What happened to UFC?

[The BB of C]

I think that the UFC is more entertaining now than it was then. The the fighters are getting better all the time, and it is presented well...

I would not trade it back now.

I dissagree. If you've seen some of the clips I've seen of the old stuff. It's rediculous! It's brutal! It was the most fun thing I've ever watched! It's not nearly as intense and fun to watch nowadays. The fights have gotten way slower, way weaker, and there is no variety in fighters anymore, and the fighters with different styles don't use them.

[G95champ]

If you go back and watch the first few UFC's by II they were already talking about how to sue BJJ and do something with Gracie. So the style vs style aspcet only lasted one show.

[Azmyth]

I have personally never found UFC exciting. In fact, to me it was downright boring. All I saw was two fighters who traded a few kicks and more punches (about 10/90) until they could get close enough to grapple. Then it was 15 minutes of attempted submissions. Why is that exciting?

I would have loved to see a TKD fighter vs. karate or judo, in uniforms. At least then I would feel a little bond with the TKD guy and root for him.

All I see is two guys in spandex shorts fighting pretty much the same way-Throw a few kicks to show it's not boxing, throw more punches, and grapple the rest of the time. It's boring.

you see what I see.

thats how I look at it..

every fight is the same..

they start off standing.. kick and punch a few times.. til one can take the other to the ground, then they'll roll around the ground until one can make the other submit.

its really wrestling is all it is, in my eyes. not that they don't know their stuff.. I just yearn for a pure martial arts type open tournament. It doesn't even have to be no holds barred.. just full contact with protection is fine with me..

muay thai vs. tkd

karate vs. kung fu

ninjutsu vs. savate

that type of thing..

all UFC proves is who is the best submission artist, rarely ever does a fight end with a kick or a punch (it does happen sometimes though)

[bushido_man96]

and where are the average Joe's? I'm sure there are guys that weigh 165lbs soaking wet that are 10x the fighters anyone in UFC is.. but unfortunately due to size.. they can't do much...

I'm a small guy, and I'd rather see a flexible agile quick as lighting little guy over a big muscle pound wrestling looking dude any day of the week. Show some little guy love.

If the small guys are good enough, and want to give it a try, then they have the same chance to get into the UFC as everyone else does. They are starting a lightweight division, so it is going to happen. Otherwise, if they don't want to do it, then that is their decision.

[bushido_man96]

I think that the UFC is more entertaining now than it was then. The the fighters are getting better all the time, and it is presented well...

I would not trade it back now.

I dissagree. If you've seen some of the clips I've seen of the old stuff. It's rediculous! It's brutal! It was the most fun thing I've ever watched! It's not nearly as intense and fun to watch nowadays. The fights have gotten way slower, way weaker, and there is no variety in fighters anymore, and the fighters with different styles don't use them.

Brutality will get the fights shut down, and then the commissions won't let them fight. That is why the rules have been streamlined.

The fighters today are athletes now. Their is a reason why the fighters look similar now; because the evolution of the UFC has caused them to see that their games are weak if they don't include all three facets of fighting.

I would have loved to see a TKD fighter vs. karate or judo, in uniforms. At least then I would feel a little bond with the TKD guy and root for him.

The style vs. style thing stared phasing out when the stylists figured out that they had to learn ground fighting to counter ground fighting. That is why you don't see pure Boxers entering the UFCs. There has been a long history of the Boxer vs. Wrestler challenge matches, and the Boxers/stand-up fighters don't usually fair the best.

[Azmyth]

yeah.. your right and it makes perfect sense.. its more of a "sport" now.. than a tournament.

just like other sports.. all the teams are alike.. for the most part.. so the one who does it better wins.

i just wish at least the fights weren't all the same.

I get more entertainment out of watching school tournaments.

some of the fighters don't even have a martial arts background at all.. (tank abbot anyone?)

[NightOwl]

Again I wish to plug PRIDE for its diversity (smaller and larger fighters, more styles, etc). However even there, nobody is foolish enough to go in without ANY grappling. As bushido_man said, grappler VS striker matches usually turn out in favor of the grappler, and even if you are a champion boxer, muay tai fighter, karateka, or kickboxer, if you know squat about what to do when most of your striking tools are taken away from you, then you are left in a very vulnerable position. Yes, I do prefer the wild west days- each fight felt new, unpredictable, and experimental....and even I will admit that having different uniforms was kind of cool. But thats what they were- experimental. And the results of that experiment are what you see in the UFC today : Striking with a heavy grappling emphasis.

[bushido_man96]

I notice that you keep making the PRIDE plugs, NightOwl. I don't know if you saw the news or not, but Zuffa acquired PRIDE, and now the two are one. I think PRIDE held its last event in Japan already, and it will all fall under the umbrella of the UFC now, I think.

Not sure, but I do know that PRIDE was bought by Zuffa.

[Azmyth]

the only thing I disagree with is..

if stand up fighting is so useless why do it at all?

to a degree this statement is true.. because 99% of the time.. the fight has already been taken to the ground within the first 30 seconds.

UGC = Ultimate Grappling Championship would be a more fitting title.

The ultimate way to fix this for me.. would be to seperate the divisions.. and have a grappling and non grappling division..

strikers vs. strikers

grapplers vs. grapplers

I like grappling arts.. don't get me wrong.. but I can almost never say "dang, look at that kick". You might see about 10 kicks a fight.. and probably only 1 of those 10 will land at all.

I'm a TKD guy, so I think I just miss the traditional part of it, now that it has been modernized into a sport. The "art" part is almost gone..

Can anyone tell me what styles of Martial Arts Matt Hughes studies?

[bushido_man96]

I didn't say that stand-up fighting is useless, or that stand-up styles are useless. It is just that there is more to all-around fighting than just standing. I happen to be a stand-up striker myself. However, I also realize that I have no ground game, and that is a disadvantage to me.

If you want to see kickers fight, then watch Olympic TKD, or Muay Thai. Those are going to be the best places to see it.

In the UFCs that I have watched, I have seen plenty of standing knockouts (even a few with kicks), ground-and-pound stoppages, and grappling submissions. There is plenty of variety to see in the UFC; you just have to analyze it more closely to really appreciate it.