Bad Stoppage, or Great Acting Job?
Drew Fickett vs. Richard Villes - Watch more free videos
Drew Ficket has fallen on hard times lately. I don't say that simply because he lost this weekend to Richard Villes via a TKO stoppage that he seems to think was completely unjustified. I say that because he lost to Richard Villes in Rage in the Cage, which is clearly no Strikeforce, nor is it MFC -- both organizations Fickett ran afoul of when he tried to violate his contract.
Just check the video to see what I mean. Note the "And 1 Mixtape Tour" vibe from the announcer, the woman (Villes girlfriend? wife? mom?) screaming throughout the entire fight, and the super slo-mo ring girl shot at the 4:39 mark. Someone rocked their high school AV club.
Fickett seemed to be in control of the fight until a failed shot that was followed by a good knee from Villes that was in turn followed by Fickett eating leather for the next thirty seconds. He's moving the whole time, looking fairly alert, but offering no offense or even much of an effective defense. When the referee finally moves in to stop it, he pops right up to his feet to complain. This is sort of like fouling someone in basketball and then immediately putting your hands up, as if to show that you couldn't possibly have done anything wrong. In other words, it never works.
Fickett doesn't look like he's too beat up afterwards, but if you lay on your back getting punched in the face for that long, you really can't be too surprised when the ref stops it. Especially if you've been in the game as long as Fickett.
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Seth Says:
That is one of the worst stoppages I have seen in a while. Drew was obviously doing a good job of defending himself, he was trying to reclaim guard.
Scott Tolson Says:
Quick stoppage in my opin. Mazzagatti-style reffing . . .
bad stoppage Says:
clearly rolling around looking for a sub, not laying on his back and only eating leather
toolverine Says:
That was a terrible stoppage. He was still actively defending himself when the ref called it.
Rich S. Says:
well, when i heard Fickett lost[to a nobody], i was shocked, cause Drew's a beast..
but now i see it's unjustified..
i could understand stopping it when he first hit the canvas and took like 10 unanswered blows.. but, after that he was trying to get guard back, trying to get off the fence, and moving left to right.. he even tried an omoplata.. if you're actually hurt, or rocked.. YOU CAN'T GO FOR AN OMOPLATA..
he was fine..
that's a sucky loss 'cause it's to some dude that no one knows, in an organization that not many people know..
for someone that's beaten the people Drew's beaten [in the fashion he's beaten them in] to lose to a no-name that's never gonna hit the big leagues.. kinda makes me sick.. especially when they lose the way he just lost..
Rich S. Says:
my bad,
not really an omoplata.. more like an arm trap..
Fedor Emelianenko DVD MMA instructional Says:
One of the worst stoppages ever!
shutupandfight Says:
yeah that sucked...but an excellent display of sportsmanship by Ficket.
Rich S. Says:
really?
when the guy tried to hug him he pushed him away..
and immediately complained..
all of those are things i would've done too in that situation..
but, good sportmanship? i think not.
Clue-by-Four Says:
That was 'Cecil Peoples after a ten day Aqua Velva bender' weak.
TrouserSnout Says:
Horrible stoppage....way too early...
fukin refs Says:
why cant fighters be the refs? cause clearly this cunt doesnt know what hes doing. If a fighter was a ref there would be 90% less fuck ups.
ikcedar Says:
what the fu ck are you talking about? that was a horrible stoppage. come on dude. Going for a subs, using the fence for leverage, come on man, bad stoppage.
Anonymous Says:
I'm curious as to what the rules and standards for MMA fights are in Albuquerque, NM (where the fight took place), because - depending on the nature of their rules - Villes gained his advantage in the beginning of the second round by kneeing a downed opponent to the head, which in most states - if I'm not mistaken - is illegal.
Beyond that, terrible stoppage. Where's Gilbert Yvel when you need him?
chicko longest Says:
who wrote this article....it was as bad of a stoppage as the analysis.....and i don't mean that in a good way
Magus Betrayed Says:
I 100% hate Rage in the Cage, I live in Tucson, AZ and i went to one, because my friend was fighting (won by triangle) and i HATE HATE HATE that fucking announcer! It ruined the entire event for me. Instead of yelling for the fighters, i yelled at that fat fuck to shut up, plus, he sang along to Creed...
Fatal Error Says:
Umm, did Fickett eat that knee while he had 3 points down? It looked like it to me. Terrible stoppage, and I can't stand Fickett.
myk Says:
poor stoppage......he can still fight!!!!
Anonymous Says:
yup, +1 bad stoppage
shutupandfight Says:
Rich S- Ficket didn't push anyone at any time...and the best sportsman on the planet would have complained about that stoppage.
and i've never been a fan of Ficket.
Darkside Says:
CP is usually pretty spot on about stuff, but really? Ficket was down when he was kneed, and he never took any serious shots. Plus, he was still defending, and even going for subs. Horrible decision.
...and yes, that woman yelling in the background was freaking annoying.
stuckpixel Says:
Horrible stoppage. Watching the video, you can clearly see that the majority of the strikes aren't getting through to deal any real damage. He was obviously looking to catch him in a sub, and wasn't dazed at all.
Terrible stoppage.
ballzak Says:
fickett blows dick who cares.
Anonywuss Says:
Wow, that screaming woman sounded like a deaf chimpanzee on helium with a megaphone in hand. If I were the ref, I woulda stopped the fight too.
Pretty Gay Says:
Gay stoppage. Where do they get these refs? There should be only one ref and thats Big John.
Jonathon Pay Says:
terrible stoppage, Fickett was still fighting and wasn't hurt at all. There's no defense for that call.
Rich S. Says:
shutupandfight,
maybe i should've said "shove" instead of "push"..
he didn't aggressivly push the guy away, but he was like.. keeping him from hugging, like.. shoving him away..
hard to explain..
but..
i'm right..
:)
Ryan Says:
I still can't believe that bullshit... Fickett is CLEARLY kneed while both knees are on the ground.
Yeah, maybe I hate the guy who won just a little bit because of his annoying as shit corner, but Fickett was still completely and totally robbed. He should petition for that fight to be a no contest, due to the clearly illegal knee.
Chris Says:
Hey, yeah, it looks like a terrible stoppage at first.
But after watching Fickett's demeanor after the fight, I see that as him saying, "Yeah, I lost". Whether or not it was just an act of respect and appreciation is unknown, but it appears that he isn't going to do any arguing. (Normally a winning fighter can act as cocky as he wants, and the loser doesn't protest because hey, he just lost. But a loser who thinks it was unjustified will protest immediately and usually aggressively).
It's possible that he gave a verbal submission, or that there was some kind of body language that could only be seen by the ref...but it appears that Fickett was just happy the fight was done. If you think about it, the fight was headed in the direction where he was about to be pounded for however long until the ref stepped in (I thought differently at first because I thought he was defending well; but again I revert to the fact that if you watch his relieved reaction after the fight he was just glad the ref stepped in. He knew where it was going; he had already given up and was just looking for a way out). This is why I feel it was a good stoppage.
I think it's the first time I've been this side of the argument of a controversial early stoppage, but I do agree with the decision. Well done ref, well done.
Chris Says:
Maybe he was just being a REALLY good sport, but the body language he presents when he starts clapping does not give off any thought of the idea that he thinks the fight should have been over or that he wanted the fight to resume. I feel like if anyone would have said, "Hey, Drew, they changed their mind. Get back in there," he would have shit his pants. I don't see how a fighter who feels he was just robbed could have that mentality or radiate that demeanor.
...that's just my take on that.