Postal Connections: McGregor-Diaz, Donald Trump and Freak-Show Fights

With everything that happened in the last week, I never could have guessed my inbox would be flooded with pro- and anti-Trump emails. I have Danny Acosta to thank for that. Who would have thought people might not want to mix their politics and their MMA? Just so you know, you can stop the email jihad. Message received, loud and clear.

With all the other stuff that went down, we have plenty to discuss. Without further ado, away we go:

Nate Diaz has a good chance to win this fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 196. What does he have to do in order maximize his chances?‬‏‪ -- @DJJohnDouglas‬‬‬

‬ My first thought when I heard this fight was going to be made: “What a great matchup for McGregor.” I would double down on that after seeing Diaz at the pre-fight presser. He looked big, like he-hasn’t-been-training-all-that-hard big.

This was the fight I really wanted them to make coming off Diaz’s win in December, so I’m happy it’s happening. However, I would have been even more excited to see these guys with full camps. I know McGregor says it doesn’t matter, but I can’t imagine Diaz is going to be running on all cylinders when they get in there in nine days. I wouldn’t entirely rule out Diaz, though. He’s going to bring something a little different table, something McGregor may not have dealt with in the past. I’m guessing he’s not going to be fazed in the least by the trash talk.

I guess my main concern in this bout is the fact that both of these guys may be running their mouths too much to throw down. If ever there was a fight where I wish we had something akin to the NFL’s mic’d-up setup, this is it. I’d probably need to go to take a shower and go to church after listening to it, but it would be worth it.

I’m hoping for an exciting fight, but I have to admit I’m on the McGregor tip here. I expect him to put it on Diaz and win the fight.

***

The UFC has missed out on a huge opportunity to promote women’s MMA by keeping Holly Holm-Miesha Tate as the co-main event at UFC 196. I understand that McGregor is a big star, but Holm just beat Ronda Rousey and should be headlining her own card. It just isn’t fair to make her sit behind two men who aren’t even fighting for a title belt. I’m sure if it was a men’s title fight, it would be the main event now. -- Mary V.

OK, I have seen this argument being made a couple times since they announced Rafael dos Anjos was out of his title defense against McGregor, and I have to say I just don’t get where you all are coming from. I get that women’s MMA is very near and dear to many of your hearts, but when it comes to selling pay-per-views McGregor’s only competition is Rousey and she isn’t fighting at UFC 196.

I don’t care if there were three title fights on this bill they would all be going off before McGregor steps foot in the Octagon, no matter who he was fighting. He’s the big star right now, he makes the rules and he fights at the top of the card.

I showed up almost an hour early for yesterday’s presser at the UFC Gym in Torrance, California, and there was a line around the building to see him talk about his fight with Diaz. I’m sorry, but Holm does not get that response, at least not yet. To be honest, I would bet Holm is just fine being in the co-main with McGregor headlining. It’s going to mean a huge payday for the champ in her first title defense. McGregor will work his magic on the PPV buys, and her check is going to be bigger than anything she has ever cashed before.

On the promotion side of things, I’d argue that Holm has gotten a ton of press since dethroning Rousey in epic fashion. She was everywhere in the weeks following her big win but has shied away from the spotlight a bit since because she has been preparing for her first defense. I’m guessing we’ll be seeing plenty of Holm following this fight, should she win of course, in preparation for the ginormous rematch with Rousey.

***

Bellator MMA is so disgusting for putting on that farce of a card with Royce Gracie-Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice-Dada 5000. Dada 5000 almost died, and nobody even cares a little bit. They should be ashamed of themselves for showing fights like those on TV. I hope they are gone and all the fighters just go to the UFC, where they can fight real fights. -- Bill R.

Seriously? This is a sport that has embraced the absurd since its inception and now, all of the sudden, Bellator is the devil that’s trying to ruin the honorable tradition of MMA? Get out of here with that nonsense.

Like I’ve written and discussed many times over the many years I’ve been covering this sport, I was never a fan of the carnival aspect of MMA. All I’ve been hearing about for the past week, in regards to Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000, is how terrible it was for the sport. Last I checked, there are still a ton of fights scheduled in the coming weeks and months.

It’s human nature to think the sky is falling whenever something we perceive as negative happens, but generally, the Earth doesn’t go spinning off its axis and things return to normal after we’re done exasperating ourselves. Understandably, some people were upset with how things unfolded, but guess what? A whole lot of people tuned in to watch MMA that probably wouldn’t have done so otherwise.

At its peak, 2.7 million viewers were in front of their flat screens when Kimbo and Dada were “fighting.” That’s a massive number for a Friday night television show. The oddball fights did their job, and if you’re Bellator, you hope some of those people who were watching will be back for your next offering.

***

Please stick to writing about MMA and not politics. I am referencing Acosta’s piece on Trump. This is not what I come to this site for. It is obvious we are a divided country politically. You take big risks at enraging 50 percent, at minimum, of your readership. If I see another political opinion piece here, I will never come back to this site again. -- Shane R.

Like I touched on in the opening, I hear you all loud and clear. This was one of a couple dozen emails that espoused your dissatisfaction with the column being published on Sherdog.com. I have to say, I truly do agree with most of the reader sentiment but we’ve given a number of people, myself included, a platform to express their views and opinions on a weekly basis. They are never going to be universally agreeable to all.

Among our staff, we have a very diverse group of people with dissimilar political, social and religious views, and we’ve done a pretty good job of getting along and working together over the years. It is our passion and love for the sport of MMA that drives us in our professional lives.

I can’t guarantee we’ll never broach the political environment that, in the very least, borders our wacky MMA world, but I do agree we need to make sure when we do it’s for a more sport-specific reason.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email or Twitter @TheSavageTruth. If you would like to have your question or comment answered in the weekly Postal Connections mailbag, please submit them by Wednesday evening each week.