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Hermes Franca the new Prince of MMA and Manny Reyes Jr. the new Court Jester
by Hody Jae Huh
All Photos courtesy of www.nhbfights.com/
 For the past few months, the world of MMA has been subjected to a form of Internet terrorism and sappy soap opera, perpetrated by self promoting MMA fighter and newly crowned Court Jester – Manny Reyes Jr. For those MMA fans that have been living under a rock or haven’t been to The Underground (www.mma.tv) lately, I’ll give you some background information and highlights of what you’ve missed.
Manny Reyes Jr, according to Sherdog’s Fight Finder was 3-0 in MMA prior to his fight with Hermes Franca (who was 9-2 before their fight), came on The Underground forum and began his now infamous and childish posts. These posts consisting of various forms of self promotion, challenging other seasoned and well known pro MMA fighters, disrespecting and even harassing some the MMA fighters that he challenged, disrespecting the MMA fans that posted on The Underground, and generally making an ass out of himself and turning MMA into a kind of cheesy soap opera.
While I can understand and even commend Manny on his efforts of self promotion, I feel that he did more harm than good, not only for himself but for the world of MMA in general.
Manny's corner claims (post-fight) that all the things he said was just self promotion and that he didn't mean any harm by it. BUT I think such acts are stupid and unforgivable. They make the sport look bad -- this isn't the WWE! On one hand, Manny accomplished what he wanted -- a fight against a top ranked opponent and good fight money, especially considering he’s still new to MMA. However, at what cost? He pissed off a lot of MMA fans, pissed off several pro fighters, made a mockery of MMA, and eventually got KTFO.
While I’m happy about the last part, still it doesn't look good for MMA, in terms of it going main stream. Critics will probably include this fight as fuel for their anti-MMA crusade, citing the violence in MMA. In terms of pure skill, Manny did not deserve to be in the same ring as Hermes, and it showed. Such lop-sided match making, while entertaining at times, can also be dangerous and simply add fuel to the ever burning fire of MMA critics.
 MMA like any other sport need their poster boys -- the guys that every organization builds up and promotes, in order to draw in the fans. Not every fighter can conduct themselves like a true gentleman and ambassador for our sport (IE…UFC Champ Randy Couture). We need the bad boys of MMA as well, the Tito Ortiz’s and Tank Abbott’s. They’re the ones that draw in new fans to MMA and put fans in the seats. It seems that everyone has some level of fascination with the bad boys. A certain level of hype and pre-fight smack talk and antics has become the norm. However, Manny went way beyond the norm.
I’m still amazed that both KOTC and the UFC didn’t take legal action against Manny. Given the amount of self publicity and hype Manny created, I’m sure word eventually got back to someone in both organizations. I can only conclude that they simply could not be bothered with him and didn’t want to waste their time. For those of you that don’t know what happened – Manny’s manager created replica KOTC and UFC belts and claimed he would be fighting for the titles. However, here’s the catch 1) Neither the KOTC or UFC sanctioned this. 2) Both belts were replicas and not the real title belts. 3) There was some controversy surrounding the actual event and fights that Manny “won the titles” in.
How can you call yourself the KOTC and UFC champion if you have never fought and won the title in either event? Sure, Manny did have two fights in the KOTC, but they were not title bouts. Shortly before his fight with Hermes, he went on The Underground to report that he gave back the belts and was now the X-KOTC and UFC champion. Does anyone else see the humor in this?
As part of his self promotion and smack talking, Manny constantly flooded the forums with his Karate credentials, victories, and awards. I admit, if even half of what he claims is true, it’s impressive. However, his childish antic over shadow any and all of this. It’s unfortunate; Manny took all his accomplishments and turned them into a joke.
In the end, Manny was able to accomplish what he desperately wanted – a fight with a top MMA fighter and a nice check to go along with it. From what I understand, Manny’s contract with the AFC gave him a guarantee and win bonus. Basically he was supposed to be paid around 4 grand if he won and Hermes nothing if he lost. Hermes wanted to fight Manny so bad that he took the fight for only $1.00 just to shut Manny up. The contract stipulated that it would only be 1 Round 10 minutes and if Hermes couldn't KO or submit Manny during that time, Manny would be declared the winner. Needless to say, we all know what happened.
 Pro MMA fighter Chris Brennan, also a target of Manny’s Internet terrorism, was quick to congratulate Hermes on his lighting quick victory. Not only that, he suggested that the fans set up a Paypal account to help Hermes out – remember, he only got paid $1.00 to fight Manny. If interested, please go to The Underground and donate. Chris, all I can say is …… class act all the way. If you ever come to Osaka, Japan to fight again, I’ll buy you some beers. Obviously, this invitation is extended to the new Prince of MMA as well – Hermes Franca.
MMA has come a long way since the first UFC. We are slowly making our way into main stream public. We still have a long ways to go. What I fear though is that some of the new and struggling MMA fighters trying to make a name for themselves, might adopt Manny's antics in search of bigger checks and more exposure. It now becomes the responsibility of the fans and organization promoters not to allow this to happen. Please do not reward those fighters that engage in such antics while proven fighters like Sean Sherk and Tom Erickson , who do their talking in the ring, get passed over.
Although I have been rather harsh on Manny and his recent actions, he really brought it upon himself. I haven’t said anything new or anything that others weren’t feeling, saying, or thinking too. Some might argue that “at least Manny stepped into the ring and should be respected for that.” I don’t subscribe to that line of logic, or lack thereof. Yes, it takes a certain level of skill and guts to step into the ring, but respect…..that is something which has to be earned. Manny did not earn that. Hermes on the other hand did.
Hody Jae Huh
*Other articles/interviews written by Hody
Guest writer
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue14/question.shtml
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue8/rutten.shtml…………………(Bas Rutten Interview)
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue7/bow.shtml ……………………(Ryan Bow Interview)
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/mishima.shtml ……………….(Mishima, Dokonjonosuke Interview)
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue5/nakakura.htm……….(Nakakura, Takahashi Interview)
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue2/nakao.html…………(Nakao, Jutaro Interview)
Training MMA in Japan
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue6/japan.shtml
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue4/japan.htm
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue3/japan.htm
http://www.ironlife.com/mag/issue1/pridec.htm
* Article by Hody Jae Huh.
* Back to This Issue's Frontpage
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