UFC/MMA thread

[redsforlife]

Hate this "sport." 

They argue mature video games are bad for kids, but then this is on TV.  Terrible violence.  At least there was something classy about boxing.

What makes boxing better? They are both combat sports. The truth is boxing is the more dangerous of the two sports. The 12 round fights and standing 8 counts make the concussive damage in boxing much more dangerous than anything in MMA. You are allowed much more dangerous techniques in MMA, but fights are generally stopped much quicker. Almost every TKO win you see in MMA would continue in boxing, because the fight would be stopped and allowed a standing 8 count. This extra concussive damage is what causes boxers to be punch drunk later in life. You don't see this near as much in MMA.

Another point. I think it's only fair for martial artists of other style to have a fair way to compete against each other. MMA allows strikers and grapplers of all styles to compete against each other in a fair manner. The old UFC is a thing of the past. That was more or less no holds bar fighting. I am not a fan of the cage myself, but it's become a staple of MMA. I don't really think it's more dangerous than a ring. It's just the average fan prefers it.

The fact is, 90% of MMA and boxing fans no nothing about the sports. They just want to see blood. It's a shame that either sport has to cater for this audience, but that's the truth.

[Adi]

This extra concussive damage is what causes boxers to be punch drunk later in life. You don't see this near as much in MMA.

MMA is still young.  You won't know the long term effects for a while.

The fact is, 90% of MMA and boxing fans no nothing about the sports. They just want to see blood. It's a shame that either sport has to cater for this audience, but that's the truth.

Yeah, this is a problem.  People that watch this are like animals most of the time.

I think there is something more classy about boxing.  Not sure what it is... but it's like watching Zidane play then turning the channel to see Gattuso.

[redsforlife]

Striking is more beautiful to watch even to me. Originally, I was not a MMA fan. I was a kickboxing fan. Kickboxing and boxing is what I trained, and that is what I wanted to watch. I thought the wrestling and grappling shit was boring. In the 90s K-1 was popular in the US, so I watched it all the time. I watched a little bit of PRIDE and UFC, because there were a few prominent strikers in it at the time. Now, K-1 isn't popular at all in the US, so it's hard to watch it. I have to rely on replays online almost always. MMA is now extremely popular, and the UFC is considered a mainstream sport. I still mainly enjoy watching strikers, but having followed and trained some, I am much more educated on all aspects of MMA now that I can enjoy grappling, striking, and other things.

The concussive head damage has been studied in MMA and boxing by doctors. MMA fighters on average have less damage. Now, over long periods of time, there will be athletes from both sports that are punch drunk when they are older, just probably more boxers than MMA fighters.

[Adi]

How much cushion does a MMA glove have compared to a boxing glove?  Seems boxing gloves have a lot more cushion to weaken the impact of the hit.

[redsforlife]

Boxing gloves vs MMA gloves - Which one hits harder?


This video explains a bit. Now, I can tell you, because I've been punched by all 3 that it hurts worse in order: 1. bare knuckles 2. MMA glove 3. Boxing glove.

Now, there are some factors not mentioned in this video. One of the reasons the bare knuckle hurts the worst other than the lack of padding is the smaller range of pressure being applied by the punch. The majority of the pressure is on your two knuckles which is very small. Almost the entire force of the punch is concentrated to that area.  The MMA gloves reason for hurting worse than a boxing glove is much the same reason. MMA gloves still more or less have knuckles, but they are padded knuckles. A boxing glove has a large striking surface which spreads the pressure of the punch out on a larger area. This means alot when getting a KO punch. For example, if you strike someone with a punch to the temple with both of the gloves, you will need less force with  the MMA glove for a KO based on the force will be more concentrated on the temple. The boxing glove will spread the force out to less vulnerable parts of the head, so the damage might not be enough for a KO.

By the way, if you don't know the guy in the video, you need to. His name is Bas Rutten, and he is one of the coolest human beings alive. He has a show on FUEL TV right now where he reviews security camera footage of robberies, attacks, etc. He than breaks down the videos and teaches how you could defend yourself in that situation. He is also an extremely funny  guy that I think that no one could dislike.

Introducing "El Guapo"

FIGHT! Special - Bas Rutten: "El Guapo Likes to Dance"

[redsforlife]

Also, I forgot to mention this in my last post. The most important reason either sport wears gloves is to protect your hands. It's quite easy to break your hand punching something. I've had small fractures in my right hand twice  from punching things. Once by punching a wall when I got pissed playing indoor soccer and once in a fight punching someone in the forehead. In both cases I had  so much adrenaline flowing I didn't realize until later. I just all the sudden noticed my hand hurting like hell and swelling up real bad. Gloves are made to prevent your hands from breaking. Many fighters have said they'd even prefer to wear gloves if they weren't required. The only difference between MMA gloves and boxing gloves is the open fingers. This allows people to grip the other person for grappling needs.

[Adi]

Hmm, interesting stuff.  Thanks for the explanation.

[redsforlife]

Fedor Emelianenko vs Pedro Rizzo HD


A true legend of the sport. At one time he was unanimously the best fighter in MMA. This is his last ever fight as he retired after the fight. Respect for a true legend.