(Our favorite dip-chewin', book writin' sumbitch Matthew Polly is back, this time sharing some insider perspective on the recent drama in GeorgesLand)
The question of fealty between fighter and coach seems to be the topic du jour this week. Several A-listers have tossed over their old entourage. Vitor Belfort left Shawn Tompkins, causing the former Xtreme Couture head coach to lash out, like Ryan Reynolds against Scarlett Johansson. Perennial nice guy, Georges St. Pierre managed his breakups with his manager (Shari Spencer) and trainer (Jon Chaimber) so deftly that both went on the record to say it was amicable, like Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.
Of course, amicable is crap. When one of the top two best P4P fighters in the world and a major source of revenue and status fires you there is usually a little ?rancor? and the spirit of ?friendly goodwill? does not rule. Amicable is the shit you say publicly, while off-the-record or through surrogates or sympathizers (?pals? in the jargon of US Weekly) you leak damning stories to the press.
One of those cropped up in a recent post by Cagepotato.com, complete with ?sources telling Cagepotato? and ?the reports we are hearing.? That is to say, a remarkable amount of reporting for a humor/commentary website. (At this rate, all of its bloggers may one day earn a byline.) The devil in these accumulated leaks and of the post?s conclusion turned out to be John Danaher, the no-gi instructor at Renzo Gracie?s Academy in Manhattan.
And that?s the reason I?m posting. Full disclosure, I was a student of John?s for a year and I am very loyal. So while I?m a big fan of Cagepotato (the writers are remarkably smart, funny, and prolific), I feel the obligation to once more take a thwack and hope they forget by the time (2020?) my book finally comes out.
To deconstruct: The ?set-up? of the piece?s demonology is that GSP has made this ?odd? decision to break-up his winning team, because he has come under ?the influence? of John Danaher, who is, by their accounts, a Rasputin-like character whispering sweet nothings to GSP not only on training and tactics?
But also on his life in general. The highly-regarded Renzo Gracie black belt instructor is a philosophy major who fancies himself somewhat of a pseudo life coach to the athletes he trains. It's said that St-Pierre has accepted him as a guru and that the New Zealander has his ear?
Where to start with this laughable paragraph?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fightlinker/~3/0rAinD-_HFg/loyalty-tests
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