Jon Fitch: Promoters and fighters are dumbing down MMA to appease fair-weather fans |
| Posted By |
Message |
ThaAxeMurderer7
MMA Sensei
Career record: 784-517
Season: 31-28 (#1360)
Location: Chael Sonnen is a SNITCH and a GOOD BOY!
|
"I view them as fair-weather fans. They aren't mixed martial arts fans. They want to see K-1 kickboxing with small gloves and not MMA. I'm always working to finish fights. There are two guys in the fight, and if the other guy is looking to just survive, it's hard to finish. Promoters and fighters are dumbing down the sport to appease those fans. Those fans won't be there for the long haul and will turn their back on the sport as soon as they find the next big thing. I think referees standing fighters up too soon is one of the dumbest things that has been done recently. They need to let the fighters work on the ground, and not be so quick to bring the fighters back to their feet."
UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch reacts to criticism surrounding his inability to finish fights after going 5-1 since 2007 with six decisions.
Link
|
|
Post #1 3/23/10 9:56:33PM
|
|
|
Buy the ticket, take the ride
Career record: 928-525
Season: 39-20 (#649)
Location: My big ass bed
|
He has a point, if someone is getting held down and dominated by wrestling why not let it go on. Some of the stand ups recently have obviously favored the striker so how it it MMA if the rules are geared to help one style and not another.
_______________________________________
"RIP Evan Tanner, a real life trail blazer."
I was born to lead, not to read!!!!
|
|
Post #2 3/23/10 10:20:32PM
|
Advertisement |
|
bjj1605
MMA Sensei
Career record: 910-551
Season: 41-18 (#662)
Location: Chicago
|
Fitch is so right. There are very few instances where stand-ups are needed. If a fighter is obviously intentionally stalling then ya they should stand it up. But 99.9% of the time I'd rather see the fighters get to work on the ground to see what happens. I think they should remove the rule because the .1% of the time where stand-ups are a good thing isn't worth all the times refs abuse it.
Now I understand that it's mostly done to keep the action going and appease uneducated fans (I've studied Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for many years so I probably appreciate it more than your average casual fan, as do many of you on this site) but it isn't worth losing the integrity of the sport. If someone can hold you down for 15mins, tough luck. The flip side of that though is the judges need to be better educated so they can actually score action on the ground. None of this "the fighter on top is always winning" crap. I've seen many fights where a guy on his back effectively worked from the guard and should've gotten the victory.
|
|
Post #3 3/23/10 10:38:30PM
|
sbulldavid
MMA Sensei
Career record: 857-500
Season: 44-15 (#270)
Location:
|
He makes good points, but this is not real pro wrestling, I didn't have a problem with Rashad taking Thiago Silva down over and over, I don't have a problem with GSP doing it either, but if that is all that you have in six consecutive fights, you are not taking enough risks. Even Randy finishes fights now and then, that is why he's going to get beat up by GSP every time, even if they fight ten times.
Props to BJJ1605, that is my biggest complaint nobody cares if a guy is winning off his back anymore, I really miss the ten minute round in pride, then a good ground guy had enough time to work or get his ass pounded out.
Last edited 3/23/10 10:51PM by sbulldavid
Edit note/reason: n/a
|
|
Post #4 3/23/10 10:47:27PM
|
Boo_Radley21
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 573-405
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Ontario
|
I agree standups are brutal, because holding a guy on the ground and dominating while throwing even a bit of ground and pound is a lot more exciting than some of Machida's fights that stay standing. Plus why give the guys with KO power an advantage, if a guy can outwrestle you he can outwrestle you...learn some takedown defense and deal with it.
|
|
Post #5 3/23/10 11:04:07PM
|
NatedawgThaM
MMA Sensei
Career record: 343-224
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: New Providence, Pa
|
Fan are such retards sometimes. Especially a lot of them I see on that websites comments.
How is Fitch boring? He use to always finish fights. Gono is tough as hell and hard as hell to finish. The Paulo Thiago fight could have been alot worse. It wasn't even that bad if you knew what they were doing on the ground. I thought it was pretty cool watching Fitch fight for positiion while barely escaping every last one of Thiagos submission attempts. And the Pierce fight wasn't bad either, they were exchanging on the feet and Fitch was constantly looking and almost got the rear naked choke.
Fitch is the fn man. One tough S.O.B I can't wait to see this fight with Thiago and I'd laugh if Fitch finished him. Should be a hell of a fight though I can't wait!
|
|
Post #6 3/23/10 11:12:35PM
|
tepid55
MMA Sensei
Career record: 1066-568
Season: 43-16 (#168)
Location: Texas
|
I think the standup rule should be done away with. This is MMA, not gloified K-1 kickboxing.
|
|
Post #7 3/23/10 11:59:33PM
|
prozacnation1978
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 1016-531
Season: 43-16 (#40)
Location: san diego
|
FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT FAIR WEATHER FANS ARE
THEY ARE THE ONES WHO DON'T WATCH PRELIM FIGHTS AND COME IN FOR THE MAIN CARD AT A UFC EVENT NOR WATCH ALL THE FIGHTS ON THE CARD
|
|
Post #8 3/24/10 1:06:02AM
|
shotokansun
Learning to Sprawl
Career record: 34-16
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Wisconsin
|
I certainly understand where he is coming from. A lot of fights are stood up when they don't have to be, and it is certainly because they are hoping for some sort of epic knockout to come from them standing up. Fitch made a great point when he said that these "fair weather fans" wanted to see K1 with smaller gloves.
That being said, I am almost 100 percent certain that everyone on this board jumps out of their seat when they see a KO like the one from Hendo on Bisping, but that is not to say that I don't enjoy a good ground exhibition either. Its called mixed martial arts for a reason.
|
|
Post #9 3/24/10 1:14:48AM
|
shotokansun
Learning to Sprawl
Career record: 34-16
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Wisconsin
|
Thanks for the productivity.
Last edited 3/24/10 1:36AM by shotokansun
Edit note/reason: n/a
|
|
Post #10 3/24/10 1:34:17AM
|
hate4thestate
In Full Mount
Career record: 435-312
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Kokomo, IN
|
honestly i hear this coming from fitch about stand ups and i agree but do you hear any wrestlers bitching about the points system? the points system, in the US at least, highly favors wrestlers. i hear his arguement and agree but where is the arguement about the points system? it goes both ways Mr Fitch.
|
|
Post #11 3/24/10 1:55:25AM
|
hate4thestate
In Full Mount
Career record: 435-312
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Kokomo, IN
|
Posted by prozacnation1978
FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT FAIR WEATHER FANS ARE
THEY ARE THE ONES WHO DON'T WATCH PRELIM FIGHTS AND COME IN FOR THE MAIN CARD AT A UFC EVENT NOR WATCH ALL THE FIGHTS ON THE CARD
well you kinda got it right. these people know nothing of DREAM or anything else about mma. they think this sport is called UFC. they dont know **** imho. they think its cool to watch two dudes sloppilyy box each other(griffin bonner). they dont know anything about a technical battle like shields mayhem or shogun machida which are just "boring fights".
|
|
Post #12 3/24/10 1:58:43AM
|
cmill21
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 369-196
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Regina SK
|
I like grappling, I do not however enjoy guys "trying to finish fights" by repeatedly taking a guy down, getting their gnp nullified and then continuing. I like wrestlers like Carwin and Cain who ussually seem to do something with it. That all being said I do like K-1 much better and if they had smaller gloves I'd love it even mroe lol.
|
|
Post #13 3/24/10 2:03:44AM
|
DaBeatdown
MMA Regular
Career record: 831-583
Season: 27-21 (#1574)
Location: Brooklyn
|
He's right. Is it a business, or a sport? Well both.... but the NFL, NHL, MLB all credit you for winning, not playing in an entertaining fashion. Everyone wants to see a finish, but the focus should be on winning, however it's done.
|
|
Post #14 3/24/10 8:37:11AM
|
DJBlankenship
MMA Regular
Career record: 545-457
Season: 28-20 (#1337)
Location: inez Kentucky
|
I like the knock out has much has the next man. But I enjoy a good ground fight more. Imo, the best fight I ever saw was when Deigo Sanchez fought Nick Diaz. Those guys was all over the cage.
And after watch Sonnen ride Nate the Great for 15 minutes, he moved up on my fav fighters list.
|
|
Post #15 3/24/10 8:39:02AM
|
|
