Remarkable Oregon Athletes in MMA Bring Honor to Oregon So How Come the Oregon Media Don’t Talk About Them?

February 17, 2010

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By REES LLOYD

  But while they have gained national and international recognition, respect, and renown  for their remarkable achievements as athletes from Oregon, they are relatively little remarked upon by the media in Oregon. Why?



            In the ambiance of the remembrance of the birthday of America’s greatest president and patriot, Gen. George Washington, the Father Of Our Country, allow me to salute some remarkable Oregon-rooted, and patriotic, athletes who for reasons I cannot fathom, are so little remarked upon by the Oregon media and the powers that be: Oregon athletes of great achievement in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).
            Oregon is producing world class athletes who are bringing attention and honor to Oregon by their remarkable achievements as stars in MMA, the fastest growing sport in America. These MMA athletes are also honoring themselves, and Oregon, by their quiet but generous contributions of time and talent and fundraising activities in their communities, particularly in efforts aiding youth.
            But while they have gained national and international recognition, respect, and renown  for their remarkable achievements as athletes from Oregon, they are relatively little remarked upon by the media in Oregon. Why?
            Most recently, for example, two MMA athletes with roots in Oregon and the greater Portland metropolitan area, Randy Couture, an MMA  Hall of Fame member, and Chael Sonnen, an MMA rising star, drew high praise in national and international media for their victories in “UFC 109,” held in Las Vegas by the United Fighting Championships (UFC), generally regarded as the pinnacle of professional mixed martial arts competition.
            I discuss Couture and Sonnen here individually, but also by way of example, as representative of so many outstanding Oregon athletes in MMA who are for some reason not celebrated in the media for their athletic achievements, and contributions to their communities, as are athletes in other sports.
RANDY COUTURE – LEGEND OUT OF OREGON
            Randy Couture, an MMA legend, is perhaps the best-known and most widely respected and admired athlete in MMA. A five-time UFC champion, the only athlete to hold both the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight titles, a UFC Hall of Fame member,  Couture continues to astound with his athletic ability.  Couture, who carries his celebrity humbly, with good humor, and dignity, is a model for and a “hero” to many in the MMA ranks.  At the age of 46, Couture  is still ranked in the top five of the Light Heavyweight division, and is defeating ranked fighters half his age who idolized him as kids,  as well as former title holders.  At UFC 109, in the Main Event, a long-awaited match against Mark Coleman, also a former Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Famer, Couture totally dominated and submitted Coleman in the first round.
            Couture, born just across the border in Washington and rooted thereafter in the Portland metropolitan area, spent six years in the U.S. Army after graduation from high school; became a three-time All-American wrestler in college; and was twice an alternate on the U.S. Olympic Team. He was a wrestling coach at Oregon State. 
Matt Lindland

            Couture is a co-founder with Oregonian Matt Lindland, a world and Olympic Silver Medalist,  and Dan Henderson, also an Olympian, of “Team Quest,” one of the most respected MMA training centers in America, which began in 1997 in Gresham and now has centers in Portland, Tualatin, and West Linn in Oregon, and Murrieta, Redding, and Oceanside in California. (See, www.tqmma.com.)

            Couture fought for the UFC for the first time in Portand in UFC 102 at the Rose Garden last year. Although he lost a close decision in the three-five-minute round Main Event, it was judged the “Fight of the Night.” Although Couture has relocated his training headquarters to Las Vegas, he described the Rose Garden fight as the first for UFC “in my hometown” and he maintains real roots here. For instance, in conjunction with the UFC 102 match, Couture worked closely with a local charitable group to stage a very successful fundraiser before, during (special broadcast of the fight to a donor gathering), and after the fight (grand reception at which Couture met, mingled, and tried to donate, a high-priced car for auction.)
            But, all of the above notwithstanding, there has been very little reporting by Oregon media on Couture’s career despite his “legend” status outside Oregon. For instance, the print media reporting on UFC 102 was scant, and, as far as is known, there was none on television or radio, except that it  was reported on by the Victoria Taft Show on KPAM860.
Chael Sonnen

            Similarly, there was little or no coverage by the Oregon media about the victories of Oregon’s Randy Couture and Chael Sonnen in UFC 109.  Why not?  How many world renown athletic “legends” does Oregon have that it can ignore one so universally admired as Couture? Or  how many  title-contending athletes as intelligent, articulate, entrepreneurial,  and contributing-to-his-hometown as Sonnen? Why are MMA athletes not newsworthy in Oregon?

CHAEL SONNEN – RISING STAR OUT OF OREGON
            Chael Sonnen, is a rising athletic star and potential  UFC champion in MMA who was  born in Milwaukee and raised in West Linn, Oregon, and remains rooted there as a successful realtor, small business owner, entrepreneur.
            Further, Sonnen is a Republican candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives for the 37th District representing parts of Washington and Clackamas Counties, including his hometown of West Linn.  (See, www.votesonnen.com)
            Sonnen fought in the Co-Main Event in UFC 109 as the definite underdog in a match against Nate Marquardt, thought to be the top-ranked contender for the Middleweight title. Marquardt had knocked-out Brazilian star Damian Maia  in 21-seconds at UFC 102 in the Rose Garden last year. Most thought that he would defeat Sonnen and get a title shot.
            Sonnen,  who is sometimes referred to as “the quotable Chael Sonnen,” thought otherwise, and said so. Although he is confident but not arrogant, and although he holds Marquardt in high regard personally and professionally,  Sonnen, without trash-talking Marquardt, stated  repeatedly in pre-fight interviews that he believed that he could and would defeat Marquardt, and that he, Sonnen, should be the No. 1 contender.
            At UFC 109, Sonnen, took Marquardt down repeatedly and dominated the match,  although Marquardt hit him so hard in the first round that Sonnen said he “saw white” and was “knocked out for a second;” opened a cut on Sonnen’s forehead in round two with an elbow strike; and almost choked Sonnen out  in the final seconds of the bout.
            But Sonnen, the underdog, never stopped fighting.  All three judges scored all three rounds for Sonnen in a unanimous decision.  It was also named the “Fight Of The Night” by the UFC.
            By his victory, Chael Sonnen of West Linn is now the No. 1 Middleweight Contender  in the premier MMA venue of the world, the UFC. He is guaranteed the next shot at the championship.
            It has been a long road for Sonnen, every step of it calling on character and integrity as much as athletic skill. “I’ve dreamed of this since 1993,” says Sonnen,  now 32, who has a reputation for diligent, disciplined training and conditioning as a member of Team Quest.
Chael Sonnen

            A graduate of West Linn High School, he went to the University of Oregon on a wrestling scholarship. He was named an NCAA All-American, was a two-time University National Champion, and a U.S. Olympic Team alternate. As a professional fighter, he won numerous championships in various venues outside the UFC. He defeated the WEC Middleweight Champion, Paulo Filho, but didn’t get the title because Filho came in overweight for the scheduled title fight. Sonnen went ahead with the fight and won every round on every judge’s card in a dominant performance. Filho later said he would mail Sonnen the championship belt. In the UFC, Sonnen  is a rising star, culminating in his UFC 109 victory.

            But Sonnen’s remarkable athletic achievements are only one aspect of who he is. He is a bright, intelligent, articulate individual with a quick wit, and gift for the newsworthy quip. He speaks confidently and frankly, but not arrogantly. He looks reporters in the eye when answering questions, and doesn’t kowtow to get favorable press.  He emphasizes that he will speak the truth as he sees it, even if that puts him at risk.
            For one instance, asked in the post-UFC 109 press conference if he felt good in his fight with Marquardt, Sonnen responded he was glad he won, “but it was a miserable experience. The most miserable 15 minutes of my life…What was I thinking? I was saying to myself, ‘Oh, God, let this be over!” all to the laugher of the media who expected platitudes. For another example, asked in an interview if he has any “heroes,” he answered immediately and unequivocally in this secular age, “Pope John Paul II.”
            Sonnen, who holds a degree  in sociology from the University of Oregon, is a successful realtor in West Linn. He is an entrepreneur, and small business owner dealing with all the problems affecting small business owners  in the current economy. He is, among other things, vice president of Caged Promotions, a sports  promotion and music production company.
            In addition to his own daily rigorous training at Team Quest, his work  as a realtor and his business,  Sonnen is giving back to his community by, among other things, coaching West Linn’s All-Phase Wrestling Club for youth.
            Sonnen is very knowledgeable about the political, economic and social issues facing Oregon and able to articulately address them.
            Perhaps as evidence of his non-arrogant self-confidence and ability to multi-task, he announced his candidacy, as a Republican candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives, 37th District on Febuary 5th. The next day, Feb. 6, he fought the co-main event at UFC 109. Most thought he couldn’t win. He said he would. He did.
            Now, he wants to win a seat in the legislature,  inspired to do so, he says, by his work with young athletes in his hometown. He downplays his athletic achievements in MMA and focuses on his business, educational, and life experience as a native Oregonian as reasons for sending him to the legislature, where the schools and educational opportunities are of primary concern to him.
            “Oregon needs a strong economy and more jobs to fund critical public services we all depend on,” Sonnen said in announcing his candidacy. “Oregonians deserve less partisan bickering and more problem-solving from their legislature. I will serve in the tradition of Rep. Scott Bruun to work across the aisle to find solutions to help Oregon families during these tough times.” (Bruun is seeking a Senate seat.)
            Whether Sonnen will win in his election contest, or his title match in the UFC, is of course, unknown.  What is obvious that it is a great mistake to underestimate Chael Sonnen. Realtor. Businessman. Entrepreneur. MMA Fighter.  Coach and mentor to youth in his hometown.  And, it is also obvious that if he is elected to the legislature, that it is doubtful that anyone will be successful in pushing him around.
CONCLUSION
            The day after the victories of Randy Couture and Chael Sonnen at UFC 109, millions of Americans saw a feature story on Chael Sonnen broadcast nationally by Fox Television’s “Fox In The Morning,” an interview of Sonnen concerning his MMA career and his candidacy for the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican (See, www.votesonnen.com.)
            But on media other than Fox, there was little or no news about his remarkable victory or candidacy, or Couture’s victory, by Oregon media. The Oregonian, for instance, didn’t cover either in the print edition;  brief information had to be sought in its online blogs.
            Randy Couture, the MMA legend, and Chael Sonnen, a rising star, are, indeed, remarkable Oregon-rooted athletes who by their achievements as American athletes in MMA, and their good works as American patriots in their communities, bring honor to Oregon. They deserve to be focused on individually, but, as stated above, I write of them here in representative capacities, in order to raise the question of the lack of coverage of MMA athletes generally by Oregon media.
            Why is it that Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen,  and so many other remarkable Oregon-rooted athletes in MMA, like Olympian and world medalist Matt Lindland  and other MMA athletes at Oregon’s Team Quest — unlike other professional athletes in other  sports (most with no roots in Oregon) — go generally unremarked by the media, and the powers that be, in Oregon?  
            Why are these MMA athletes  not honored by a state to which they are bringing honor, as athletes, and as patriots contributing to their communities?


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