Ultimate Fighting Championship

Interesting article about UFC. I watched a few videos in the mid 90s, but I think it got boring fast, once all the fighters figured out that grappling was the best approach to winning.

I haven't rented a UFC video in years, so I'm not sure how it's changed.

Link

Raven

yeah, my friends and i used to watch the videos too. but the changing fighters and grappling got boring.

The sport has changed, since the early days when everyone seemed to go to grappling and there were a lot of technical snoozefests. Don't get me wrong, as in any combat sport (like boxing), there are definitely occasionally matches that are very technical, defensive, and less than action-packed ... okay, "snoozefests".

However, the days when pure grapplers could rule the roost are pretty much gone. Everyone is cross-training, and we see lots of fights ending with striking on the feet. Guys who are better strikers have gotten very good at defending the takedown. Guys who are grapplers have added striking into their game, and not just a token amount ... we've seen some former pure grapplers outpunching kickboxers. And when the action gets too slow on the ground, the fighters are stood back up. Mixed martial arts have come a long way, the fighers are much more well-rounded. As I said, there are still fighters who seem to be more one-dimensional and whose fights aren't as exciting -- again though, that's just like any other combat sport.


Joe

I have seen every UFC and most the the Pride fighting Championships, and mixed martial arts have gone from very boring, undisciplined examples of no one knowing just how their skills might match up with other people. With the advent of cross training, It has become a sport,for the most part of submission specialists, fighters who are waiting for you to expose something they can bring pressure against, a joint, windpipe(throat), a knee , an elbow, an ankle, to bring pressure against something that will make you want to give up. Then, you have the people who just want to pummel you with their fists (beat the crap out of you and not give you the chance to submit) hence knocking you out.I do want to mention that the referee has an important roll in all of this because the nature of the sport is so potentially dangerous that usually at the first second a fighter has been incapacitated he rushes in to stop the bout. It has become very technical with the top people able to put overwhelming pressure on everything you've got.
I love it. The next one is April 25,with a free preview at 5:30 pm of one fight. The Pride Fighting Championships from Japan attracted 93,000 people to a huge outdoor stadium.

Last time I watched UFC, Mark Coleman had just established himself as the baddest mofo in the valley, and before him it was Don Fry, and before him it was Dan THE BEAST Severn.

Can you recommend a couple of good UFC tapes to rent? Are the newer ones any good?


Raven