Former Strikeforce female champion Miesha Tate (pictured) has taken issue with Bellator booking a women’s champion on the undercard. US PRESSWIRE.
Former women’s world champion Miesha Tate took Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney to task recently for booking a female champion on the undercard of an upcoming event. Now Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has returned fire – and the best part is that they’re both right.
Usually, the best debates are the ones where both sides have some good points to offer.
Obviously, I’m not talking about the presidential debates. We all know there’s only one side with good points to offer in that debate, and it’s [insert candidate’s here]! Let’s be honest folks, [insert other candidate here] is a complete and utter tool. I hope [insert original candidate here] wins in November so we can get America back on track!
No, I’m talking about the ongoing exchange between Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and Strikeforce 135-pound fighter Miesha Tate. It started when Tate, a former world champion and top tier female fighter, called out Bellator for booking their 115-pound women’s champion Zoila Gurgel on the untelevised prelims of this Friday’s Bellator 78.
She didn’t parse her words either, calling the move “stupid” and “absurd”. And it’s easy to see her point: Gurgel is Bellator’s reigning 115-pound women’s champion. And this Friday night, she’ll be nowhere to be seen on a card where the highest draw is a welterweight tournament semifinal.
Granted, the fight is a non-title bout, a comeback fight for Gurgel after a lengthy layoff. But still, surely the lady with the Bellator strap ‘round her waist deserves a spot on the televised card, no?
Well, according to Bjorn Rebney, that answer is…yeah, no. Rebney responded to Tate’s comments today, and was pretty clear in his position. Via MMAFighting.com:
“Zoila’s been plagued by injury after injury over the last 19 months, having not fought since March, 2011. We felt that the best road back for her did not include rushing her into a major fight against one of the top-ranked women in the world. This is not a world title fight as it’s made significantly north of the 115 weight limit where she holds our title. Depending on how Zoila feels and performs on Friday, we can then determine the next appropriate step back.”
To Rebney’s credit, his answer was calmed, reasoned, and reasonable. And best of all, not an F-bomb in sight. There’s very little Bjorn Rebney could teach Dana White about the fight promotion business – except how to be subdued with the press.
And he’s got a point. Gurgel has spent an awful long time on the shelf, and is bound to have some ring rust. She’s a risky proposition to feature in a main card bout until you know how far back she’s bounced. That’s doubly true when she’s wearing Bellator gold.
Bellator has a shaky history when it comes to protecting the legitimacy of their champions. We all remember how a loss in a non-title fight completely robbed Bellator light-heavyweight champ Christian M’Pumbu. He quite literally hasn’t been seen in the Bellator cage since.
So at the end of the day, both sides have a point. Tate’s right: Zoila Gurgel is a reigning women’s champ, and for legitimacy and fairness sake you should probably feature her at or near the top of the card.
On the other hand, she’s rusty, coming off a bad injury, and taking a definite tune-up fight. Until we know where she’s at physically, it’s probably prudent to protect her on the undercard.
What do you think? Does Gurgel deserve a spot on the televised card? Or is placing her on the undercard the smart move?
Topics: Bellator, Bjorn Rebney, Female MMA, Miesha Tate, MMA, Strikeforce, Zoila Gurgel
