Were fighters more respectful back in the day? Conor vs Khabib and Dillon vs Logan Paul

[yookfarb]

I watch this guy Moon on YouTube who is a big time pessimist making videos about how the world is doomed. While he exaggerates for his own popularity, I think it's important to educate yourself on bad people and bad things so you don't end up as a victim.

Anyway, he made a video about Dillon Danis vs Logan Paul which also features Conor McGregor and his fight against Khabib. If you don't know, Dillon has been slut shaming Logans wife Nina Agdal on twitter to the point where people question if she was sex worker. Posting lewd and nude pictures of her with many many different guys... famous athletes, actors and musicians, gross old men, and clips of her being proud of doing lewd stuff in public or in groups.

Now Moon makes the point that back in the day, there was much more sportsmanship in fighting sports and used the example of Muhammad Ali who barely cursed as evidence that society is degrading into filth. However I think most fight fans would agree that is a disingenuous example as many of Ali's insults were deeply personal and upsetting. Ali starting his career during the civil rights era and through the Vietnam War where he famously was exiled from boxing also add some complexity and nuance that is more difficult to contextualize to the modern era.

Anyway this had me thinking about the history of MMA and how the trash talk and overall attitudes of fighters from back in the day compared to now. I've been trying to compare Chuck vs Tito to Colby vs Masvidal for instance since they are both similar stories.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

Too much trash talk occurs in the sport these days.

The sport needs more humble, respectful fighters like Jon Jones, GSP etc

 

[jeff7b9]

Social media just brings out the absolute worst of human interaction.

 

[AmonTobin]

Is it an MMA fighters thing or a social media participant thing? I think people like Logan Paul don’t actually respect the public or their fans. They’re far too narcissistic.

I don’t mind a rich asshole YouTube grifter being fucked with. He steals from kids.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

Is it an MMA fighters thing or a social media participant thing? I think people like Logan Paul don’t actually respect the public or their fans. They’re far too narcissistic.

I don’t mind a rich asshole YouTube grifter being fucked with. He steals from kids.

Logan Paul uploaded a video of himself laughing and making jokes next to a dead body in a suicide forest many years ago. He's been hated by lots since then. He's also scammed lots of people to with crypto, abandoned a pet pig, etc

 

[World eater]

Social media just beings out the absolute worst of human interaction.

The day I gave up social media platforms was a good day in my life. Never looked back. Most of this trash talking crap is done just to increase “visibility” on social media and is just sad to see. I guess young people born into a world where this is the norm have no option but to embrace it, but us older plonkers can just ignore it for the cesspool it is and scoff at it.

I know forums are kind of social media as well, but a lesser evil compared to the main platforms.

 

[Fight Professor]

Back in the day fighters had to fight for a predetermined fee. Now they can multiply their income by marketing themselves and gaining followers. And the pro-wrestling formula is a proven way to do it.

 

[CannotWin]

Back then fighters did not have the exposure they have now. If they did, off his rocker Mike Tyson would be throwing around prison love threats on twitter all day long, imo.

 

[Chet Ubetcha]

Define "Back In The Day". I mean, Ali was the KING of trash talk. If we are talking MMA, just look at UFC 1; shit talking galore. Early UFC had Tank Abbott who was just a straight up douche to his opponents. Then look at Tito and the like.

The internet and social media makes self-promotion a necessity these days in order to get paid, so perhaps the level of fuckery has elevated, but it's always been a thing.

Always.

 

[NoSmilez]

It's the same thing. It's just recorded publicly now. There were always scuffles and bullying that went on behind the scenes.

Dildo isn't wrong for this. The Paul Brothers started this girlfriend stuff with him first by posting Dildo's ex GF. Dildo just took his L and collected pictures of Logan's girlfriend. Logan is going to kill him in a boxing match though.

 

[Ahem]

Ali is a bad example of a respectful fighter. Just ask his opponents. What he did to George Foreman was inexcusable (among others). History ignores his past, loud mouth antics, due in large part to his success and subsequent illness that tugged on peoples’ heart strings.

By today’s standards his actions may be seen as tame, but that’s simply because the bar of civility is constantly moving. In 20 years I suspect most of what we see today will be seen as tame.

 

[BigOlJeet]

Too much trash talk occurs in the sport these days.

The sport needs more humble, respectful fighters like Jon Jones, GSP etc

 

[AmonTobin]

The Dillon Danis thing is actually pretty funny. Totally exposing how 100% fake the Paul's and their entourage really are. And all he did was repost social media pics that they themselves posted or posed for. Nothing can damage a fraud's reputation more than the truth.