> NASA + CAR, smart, am I not? As for the whether driving a car is a sport or not, thats for others to decide. But I think my comparison between MMA and Boxing is kinda more substantive than MMA and Nascar/F-1, don’t you think?
Nascar is televised on primetime t.v. with the most mainstream sponsors in America. I trust you can tell the difference.
Not to mention that the individual racing teams in Nascar recieve blue chip sponsorship. The blue chip sponsors in the UFC sponser the UFC itself.
Maybe your thinking endorsements, cause nascar team sponsorship doesnt funnel to the drivers the way you think it does.
I come from a sprint car family and have been around racing all my life. Unless your set at the top, chances are your doing something else for money in addition to racing.
Compare the UFC to combat sports.
the man said “name a single mainstream sport where ahteletes depend on sponsership to make a living” so i did it. you know like jeff gordon drinking a pepsi and eating fritos after a race or tony sterwart drinking a coke. id say that those atheletes depend and respect there sponsers alot. as far as combat sports are concerned, boxing is the only sport to compare to the ufc and boxing is dying a slow death (but gaining speed) in america. and that is the country were talking about right? america. ther are only a handful of boxers who make millions per fight, and that will change drastically in the next 5 years.
Thats the problem. Between the money paid to you by your racing team and the prize money you recieve in races you can make a living if you’re at the Nascar/Cart Series level. Jeff Gordon doesnt drink Pepsi to make a living. Jeff Gordon drinks Pepsi in order to be rich beyond what most people in america make and support his brand.
Sponsorship and endorsements work different in motor sports. Its mostly money generated for your team to build and maintain cars and the team itself. When your talking about Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart you’re talking about two guys at the top who recieve enough in their contracts and winnings to be filthy rich despite the mega endorsements. Tony Stewart is rich enough to own racing teams, I have to see his sprint car team several times a year.
MMA, like boxing, makes the top of the food chain rich. If your going to get into MMA at the ground level to be filthy rich your probably doing it for the wrong reasons. It’s definitely a sport you do more because of love then payouts, so it that sense I agree about the sudden economic bickering of fighters.
thanks for making my point!
That racers at the Nascar/Cart Series level dont depend on sponsorships for a living at a level anywhere near how mma fighters do?
Your welcome….
I don’t think he made your point b.w.
Just wants to get some attention
anyone know what prompted him to say this?
more than likely he was being interviewed and asked something along the lines of his views regarding the UFC, it’s lightweight division roster, and any potential we could see him fighting there…
There is more respect in Japan. Fighters are treated like movie stars over there. It’s a great place to fight. I’ve attended a Pride event in Japan, and let me tell you it’s a completely different atmosphere.
You don’t have a bunch of drunks booing when they don’t understand what’s going on. The audience in Japan recognizes when someone is working for a submission. Even when their favorite loses they love them.
I know this site has mostly tuf fans following it, but you people need to actually do some research on the situation. Hellboy wasn’t able to fight for a year or more, because the ufc bought out his pride contract, refused to honor it, and refused to let him fight elsewhere. They fucked him over royally.
If you don’t expect someone to be mad over that, then you are an idiot. And all this “wah, you’re not in the ufc, which is why!” talk proves his point about being fickle. A see plenty of ufc fans here, but no mma fans.
Hansen is a complete badass with wins over Gomi, Uno, Aoki, JZ, Sato, and Edwards. Most of you probably don’t even know who any of those guys are, because you follow only the ufc.
hellboy has his opinion and is entitled to it ,,, I wonder what he meant by UFC tried to be funny,,, I guess they may have tried to put the screws to him in negotiating , or maybe he just didn’t like all the politics in the UFC an mainstream fair weather fans! I think it is funny when I see posts here from keyboard junkies now trying to prove that they are loyal fans,, bunch of dck smacks!! Hellboy is right when the event goes mainstream like any other sport,’the fake fans as he calls it, are mindless supporters of the hypocrosy ,,,,
hellboy is entitled to his opinion. I wonder what he meant by saying that the UFC was trying to be funny? May have put a pathetic attempt in negotiating the offer or maybe he just didn’t like all the politics in the UFC an the mainstream booing of uneducated fans! I think it is funny when I see posts from keyboard dchebags now trying to prove that they are such loyal fans, bunch of dck smacks lol! Hellboy is right when any sport or event gets mainstream attention, the fake aka fans as he calls it, are mindless supporters of the hypocrasey. To prove this point just read any blog from S,,dog or from the above dchebags lol
Someone please give me their honest explanation as to why Pride Folded?
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/JOAT/2006/06/05/PRIDES_Yakuza_Scandal
Pride Yakuza scandal revealed by Japanese tabloid Shukan Gendai, FujiTV voiding contract with DSE, Japanese people responsing to the controversy.
People lose sight on how big that revelation is to Japanese culture. The same tabloid just came out with a story recently about how Kid Yamamoto smokes weed and it has been a massive story in Japan causing a lot of mixed reactions on someone who is a national hero.
Yakuza + public connections in respected buisness = death sentence.
it easy to turn down an offer that dont exist he would blow someone to get in the ufc he is a third rate fighter in a second rate orgination
You are aware that the problem is the UFC trying to sign him and refusing to give up his rights when he wouldnt agree to a contract with Zuffa.
I understand and agree with most of what he says but we all know there are loyal and knowledgeable MMA fans here (but def not as many as in Japan)…
LOL @ b.w. … you’ve obviously not traveled and experienced the resentment for being American, not like having someone spit in your path for no reason but more like a pity vibe, basically a very suttle way of letting you know that being American is no longer the sh*t for obtaining immediate respect and envy when traveling abroad (well…, for the most part and I am a “brown” guy and I have felt it everywhere, thats not to say you won’t make friends with the locals but you will know the feeling). And I was in Japan in 04′ and they definitely have their own scene guy, I think you might be referring to the 80’s about the Japanese idolizing American Pop Culture, and in case you haven’t noticed …even American Pop Culture borrows from around the world, as everywhere else does…
back to the subject, it is too bad that JH makes this so public and blatant…, we def won’t see him in the octagon now… the UFC itself is f’n great, but some feel as do I that some of the business heads and their decisions are what keep it from fulfilling its potential and conquering the world
Not gonna say anything except i hope he dont go to the ufc ever just like he says! I like having the best light weights in the world outside of the ufc so we can actually have a undisputed #1 in the future this will never happen for the LW division long as the ufc is around.
I would respect his comments more if he left the fans out of it. Next time he should state that he wants to fight for free. Why the f*#$ will i pay for extra channels to get all the dream fights if the substitute fighter doesn’t like mainstream. Give the tournament check back and keep the medal. I truly believe the Japanese are more respectful and maybe he’s just a little to sensative to fight in North America. Everybody else will evolve with more opportunity and he will be left behind. Couple more shows and he’ll be looking for a job anyways. Not mainstream enough over in Japan to make money and keep the show going.
Great quote.
Wipe your tears with your Affliction tshirts.