Mr. T on Battlecade: Extreme Fighting #1 (1995)

 "Battlecade Extreme Fighting" is an early "Extreme Fighting", MMA event that struggled to make money and went out of business. It is responsible for coining the term "mixed martial arts".

I personally could not be less interested in Mixed Martial Arts but this has T in it so I've watched it.

Mr. T acts as the sideline reporter - each time a match is won, he interviews the winner in the locker room. In the first interview he asks, "What kind of maneuver did you use?" and then "How long have you been fighting?" and then that's it. In the second interview he asks, "What kind of maneuver did you use?" and then "How long have you been fighting?" and then that's it.

T is clearly not a great interviewer at first - not only is he dealing with live television and trying to think on his feet, this is his first time doing it. He does improve and gets more comfortable as the event goes along, in fact in some of the later interviews, there is a genuinely interesting exchange. It's an impressive improvement over a short period of time. It should be noted also that the position of the sideline reporter is one of the most useless jobs in the world. Athletes who have just come out from the field or floor can't speak and have nothing to say, usually. But Mr. T can be my sideline reporter any time.

The most important, most interesting fight will not be shown or even alluded to in the broadcast. Two months before this appearance, Mr. T was diagnosed with cancer. 

Diagnosed in September 1995 of T-Cell Lymphoma ("Can you imagine that?! Cancer with my name on it -- personalized cancer.") in his ear, he would undergo a month of successful treatment. 11 months later, the cancer would return, popping up "like popcorn" all over his body. The fight would go on for several years. 

"I pity the fool who just gives up. We all gonna die eventually from something or other, but don't be a wimp. Put up a good fight. Don't sit around waiting on death. We can be tough. We can be determined. Go out and have some fun and make death find you! We can be living with cancer, not dying from it. We can be cancer survivors."

"One more thing," adds Mr. T. "If you don't remind me that I have cancer then I won't remember either, because I am too busy living. If you see me, please come by and shake my hand; give me a hug, a thumbs-up or a high five; take a photo with me, or let's do lunch, because cancer ain't contagious. That would really make my day."