Mixed martial arts (UFC, etc.)

[EgonSpengler]

Any MMA fans here?

Jon Jones' withdrawal from UFC 178 has to be the big story of the week, in no small part because it raises the question of who his opponent should be, Cormier or Gustafsson.

Also, here's Ronda Rousey dumping a bucket of ice water over her own head for charity, because why not.


Link to video.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Any MMA fans here?

I guess that's a 'No', then.

 

[Zelig]

I'm a fan, but don't really have a whole lot to say on a regular basis.

I watch UFC events from home and give running commentary on #fiftychat on a fairly regular basis, sometimes other regulars watch too.

 

[Quackers]

I tried to get into it but after a couple of fights i'm bored to tears.

 

[James Stuart]

I tried to get into it but after a couple of fights i'm bored to tears.

This is a problem with any sport, to be honest. Unless there's some sort of disparity, they quickly become formulaic. That's one of the very few advantage professional wrestling has over mixed martial arts; you can believe a big fat guy as a pro wrestler, but a big fat guy in UFC is going to lose. Badly.

I actually like the older UFC events, even though they were of a lower quality, with guys like Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Because the sport was new, and because half the guys had never competed against anyone from outside their own niche martial art before, the fights were really unpredictable. While there is the occasional upset these days, usually you can pick who will win long before the actual fight takes place, provided you follow the fighters a little beforehand. It's similar to boxing in that way.

I don't think I've picked a UFC main event incorrectly since I predicted that Brock Lesnar would lose to Randy Couture. I really thought Couture would pull off an upset submission, just as Frank Mir had done to Lesnar previously. And I don't even particularly follow the sport much these days; I just catch the occasional fight at a friend's house, or watch The Ultimate Fighter if I'm bored and it's on.

 

[EgonSpengler]

This is a problem with any sport, to be honest. Unless there's some sort of disparity, they quickly become formulaic.

I know what you mean. MMA doesn't have enough depth right now; the UFC's "deepest" divisions have maybe a couple of legit challengers to the title. We're lucky if the champ fights twice in a year, and the rate at which fights get canceled or postponed because of injuries punishes anyone who tries to follow the sport.

I just catch the occasional fight at a friend's house, or watch The Ultimate Fighter if I'm bored and it's on.

I find The Ultimate Fighter all but unwatchable. I tried the first couple episodes of the latest edition because it features women in a title tournament, but it was too much of the same tired, artificial, reality-show garbage.

 

[EgonSpengler]

and the rate at which fights get canceled or postponed because of injuries punishes anyone who tries to follow the sport.

...aaaaand the heavyweight champion, who already hadn't been seen in 13 months, withdraws from next month's title fight due to a knee injury. Seriously, wth. Sports Business Journal recently published an article about the dip in pay-per-view buys for UFC events, chalking it up in part to the lack of superstars, with guys like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Georges St. Pierre and Brock Lesnar no longer in the sport. But the guys the UFC does have cannot seem to participate in the sport more than once or twice every 18 months. Imagine how popular soccer/football would be if the game's top players only played once a year.