- Joined
- Feb 12, 2004
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This kind of feud is what every promoter dreams of. Two polar opposites in both personality and fighting style. An aging legend and a disrespectful upstart. A tale as old as time.
Tito's antagonistic behavior was a nightmare for Ken's wrapped too tight demeanor, ready to explode at any percieved disrespect.
Who's side were you on when this all went down? What do you feel about it now?
When they first fought in 2002. I was still sort of new to MMA. I knew Ken obviously, and Tito was just being a dick so I thought yeah I'll root for Ken to shut this guy up.
Seeing Ken dominated in such brutal fashion was really hard to watch.
By the time they fought again in 2006, I was already thinking, that Ken is just too old to do any better than he did the first time, but of course they are gonna do it cos it's gonna make some money. Ken protested what he percieved as an early stoppage in that one, but I think most people believed that Tito just woulda done worse to him had it continued, and that Ken's old ass taking a prolonged beating like in the first fight, should not be a thing this time, for his health.
The third fight of course, was academic.
When it's all said in done, I came away from this feud respecting both men. Tito might be a shit talking punk, but he's more than prepared to back it up in the cage, and Ken, for all his easily triggered faults, is a man of principle, in a way we dont always find in this sport.