In Defense of Starnes, Kind Of…
Posted by Chad Edward on April 24th, 2008There was one mistake made on the UFC 83 card in Montréal. Though he’s taking the heat, it wasn’t made by Kalib Starnes (8-3-1).
Starnes’s match-up versus “Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2) should’ve never been broadcast to begin with.
At the risk of sounding like a Monday morning QB, I was confused why it was on the televised portion of the card before the event. (Easy to say now, huh?)
Though Quarry looked much-improved in his February KO of “Drago” Pete Sell (7-4), Starnes got picked apart last October by “The Talent” Alan Belcher (12-5).
In an e-mail sent by Starnes to Fighters.com this morning, he contends, “I was then injured in the bout [with Belcher] and received a huge gash on my forehead, which caused the doctor to halt the bout prematurely.”
Starnes is wrong. The doctor stoppage in October was entirely warranted because Starnes didn’t do enough in the one round with Belcher to convince anyone further punishment may result in a Starnes victory. Why let a fighter bleed out in the Octagon when there’s no evidence he’s in there to win?
Why then match the same fighter versus a man who proved he’s on a mission in his previous fight?
At least three other 83 match-ups should’ve made the broadcast over Quarry v Starnes even before the fights were fought.
The all-Canada rematch between “The Athlete” Jason MacDonald (20-9) and “El Dirte” Joe Doerksen (39-12) was bound to be a war.
“No Love” Rich Clementi (31-12-1) and “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout (13-4-1) were on surges totaling six straight wins between them before Saturday when Clementi preserved his streak with a unanimous decision.
Both “Road Warrior” Jonathan Goulet (22-9) and Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5) are tough bastards. Goulet hadn’t won or lost in the judges hands in nine straight.
The results Saturday night prove my admittedly late assertion.
All three “…of the Night” bonuses were awarded to fighters on the untelevised undercard, Goulet and Hironaka winning “Fight of the Night” and MacDonald pocketing 75 grand for “Knockout of the Night”.
Starnes claims, “Dana White…made comments after the fight insinuating that I would have been better served allowing myself to be knocked out.”
You’ve got to wonder if slumping Starnes was matched versus better-than-ever Quarry to serve a highlight reel KO to the broadcast audience?
Starnes called Quarry, “…a real monster in the ring, I think that they should keep him in a cave somewhere and feed him raw meat!”
Even if that’s true, Starnes’s performance was embarrassing. If you don’t want to be in the Octagon, don’t take the fight.
To be fair, I know fighters like Starnes have slim bank accounts and it’s not easy to turn down a guaranteed purse. And, Starnes maintains he had broken his right foot early in the match and was doing all he could to work his jab.
All in all, the whole incident is a non-event. A B-level fighter asks to be released from his contract after a pitiful performance. Big deal.
However, even if I don’t particularly care to see Starnes fight again anywhere, it’s hard for me to blame anyone who steps in the Octagon.
Blame the UFC for a poor match-up that should’ve never been seen by anyone paying $44.95 for the PPV.
allteeth said:
Wheres the defense? The only defense I have for him is that I personally would, and couldn’t get in that ring without suffering deadly consequences. He did. As much as I don’t like Dana Whites smugness, I find myself agreeing with many of the things he says, and this is no exception. He should have dove in, and gone buckwild on NQ. Maybe he would have gotten knocked out, but he would have been a man on the canvas instead of a trackstar with lost pride. On your feet or on your knees my son. If you commit to the fight, fight to commit.
Chad Edward said:
You’re right that it’s not much of a defense. I was just trying to look at the situation from a different perspective.
It’s not meant to be a defense of Starnes fighting like a bitch. But, for those who make the argument that Starnes caused them to waste $44.95, I think they have to look to the UFC for putting it on the broadcast event over other, more worthy match-ups.
allteeth said:
Agreed, Starnes isn’t a producer. If Starnes won with one punch like a Tyson of old the public would have bitched about it too. You really can’t win, but you can produce the best match you can and cross your fingers. Fault UFCs matchmaker.
danimal62 said:
It is funny to see how much press Kalib is doing after this fight. He was on Inside MMA, and really the more he talks, the more he looks scared to fight! It is kind of odd!
Chad Edward said:
Right? You’d think he’d be interviewing for his next job. Someone needs to tell him to just follow the storyline that Dana White is a monster right into an EliteXC contract. He’d be fighting Robbie Lawler, Cung Le, or Kala Kolohe Hose in six months.