Over the weekend, Sydney, Australia was the host for UFC 127 featuring BJ Penn vs Jon Fitch. From the moment the show started, the crowd was already energetic. That great energy carried throughout the whole event and made for a fun experience. The Australian crowd knew MMA and appreciated the takedowns, submission and grappling that the fighters put on. Unlike here in Southern California (Los Angeles, Anaheim) where majority of the attendees just want brutal ko’s and boo right away when it hits the ground, the Australians really appreciated what MMA is all about.
Even Dennis Siver who beat their own fellow countryman, George Sotiropoulos, got a nice cheer after the match. They respected every fighter and knew the hard work these MMA fighters go through. Sotiropoulos also got a big cheer after his interview with Joe Rogan. You have to love fans that don’t jump the bandwagon. Another highlight from the fans was the Lytle/Ebersole fight. Ebersole busted some Sakuraba antics and the fans laughed and rooted for him. Everytime Ebersole escaped a tight guillotine from Lytle, they clapped. But at the end of the fight, they didn’t boo anybody. The fans were just out there to have a good time without any mean intentions.
If you’re a fighter, how can you hate fighting in Australia? The crowd is well schooled in MMA and whether you’re a foreigner or a local, they’ll respect you for choosing your profession.
And I almost forgot, those doctors were also bad ass. Letting some fight continue when it could’ve been easily stopped.
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Mongoose
Mar 1, 2011 -
it was a good event. i’m glad that Siver won, and can’t believe that Penn actually took Fitch down. But, Penn cannot last more than 2 rounds with strong fighters, such a disappointment.