The Case for Bob Sapp

In the serious MMA/K-1 fanbase, Sapp is an almost universally reviled character. He's a giant-sized, steroid-using buffoon, he's an untalented fighter, a marketing gimmick. He's a failed NFL player who doesn't train much and gives up easily. Some of this is certainly true.

Sapp is also a man making a living; he was essentially broke before he started with K-1, and he knows he doesn't have the skills to be a fighter when his popularity receeds. So who can fault him for trying to make money to support himself, in any way he can?

But I won't be talking about the human side of this story, that's not why we're here. I would argue that Sapp is good for mma.

First of all, Sapp is a character. That doesn't translate to exciting fights, but it does produce emotional investment in his fights. Fedor doesn't cower and cover up for major portions of his fights, or display amateur-level skills, but he doesn't bite the head off crocop dolls prior to fights either. It's the Tito effect - tito runs his mouth and people develop an emotional investment in the guy. Either they enjoy seeing the brash guy back up his loudmouth statements, or they enjoy seeing Chuck Liddell smash his mouth shut. Keeps it interesting.

However, that's not the reason to keep Sapp around and continue to pay him big bucks. Lebanner is big and brash and cartoonish, and the guy can fight. Rampage and Gary Goodridge are quite capable of playing black stereotypes to a Japanese audience that eats it up, and they are both far better fighters than Bob.

What Bob Sapp does, is what Royce Gracie did in '93. He destroys the myth of the big man. Of course, Sapp is on the other end of the table, so he's like an inverse Royce, but still.

Hollywood loves the big man. The big man is invincible; Indiana Jones can't hurt him with a punch, he has to wait for the plane propellor; Jackie Chan must similarly outwit enormous foes who are immune to his strikes. However, when we see a much smaller Ray Sefo or Mirko Crocop absolutely blasting Sapp, it means that training is still better than size. For one, it establishes the guys who beat the Beast as certified badasses. Look at the respect that Minotauro gets for his absolutely incredible performance vs. Sapp. It's good to see our favorite fighters tested by a force of nature like Sapp.

He isn't just a freakshow--he brings freakshow talents in with him- his incredible size and strength. He's a danger to anyone they put in the ring with him-ask Hoost. (dodgy officiating aside, Hoost was in rough shape). A Sapp fight isn't going to be a technical masterwork, but it WILL be impressive, no matter who wins.

He deserves to be there more than a lot of warmed-over TUF failures, or legends who are past it like Sakuraba (We can only hope that K-1 has the brains to take a page from Shooto's book and put Saku in grappling-only exhibition matches or hand him gentler matches than Matt Hamill is going to get). Besides, I think that in the fight game today there is no greater threat than Bob Sapp to Fedor Emelenienko.