Arkansas MMA fans receive quite the surprise
July 8, 2008 by Sam Caplan
The Fort Smith Convention Center in Arkansas signed a promotional contract with a group to put on several mixed martial arts bouts at its venue in June. It appears that convention officials and local MMA fans may have gotten a little more than they bargained for.
According to a new report just published by the Association Press, it looks like someone may have pulled a fast one on the convention center officials.
On June 6, a promotion billing itself as “Blue Collar Brawlin‘” was contracted to put on “cage fighting,” according to the article. A comedy spot was put into the program where someone using the identity of “Straight Dave” would get into an altercation with a planted fan in the stands. The two would then have a staged confrontation in the cage where they would rip each other’s clothes off and share a brief romantic embrace.
Apparently though the two actors went above and beyond the call of duty and as the article states, the two “went right up to the line of the city’s morality laws.” The reports indicate that there was a lot of nudity, kissing, and some heavy petting.
Turns out there were 1,600 fans in attendance in addition to real fighters who were signed to fight on the show. The crowd reportedly became livid and a sea of people began hurling their beers towards the cage. It reportedly took approximately 45 minutes to disperse the angry mob.
After reading the article, it doesn’t appear that people know for sure what happened. However, it’s looking like Sacha Baron Cohen, the man behind HBO’s “Da Ali G” show, as well as the major motion picture “Borat,” was behind the prank.
One of the lesser known characters that Baron Cohen portrays on his show is that of a openly homosexual entertainment reporter named “Bruno.” Baron Cohen has reportedly been all over the place in recent months filming for a feature film in which the “Bruno” character will be starring.
It looks like Arkansas MMA fans will be front and center in the upcoming release, which has a working title of “Untiled Bruno Project,” according to IMDB.com, and is tentatively slated to be released sometime in 2009.
If you were in attendance at this event and have pictures and or video, we’d love it if you could forward copies of what went down to us at: SCaplan8 at comcast dot net.
I like Sacha… he s funny as hell, but, as it usually happens with this kind of pranks, they are funny only until they are played on you… I was pissed while I read it, but if I look at it from an independent, isolated perspective, it must have been HILARIOUS!
A guy from MMA.tv was there and posted about it right when it happened - have to find the thread - I remember he said they kept dropping the price of beer until everyone in the crowd was stinking drunk before they pulled the “prank”.
Ah, here it is:
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/?go=forum_framed.posts&forum=1&thread=1290972&page=1&pc=67
This exact scenerio also happened in texarkana before the event in Fort Smith…..but a guy from the audience (who wasnt a part of the show) jumped the cage and ran them out before it got too bad.
i posted all the details in my blog.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=57444314&blogID=407410831
several weeks later the texarkana gazette picked up the story from my blog
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/localnews/2008/07/06/staged-fight-creates-confusion-anger-74.php
“Straight Dave’s Man Slammin’ Matchup”
That’s is f’in awesome.
Bruno is a great character; that interview with Shaud Williams was an instant classic as soon as Bruno asked him, “Are you allowed to have sex with your teammates during the season or do you have to wait until after the season?”
the Bruno character is way funnier than Borat. The clip of Bruno getting the college wrestlers on spring break to show their ass to the camera, then telling them that its for a gay german tv show is priceless.
also, the fights were not fake…(except for the one fight involving cohen)and i dont think the fighters were aware of what was about to happen…..Razor Rob also made a guest appearance in the ring and spoke to the audience…..someone needs to interview him regarding the incident.
Wow, would I be pissed if I was at that event–it’s nothing more than a mockery of MMA and it’s fans. Moreover, it’s just not funny.
“Wow, would I be pissed if I was at that event–it’s nothing more than a mockery of MMA and it’s fans. Moreover, it’s just not funny.”
oh settle down…MMA fans make a mockery of themselves all the time. Just look at any thread and the comment section of every post on a blog.
There are two types of people: those who think Cohen is funny and those who don’t.
By the way, I think he’s hilarious. He does what he does not only for the comedic aspect of it, but also as a satirical take on pretty much anything he sets his eyes on. Why take it personally when he does it to MMA? It’s all for fun and it’s hilarious. 5 dollars isn’t life-breaking if it’s wasted on a comedy show with a few real fights before it. (Not to mention 1 dollar beers)
MMA fans talking out of their asses on threads and comments is one thing, but this is going to be in a major motion picture showing MMA fans looking like drunken homophobic rednecks…
If you read that thread that bcolflesh posted you’ll notice that the production company went out of it’s way to get these fans to look ridiculous. Tricking people into belittling themselves is not good humor.
“Tricking people into belittling themselves is not good humor.”
Sure, it is. It if hilarious, especially because most of these people are too dimwitted to realize they’re being made to look like fools. Just because it might make MMA look bad doesn’t mean it, in and of itself, is a bad thing.
MMA fans don’t need Cohen to make them look bad; they do it themselves. And guess what? A lot of MMA fans *ARE* drunken homophobic rednecks.
Good point #10, but I have to admit I still find it hilarious!!!
The only people that are pissed are the people who didn’t go and had the opportunity. man, that would have been so freakin awesome
“but this is going to be in a major motion picture showing MMA fans looking like drunken homophobic rednecks… ”
So what? They make everyone look dumb.
“Tricking people into belittling themselves is not good humor.”
Sure it is. Don’t take life so seriously.
@#10 Hell yes it is! At least, I and plenty of other people really enjoy Ali G and Borat et al… anyone who gets mad about this stuff takes themselves to seriously.
It might be funnier if it was original. Andy Kaufman did this kind of stuff with Jerry Lawler and Pro Wrestling a long time ago.
@#16 and i bet some greek guy did this with pankration fighters in 600BC. No such thing as originality anymore, there’s been too many humans.
#17 LOL!!!! excellent!
#17 Hex
You’re probably right, but I’d still like to see Kaufman get a little credit for Cohen’s bit. Nobody remembers the unnamed Greek guy, but lots of people still remember Kaufman. A very weird and funny dude.
Lets see how this turns out exactly. We only know we people saw from their point of view.
My only problem was that there was MMA with dollars beers within a forty minute drive of me and I didn’t go. That would have been hilarious.
@#19 Well, considering the movie isn’t released yet, it’s a little soon to jump to the conclusion that there will be no credit given or that the event will even be similar except in premise (which is a little different given that pro wrestling is completely staged and MMA is purportedly real).
And it’s also possible Cohen doesn’t know about that particular Kaufman moment. I know of the guy and some of the funny stuff he did but I wasn’t aware of the pro wrestling bit until you mentioned it just now. Keep in mind Cohen would have been 11 when Kaufman pulled that gag, and he’s from England, so he probably didn’t see a lot of the Letterman show.
Homophobic rednecks?! Was Brock Lesnar there?
that is so choice
the promoter that allowed this should be banned from MMA
Looking forward to seein’ this one! Borat was Very fuunny and we purched both seasons of Ali G.
Jay K.
HAHA sounds hilarious. The MMA community does have a very high % of homophobic assholes compared to other sports IMO.
I LIIIIIIIKE!!!!
Lol pretty funny. Figures it would be on some southerners. The no teeth thing is just weird, i didnt actually know it was that bad down there.
This is the ideal point at which to consider which actual MMA fighters are gay? In thai boxing there are openly homosexual fighters and some claim it presents the advantage of unsttleing their opponents.
I found this on the UG Forums a while back and did a write up on MMAOpinion called “MMA and Borat?” A few people who were in attendance left comments. I’d post the link, but I’m on my Blackberry.
cant wait to see the final product !! you gotta love sacha
Im betting no one will be laughing after the movies released and it portrays MMA and its fans in a very homophobic and drunken redneck point of view…Anyone who said they were their and that this was funny and good for the sport is lying his ass off…
#15 your fruity. This is a dangerous stunt to pull in Arkansas. Them hicks will kill ya.
Mike Wolfe, right on the money re: Andy Kaufman.
How can this make MMA fans look bad?? Who’s gonna go see a SBC film anyway?? Basically alot of people like us. Stiffs that find MMA abhorrent are NOT gonna pay to see his movies, or Jackass, or anything like it.
What does it tell you when a SBC or a Chappelle chooses you to make fun of? Basically that you are not under the radar anymore and are getting close to main stream- I don’t think fans looking like idiots ever really hurt pro or college sports either…
I almost think it’s more fun to get suckered into a really funny prank ,than it is to pull one off on somebody else….you have to think too much.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0708081bruno1.html
ack get over urself it was a joke and they still got to see a few fights and a beer for a buck , im in
i wonder if chet “hitman” was there? i’m sure he woulda liked to roll around with a couple of guys ending in a blissful kiss