(Photo:UFC.com)

Kalib Starnes has come forward with his explanation of the events at UFC 83 and an ineffective performance that riled fans and frustrated his opponent Nate Quarry. Starnes updated his website to explain the performance, stating that he did not in any way throw the fight and that he felt forced to state his case given the negative and fictitious press that he has been receiving since the bout.
As usual the truth is never as interesting as speculation, and that holds true in this case. Details from Starnes’ statements are included below;

“…I would like to apologize to my coaches, trainers and the fans for what happened. It was by far the worst fight of my career, much to the credit of my opponent who proved to be a real monster in the ring, I think that they should keep him in a cave somewhere and feed him raw meat!”

“Regardless of my dissatisfaction with my contract, I will say that to the best of my knowledge the UFC honoured all agreements made with me while I was under contract with them. I do not blame the UFC in any way for my loss, and I hold no grudges against Nate Quarry or his corner.”

“This sport is as much about losing as it is about winning. There is a winner and a loser in every fight. I tried to win but on that night I couldn’t do it and I lost. Instead of allowing me to lose with dignity I was booed and called names and ridiculed beyond anything which seems reasonable to me. I tried to box with him and I couldn’t find my range, I tried to kickbox with him and I broke my foot, I tried to take him down and grapple with him but I was unable to, I tried to work in the clinch but that didn’t work either, in short, I failed. No excuses.”

“During the fight I received a broken bone in my right foot and I find out tomorrow if I need to have surgery and get a pin put through it so that it will heal properly. I also have severe bruising on my left thigh, lumps on my head, a fat black eye, a sprained jaw and damage to the nerves in my molars.”

So it seems very clear that Kalib Starnes did not throw the fight.  The long list of injuries is surprising considering the lack of engagement between the two fighters…but that’s easy for me to say from the outside of the Octagon. 

What is the excuse then?  I understand a bad night of fighting, but Kalib’s response makes it seem as though he was completely outmatched by Nate Quarry. No disrespect to Quarry, but I wouldn’t be labelling him as an elite level fighter in the division right now, so what does that say about Starnes?  I believe that Starnes has a good skill set and possibly poor execution in this fight.  He has apologised and is taking his lumps both personally and professionally with his quick departure from the UFC.

His statement ends with an indication that he has been invited to appear on Inside MMA to discuss the fight in more detail today.  I suspect that given the explanation, the questions will skirt around the topic of “Why didn’t you take your loss in the ring and fight to the finish?” “Where do you see the line between providing entertainment and managing your fight record and protecting your physical health?”

It should be interesting and we may not have heard the whole story just yet….

Inside MMA airs tonight @ 09:30PM EST and will repeat several times.  Check out the Inside MMA site for additional schedule details.

Check out the entire response on Kalib Starnes’ site.