this irks me!

[rev.jc]

I really love the UFC and MMA, and now I am scheduled for my 4th Vale-Tudo bout in Dec. But I really want to know if the current stigma that is being put on fighters by the ufc is neccasary!

I have 65 bouts in amature boxing and no one ever had to drum up hatered between me and any of my opponents, it was just the love of sport, now I realize that the UFC is professional business, but I hate it when any org. has to apeal to the lowest common denominator. Fox does the same thing with pro football. A fighter isn't a guy covered with tatoos who swears and has to drink all the time, (I.e. the guys from TUF) I know plenty of guys who are great fighters who don't act like that. Why can't the UFC just focus on the sport instead of treating itself like professional wrestling.

I currently am embaressed to watch a fight night or a PPV with my wife in the room.

why can't the matches be about the mutual respect for your opponent, as they are in all most every other fighting arena,

this is for you guys that actully do fight, so all the fan club keyboard jockeys and the jedi knight special forces guys who need to be entertained go to some other thread, wouldn't be refreshing for say a champ or challenger to come on and say, "Well he's a great opponent, it is an honor to fight him & I'm going to give it all I have" istead of fostering a WWE grudge match atmosphere that appeals to those of a lower knowledge base?

I realize this is idealistic and will not make money for Dana White, but I just thought I would give my 2 cents, thank you for listening!

[Garland]

I really love the UFC and MMA, and now I am scheduled for my 4th Vale-Tudo bout in Dec. But I really want to know if the current stigma that is being put on fighters by the ufc is neccasary!

I have 65 bouts in amature boxing and no one ever had to drum up hatered between me and any of my opponents, it was just the love of sport, now I realize that the UFC is professional business, but I hate it when any org. has to apeal to the lowest common denominator. Fox does the same thing with pro football. A fighter isn't a guy covered with tatoos who swears and has to drink all the time, (I.e. the guys from TUF) I know plenty of guys who are great fighters who don't act like that. Why can't the UFC just focus on the sport instead of treating itself like professional wrestling.

I currently am embaressed to watch a fight night or a PPV with my wife in the room.

why can't the matches be about the mutual respect for your opponent, as they are in all most every other fighting arena,

this is for you guys that actully do fight, so all the fan club keyboard jockeys and the jedi knight special forces guys who need to be entertained go to some other thread, wouldn't be refreshing for say a champ or challenger to come on and say, "Well he's a great opponent, it is an honor to fight him & I'm going to give it all I have" istead of fostering a WWE grudge match atmosphere that appeals to those of a lower knowledge base?

I realize this is idealistic and will not make money for Dana White, but I just thought I would give my 2 cents, thank you for listening!

This isn't really something that has to do with fighters. Promoters, like Dana White, usually tend to create this type of atmosphere to sell tickets. Remember, they're in it for buisness, and the politics of the sport as a FRANCHISE demands that the fans get their money worth, or to create some sort of DRAMA to fill seats. That's what it is, drama---Acting.

Some fighters in the MMA today are loudmouths and braggarts, but my bet is that some of the fighters that do it are being savvy and smart. They know that their image is a product, so they simply package themselves to sell to the crowd. When the promoters recognize that these people help sell seats, they get more fights, or better contracts...when their image becomes popular, they also sell more merchandise or get better commercial deals.

Just look at all of the MMA sportswear, the energy drink ads, the nutritional stuff, etc. It's all part of this new "EXTREME" trend in marketing, if you say something is EXTREME, dudes will like, totally buy it. fo sure.

A fight is, to some degree, a performance. I'd personally say, enjoy it...hell, even mock the whole thing. Look at some of the Pride fighters, coming out in drag, or costumes, or dressing up as nerdy ass scientists to fight.

Or just be serious, and earnest...If fighting is fun for you, have fun doing it.
If you take it seriously, go out for buisness
and if your a sadist, pull a Wanderlei Silva.

[Penance]

Tito Ortiz has openly admitted that he puts on a "ring persona" to please the crowd. He plays a role. He's the bad guy crossed with the "people's champion" a'la WWF.

As we saw on TUF, he's actually a nice guy that looks after the people he's in charge of.

At this point White doesn't care about the integrity or spirit of MMA. He cares about selling out Vegas venues and getting himself and his fighters paid.

Even Pride does this to a lesser extent. I love Genki Sudo because of his showmanship AND his fighting ability. Why do you think Bob Sapp is in Pride?

It sucks, but it's necessary. UFC wouldn't be on PVP at all if it weren't for the redneck crowd making up a good portion of that audiance. UFC would have been over with at #5 or #6 after the novelty factor of "art vs art" wore off. They had to do something to keep the franchise alive. Maybe someday it will evolve into something more akin to Vale Tudo that was aired in Brazil a few decades ago, but probably not.

It sucks, but that's life. Keep doing it because you love it, not because you want it to be popular with people whose opinions you value.

[rev.jc]

I agree I was just ranting!

[rev.jc]

I agree I was just ranting!

[danfaggella]

I've been expressing the same hatred tward what this sport is becoming since I got on the boards. I don't like the 400 brands of HARDCORE figth clothing, I don't like the fighters acting like they just got out of the ACI and have been waiting to kill his opponent and talk as much trash as possable. I really wish there was some dignity, I wish it was an honorable competition of two martial artists, but thats not what its becoming because the 234092384098230948 white trash morons in this country (and they have their equivilants worldwide I assume) love the bullshit badass drama, and they buy the shit.

[stabbychick]

Looks like Vince Mcmahon is gonna lose some of his viewers to MMA...

[kingoftheforest]

Oh No!!!

Could it be possible could the UfC become the new WWE. Will there be a UFC football team in the works soon?

[Garland]

Could it be possible could the UfC become the new WWE. Will there be a UFC football team in the works soon?

So long as they don't do this...I'm cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0EOLKnBG8I&search=superbowl%20shuffle

fook that shiz, g.

[kingoftheforest]

You try to repress memories

So long as they don't do this...I'm cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0EOLKnBG8I&search=superbowl%20shuffle

fook that shiz, g.

You know I had forgotten that sheet and for good reason, thats just wrong man.

[SweepEm]

Genki Sudo

some of you might be surprised to learn that Genki is a very shy guy.

I trained with him for quite a while, when we were at Beverly Hills Jiu Jitsu club.

A bunch of us went to the US Open in Santa Cruz to compete.
Marc Laimon and Genki were there...
I speak a little bit of Japanese and I still couldn't get Genki to talk to me except one word replies...

Genki's one guy that really knows showmanship and marketing...

[kuk sool won]

yeh its great to have showmanship like that, adds to it. I loved the entrance with the bucket on his head and i love the freaky moves he tries to pull off. However he isn't shouting his mouth off WWE stylee, he's composed as a fighter and he is enjoying himself. Not pretending he's going to rip his opponent apart.