MMAmania.com spoke to former Detroit Piston and 1989 NBA Finals champion, Rick Mahorn, at Bellator 124 last weekend in Plymouth, Michigan inside Compuware Arena. Not surprisingly, the leader during Detroit's "Bad Boy" era is a fan of the fight game.
PLYMOUTH, MI-Back in the late 80s, the Detroit Pistons were known by the moniker "Bad Boys" for their aggressive, rough and rugged brand of basketball. There were fouls aplenty and more than a few scuffles with opposing players that took umbrage to that particular style of play. Say what you will on whether you liked it or not, it was proven to be a success, as the team went to three-straight NBA Finals from 88-90 under head coach Chuck Daly, winning the latter two.
Rick Mahorn was a leader on the Pistons team after coming over from the Washington Bullets in 1985 until he was picked in the 1990 expansion draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He, along with Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman, quickly developed a reputation for their level of defense and physical nature on the hardwood.
The man who longtime Pistons commentator George Blaha referred to as "The baddest bad boy of them all," was in attendance last Friday (Sept. 12, 2014) at Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, for Bellator 124 (results), but it wasn't the first time he has seen live MMA action.
"I've been to Donofrio's (a regional Michigan MMA promotion). I've been to a couple, but this one was intense," said the 1989 NBA Finals champion after Emanuel Newton knocked out Joey Beltran with a spinning back fist in the main event (watch it here).
Mahorn received a warm ovation when the crowd recognized him on the big screen inside Compuware Arena and he confirmed he definitely enjoys watching MMA. "Always a fan," Mahorn smiled. "I'm a 'Bad Boy,' we are always fans of fights."
No stranger to a scuffle during his time as a player, Mahorn quickly said "no," when asked if he or any of his "Bad Boy" teammates could've competed in MMA.
"You can use any part of the body that you can," he said. "The fighters are great conditioned athletes. Everybody that can fight straight for five minutes with a minute rest, you got to have a lot of respect for them."
Mahorn has served as a color analyst for the Pistons radio broadcast network alongside Mark Champion for the last nine years. While there is plenty of regional MMA in Michigan, the UFC hasn't been to Michigan since UFC 123: "Machida vs. Rampage" back in 2010, and prior to Bellator 124, Bellator was last in "The Great Lake State" in January 2013 for Bellator 87. The former "Bad Boy" would like to see more.
"It would be nice to see it, but I'm glad to see it tonight."
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