snakerattle79
05-11-2009, 12:45 PM
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Win or lose, Heath Herring will never stray from a 13-year credo: entertainment first, results second.
The “Texas Crazy Horse” has never had it easy, in Pride or the UFC. He’s faced enough top-ranked fighters for three men’s careers. The difference between the two organizations, he says, is that entertainment is job security in Japan.
“It was a whole different thing,” said Herring. “The fighters were pushed more to go out there and put on a good show. The UFC’s definitely, if you don’t win – especially with the contracts they have – they’ll cut you with a loss. So I have had to change my mentality a little bit.”
Given the mismatches that continue to dot the Japanese scene, not much has changed.
“In Pride, I used to take fights on 10-day notice, one-week notice,” he continued. “And as long as you went out and put on a good show, you were fine. You’d be back next time. UFC’s a little different. And I think the drawback of that is that sometimes you get really boring fights. You have guys that are worried about winning; they’re not really worried about putting on a show. I think you’ve seen that in the last couple of events in the UFC, and that’s the double-edged sword.”
For much of the decade, the 31-year-old has held a spot on Top 10 heavyweight lists. He’s fallen short to the division’s elite, but had many high-profile wins, particularly in his early Pride days.
Whatever the outcome, he believes fighting is about the show, or more aptly, the rodeo.
Win or lose, Heath Herring will never stray from a 13-year credo: entertainment first, results second.
The “Texas Crazy Horse” has never had it easy, in Pride or the UFC. He’s faced enough top-ranked fighters for three men’s careers. The difference between the two organizations, he says, is that entertainment is job security in Japan.
“It was a whole different thing,” said Herring. “The fighters were pushed more to go out there and put on a good show. The UFC’s definitely, if you don’t win – especially with the contracts they have – they’ll cut you with a loss. So I have had to change my mentality a little bit.”
Given the mismatches that continue to dot the Japanese scene, not much has changed.
“In Pride, I used to take fights on 10-day notice, one-week notice,” he continued. “And as long as you went out and put on a good show, you were fine. You’d be back next time. UFC’s a little different. And I think the drawback of that is that sometimes you get really boring fights. You have guys that are worried about winning; they’re not really worried about putting on a show. I think you’ve seen that in the last couple of events in the UFC, and that’s the double-edged sword.”
For much of the decade, the 31-year-old has held a spot on Top 10 heavyweight lists. He’s fallen short to the division’s elite, but had many high-profile wins, particularly in his early Pride days.
Whatever the outcome, he believes fighting is about the show, or more aptly, the rodeo.