UFC crowds are a double-edged sword because if they love you, they will cheer at every punch and kick you land as a fighter. However, a crowd that does not like you will do everything in their power to throw you off your game. And that is exactly what happened with Bryan Battle at UFC Paris against Kevin Jousset. Except, having watched WWE and understanding the role of a heel, Battle knows how to deal with it.
The American fighter walked out to ‘Nigg*as in Paris’ song by Kanye West and Jay Z and talked trash to his opponent ahead of the fight. So as soon as he entered the arena, the crowd began booing him.
It didn’t matter one bit since he convincingly defeated Jousset with a standing TKO. And of course, in the style of a true heel, he went ahead and basically called the town he was performing in trash!
While many would have been overawed by the occasion, Battle explained why kept giving the crowd a reason to boo him.
“I’ve watched enough WWE growing up, that I know how to turn on the heel s*it…As soon as they do something, I’m gonna give them something to boo.”
He literally told the fans that there was no way he would lose a striking match against a Frenchman.
Boy, that’s some good heel work, stuff that even the Final Boss, Dwayne ‘The Rock Johnson’ would be proud of.
And much like The Rock, ‘The Butcher’ feels that his little stint at UFC Paris actually gained him more followers than haters.
Battle believes the French love him
The French people can be as cold as their bread but Bryan Battle believes they respect him since he did not do anything to try an
And it’s the cardinal rule of the WWE, of all combat sports for that matter. They can cheer you, they can boo you but they can never the noise. Indifference is death in this business!
“Everyone thinks that all the French people hate me, I think they lowkey loved it. Coz it’s like they were able to get engaged in it.”
But did they actually love him? Did Battle test the theory and how?
Well, when ‘Rampage’ Jackson asked him what the fans were like once he left the arena, Battle revealed that they had lined up for pictures with him.
And that there is proof that pro wrestling/ WWE set the standards in this business. And every show on earth, scripted or not, is simply following their template!
