Mixed Martial Arts

Hitman Hart

UFC, the largest MMA company in the world now that they own Pride, is surging in popularity, and there is a good chance the sport could go mainstream. I myself am a big fan of it, although I can't watch much without access to cable, although I Netflix DVDs regularly. If anyone would like to talk about it here, in terms of who they like and whatnot, or discuss other thigns, such as "Can it replace boxing?", I'd love to see some intelligent discussion here. If you haven't watched MMA before, Bodog Fight is streaming its episodes off its website and even allowing you to download them at http://www.bodogfight.com/series-3/episodes/. Bodog isn't exactly the best MMA in the world, but you can get the idea here. In short, it's basically pro wrestling if it was real. The idea appears to have begun with things like Jeet Kun Do(that first scene in in Enter the Dragon where Bruce fights Sammo Hung is an early predecessor of MMA) and Antonio Inoki's worked fights against differant martial arts practitioners.

bodtchboy

I used to watch UFC a lot, but after a while, most of the competitors were really young, inexperienced, and so the fights weren't as exciting to me. I do like George rush-St. Pierre. I'd like to see how well he holds his title.

Now pridefighting is awesome!! They have some great competitors and seems more like UFC in the old days.

Hitman Hart

You do realize Pride was bought by UFC and will essentially become UFC in a ring instead of the Octagon, right? Also, a lot of the very top level talent has either joined UFC proper or works with IFL or Bodog. Heroes(run by K-1) is the only Japanese owned major league MMA company right now.

Thaed

I understand the talent that goes into some of this stuff, but most matches seem to end up on the ground. That doesn't do it for me for the same reason I never went to wrestling matches in high school. It's scantily dressed men wrapped up in each other's arms and legs, grunting.

Hitman Hart

I understand the talent that goes into some of this stuff, but most matches seem to end up on the ground. That doesn't do it for me for the same reason I never went to wrestling matches in high school. It's scantily dressed men wrapped up in each other's arms and legs, grunting.

And fighting with everything they have. Going to the ground allows a much larger amount of submissions to be executed or a ground and pound. Also, a well timed takedown can save a fighter who's getting rocked by a better standup fighter and give them time to recover. If you can't see pas the fact that they're fighting in Vale Tudo shorts or what have you, your loss. Some companies(like Pride before they were bought, don't know if they'll change) allow fighters to go in with a gi or long pants or what have you. This presents a different strategy. You can use the gi to choke, but on the other hand it makes it much easier to grab a limb and apply a submission(especially a leg lock). I think most fighters actually prefer shorts/trunks because once they begin to sweat their body becomes slick and it makes it harder to put on those holds. That's how I see it, anyway.

Apreche

This is the age old dilemma of human hand to hand combat as entertainment. The most entertaining forms of martial arts for the spectator are ones that involve many quick and showy maneuvers. Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Kung Fu, light saber battles, and other such styles take this to the maximum. However, the most effective form of hand to hand combat for humans has always been straight up wrestling. It's sad in a way, but in real life a giant wrestler like Zangief will beat a Shaolin master just about every time. Of course this assumes no weapons.

Thus, if you want to see entertaining fights between people, you have to put lots of limitations on what is allowed. Completely no-holds barred fighting will almost always end up with two people on the ground grabbing each other. If you want to see realistic fights, you are going to see one guy grab another guy and not let him go.

Personally, I think the most entertaining martial art to watch is still straight up boxing. Go on Youtube and actually watch Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson fight somebody. No matter what you say about these people as human beings, especially Tyson, you must admit they were some of the best ever at what they did. Watching those men box is a wonder to behold. I'd much rather watch them on YouTube than this MMA stuff that goes no nowadays.

Andrew

MMA is just one step above of street fighting.

Starfox

Roy Jones Jr. is pretty good too. Cocky as hell, but entertaining.

Hitman Hart

Personally, I think the most entertaining martial art to watch is still straight up boxing. Go on Youtube and actually watch Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson fight somebody. No matter what you say about these people as human beings, especially Tyson, you must admit they were some of the best ever at what they did. Watching those men box is a wonder to behold. I'd much rather watch them on YouTube than this MMA stuff that goes no nowadays.

I won't pretend that the ground game is easy to understand at first, I admit I still don't totally understand how it all works, but it's not very boring if you're watching two fighters with a clue in there(with exceptions, there are definately guys who fight to not lose as opposed to fighting to win). Also, MMA has some very fun strikers. Netflix UFC 47 It's On and watch Chuck Liddel, he's a kickboxer, basically, who throws these super strong looping punches. It's also a very standup heavy show in general. I've tried watching some boxing, and I like watching the smaller fighters who fight because they love to fight and not so much for the money, but I like MMA better right now. I haven't watched much Tyson or Ali, admittedly.What MMA have you seen, Scott?

MMA is just one step above of street fighting.

Um....no.....fighters wear gloves, albeit small ones, and are very well trained. Doctors check on fighters before and after fights to make sure they are fit going in and safe coming out. Fighters are often given medical suspensions to make sure if they are hurt they don't fight again until they are healed. Referees are trained to put the safety of the fighters above all else. They can and will stop a fight as soon as they think one fighter cannot go any longer. Sometimes they call a fight a bit early, but we all agree better an early stoppage than a late one. If MMA is just above street fighting, then so are the other combat sports, especially boxing and kickboxing. UFC is not what it was when it started, it is very heavily regulated, especially in Nevada where UFC primarily runs. New York is probably going to be even more strict about it if they decide to allow it in the state, including changing the weigh in to day of the fight. The most dangerous part of an MMA fight might actually be weight cutting, but that's another discussion for later.