11 things I do, and don’t, like about UFC
June 9th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
- Like: Clean, fair, energetic fighters who work hard and win.
- Don’t Like: Fighters who can’t win without breaking the simple, basic rules. If you’re a mixed martial artist, you have to know how to win without putting your partner at risk of catastrophic injury.
- Like: The format, the cage, the camera angles.
- Don’t like: Ring girls. Can we please move past this? It’s sexist, heterosexist, and really, really fucking stupid. What’s the point? Do we need to see pretty and barely-clothed girls to remind us that we’re heterosexual or something? As we watch nearly naked men wrestle on the ground? I just don’t get it. It’s totally demeaning and makes me ashamed to invite female friends to watch. Make it end.
- Like: Rules against striking the back of the head, spine, and kidneys, even though they work against grappling, judo, and jiu-jistu. Fighters really trained in these sciences are the only ones who are going to get a chance to target these areas. Nevertheless, the prevention of injury is paramount.
- Don’t like: Any kind of stand up rule. I don’t understand – why intervene in the middle of a fight? I don’t care if the fight goes to the ground in the first 10 seconds and stays there. In fact, some of these are the best fights ever! Silva vs. Sonnen, anyone? Refs work against the sport by standing fighters up, and they don’t even do it with any kind of consistent application.
- Like: Incredible charity displayed by some fighters – Angel Torres and Junior Dos Santos come to mind. Amazing to see activism happening in the sport.
- Don’t like: Bud light. Can’t they get some better sponsors? How many UFC fans actually drink Bud light? I gotta believe that the UFC-watching crowd is more into micro-brew.
- Like: Fights that end in submission. Everybody agrees about whom the winner is, and no judges or refs are needed to certify it. Triangle, Armbar, and Peruvian Necktie are some of my favorites.
- Don’t like: Fighters who don’t tap when they need to. What’s the point? Are you trying to look like you’re tough? Because you end up looking pretty stupid when you get choked out or broken and the doctors have to hover over your body figuring out how to peel you off. If you’re caught in a good submission, man up and admit it. Tap out and congratulate the victor. Simple.
- Like: Fighters who desist as soon as they realize they have vanquished their opponent, even if the referee doesn’t yet realize it.
- Don’t Like (in fact HATE): Fighters who intentionally continue to strike or apply a submission technique after a fighter is clearly knocked out or tapping. I have no problem with these guys being kicked out of the sport and charged with criminal assault.
- Like: Fights between friends. It’s not part of the mainstream narrative, but serious fans know: Friends let loose on each other. They trust each other. They enjoy fighting each other. They give it their all. Mike Brown vs. Urijah Faber is a great example.
- Don’t Like: Fights with “bad blood.” Look at the difference between the two meetings of Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone. The first time, they were collegial and friendly, but absolutely brutal. We got one of the best fights in MMA history, although it ended prematurely because of Cerrone’s reckless knee strikes. The second time they fought, they hated each other, and it sucked. Same thing with Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.
- Like: A good hug at the beginning of the fifth. What happened to this tradition? If a fight goes five rounds, the fighters deserve a chance to take 10 seconds to celebrate each other. It’s good for the fight and good for the sport. They still have 4:50 to beat what is known as the living shit out of each other. It’s a beautiful juxtoposition to see two guys being pros and respecting each other’s skills one second and then punching each other full force the next.
- Don’t Like: Any kind of trash talking, especially by a winner. Come on. Let boxing be boxing.
- Like: Judo throws. Exciting, surprising, and fight changing.
- Don’t Like: Wall walking, grabbing the fence (happens even though it’s against the rules), running away.
- Like: Mike Brown, Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, Jon Jones, GSP, Jamie Varner.
- Don’t like: Donald Cerrone, Michael Bisping, and anybody else who can’t act like a professional.
- Like: The excitement of live events and the array of talented athletes.
- Don’t like: That there’s no way to watch live on linux.
