Spanish Harlem – There is basically no news to write about on the Yankees – so they are boring – if you don’t believe me please check out this doozy I read on The Post today. To add fuel to my fire, the Eagles were eliminated from contention weeks ago, which leaves me scrambling to find something to write about. Luckily,I have the Knicks but not much else.
So here goes nothing…
On December 30, 2016 every fight fan was zeroed in on the Ronda Rousey fight at UFC 207. Even casual fans of the sport (like me) were intrigued to see what Rousey would bring to the octagon.
The intrigued faded in 48 seconds, which was the amount of time Ronda Rousey lasted in the ring. She took punch after punch from Amanda Nunes before the fight was stopped and to be honest with you, it made me feel sad. I say this with the upmost respect because I didn’t feel necessarily sad for Rousey, just sad because I have this seen these things happen to many fighters throughout the years.
Some fighters lose more than just a fight; they lose their aura, their confidence.
Everything they once knew to be true… now comes with more doubt than ever before. Many have already suspected this from Rousey after she lost to Holly Holm, when she talked about retirement and how this UFC fight might her last. It seemed she had one foot out the door, while also trying to regain whatever invincibility she created; an invincibility that gained her mainstream fame and propelled MMA to new heights.
We have seen this happen to many fighters, boxers in particular.
Some have compared her fall to that of Mike Tyson, who seemed like a different fighter after his loss to Buster Douglas. Many forget that Tyson won after that loss and continued to win until he fought Evander Holyfield. Sure, the prison stint didn’t help but Tyson in many ways was his own worst enemy… The fighter that jumps off the canvas for me was Felix “Tito” Trinidad, who lost to Bernard Hopkins and lost the next 2 out of 3 before ending his career in 2008. As much as I loved Trinidad, he was not the same after losing to Hopkins.
As for Rousey, many will say she was overrated or that she was great at a time when the women’s division wasn’t as robust as it is today. One thing is for sure, she helped make the UFC popular and at the same time she brought fame to a division that many didn’t know existed. There was a time when it was a male-dominated sport, but women like Rousey made MMA fun to watch. That didn’t come easily and though we may look at Rousey differently today, let’s not forget that at one point she was baddest person on the planet.
Now on to the Knicks…
In my article last week, I predicted the Knicks would make the playoffs and just like every season for the past 11 years, the team did their best to disappoint me, as they went on a 6-game losing streak.
I’m not sure what’s worse, to have players that aren’t trying hard enough or have a team that just plain stinks on defense. That’s what Jeff Hornacek alluded to on Monday. We all knew coming into the season that Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose weren’t very good on defense, but that was the reason they brought in Joakim Noah… to help with those deficiencies. As of now, they look worse than when the season started. Maybe they think they can out-score teams (which they can) but hardcore fans know that to win, I mean really win you need a top ten defense.
Let’s hope they get it together and soon!
That’s it! Comment below, come back tomorrow for Different Matt (?) and please follow us on Twitter @MeetTheMatts & @BuddyDiaz19 and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts & BuddyDiaz19.
