Race War

When Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin meet in the Octagon at UFC 92 they'll be fighting more than each other. They'll also be grappling with racial stereotypes that have existed since even before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line. Each of them embodies all the traits (both good and bad) athletes of their race are perceived to possess.

Let's start with the black guy, Rashad Evans. He's immensely talented and has all the physical gifts. He has tremendous speed and power and he moves so effortlessly it almost seems as if he's floating. In fact, the way he moves, coupled with the confident way he talks and acts, has earned him that other tag for black athletes, "arrogant."



That stands in stark contrast to Forrest Griffin who despite being champion of one of the most talent-laden weight classes in the UFC is self-deprecating to a fault. Not only that, Griffin clearly lacks the physical gifts of some of his peers (a simple comparison of physiques will that you that much) and instead he gets by on guts and guile. Griffin's best strategy is often to use his face to injure his opponents' fists. Several times Griffin has endured so much punishment that his opponent wore out, and Griffin emerged from the fight with a win, and a face that made you say "if he won, I'd hate to see the other guy."



The enduring post-fight image of each fighter just as perfectly illustrates what I'm trying to say. There's Rashad Evans, casually wiping the sweat from his brow as if to say "ain't no thang." And there's Griffin, arms raised triumphantly, bloodied, but not beaten.

You've got physical gifts and arrogance of the black guy against the humble white guy who gets by on heart.
Who'll win out? Probably the guy who bucks the stereotype.