good news for mma!

[bobby_steeles]

from 1wrestling.com:
_____________________________ 
   Meetings took place on Monday between the Nevada State Athletic Commission and representatives from all the major Mixed Martial Arts organizations with the purpose of researching and learning about the MMA world to assist in commissioning the events in Las Vegas. The meetings involved a workshop of sorts where the Commission and representatives of local politicians were given a rundown on various rules and the background of the MMA genre.

Representatives from the Ultimate Fighting Championships, PRIDE, the King of the Cage, RINGS, the Superbrawl group, Shooto, Extreme Challenge, Frank Shamrock and Maurice Smith were among those taking part in the meetings.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Marc Ratner, Chairman Dr. Elias Ghanem, Dr. Flip Homansky, Amy Ayoub, Glenn Carano, and Dr. Margaret Goodman (A licensed ringside doctor for the Commission as well as its neurological consultant) took part in the meetings.

Word coming out of the meeting is that an agreement was made to charter a bill to Commission MMA style shows in the state of Nevada, based off the rules the state of New Jersey now uses. There will be a public vote in the next thirty days. It is expected the bill will pass, paving the way for UFC and the like to run events in Las Vegas beginning this summer.

With a major Athletic Commission such as the state of Nevada overseeing the MMA genre, a major step towards the return of the sport to cable Pay-Per-View has been taken

[YeLLa-TiGeR]

I just hope the rules will not hinder the true essence of the sport.

[MikeJKD]

The current rules have already hindered the essence of the sport!! Let's just hope it doesn't get worse! It is good news, though. By the way, anyone know of any mma or NHB competitions in the New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, or Arizona areas?
Mike

[Dio]

I wish the old UFC rules would come back with only no biting and eye gouging for the rules. Also I don't mind having groin attacks banned.

But anything else just takes away from the fights. It's rediculous that the rules allow people to be invincible in the turtle position.

[PatrickH]

I don't see too much of a problem with the new rules. The fighters will just have to learn them and adjust their style accordingly.

In the end the rules are there to protect the fighter. Kicking to the head of a downed opponent would one day prove fatal to a fighter and damage the integrity of the sport forever. As far as kicking an opponent in the face when he is passing guard, I'm sure the tape of Renzo Vs. Oleg sealed that deal when Renzo knocked Oleg out. I believe that Bustamante also finished Jerry Bohlander with this type of kick and messed him up for a while (he was having trouble remembering things).

The rules aren't going away any time soon so I guess we should all just get used to them.

PatrickH

[PatrickH]

Anyway,
Congrats to MMA!!!

It looks as if they're well on their way.

PatrickH

[TracyKarate]

Rules take away the realistic nature of any martial competition. They add structure and confinement to what was once natural. Free. Unabound. A street attack does not have a referee. A mugging does not have an overtime. Real life is certainly not Ultimate Fighiting and Ultimate Fighting is certainly not real life. Having said this I will admit that I am a fan of Ultimate Fighting albeit not so much since the inception of more and more rules but it is definitely one sport I can relate to.

[Maxximus]

Guys,

You gotta remember that MMA is no longer simply about who is the best brawler in a no rules, no limit death match. Sure, it's always interesting to see something like that occasionally, but in order for MMA to thrive, it has to become more sport oriented. Right now it has evolved into a combative sport in which a wide variety of strategies and techniques can be used. Skill and athleticism has to be stressed. If we go back to the days where it was all about a sadistic crowd cheering as fighters kicked field goals with their downed opponents' heads or split their faces open with repeated elbows then mainstream society will see it as nothing more than human c0ckfighting and the sport will never grow. It is easy for the casual fan to sit there and say they want MMA competition to stay like it was in the old days. But organizations need to be able to do big, maintream promotions in order to make money...which also enables fighters to get name, recognition and better pay. This won't be possible without change.

[MikeJKD]

Rules in MMA

I actually really do like the rules in MMA competition. I would like to see them remain pretty open, but I think that the rules have flushed out a lot of the trash we used to see in the competitions, and they have brought in world-class athletes...not just brawlers. The brawlers went away the first time they saw that conditioning was a factor, and now we see high quality matches with guys who have trained their asses off to get where they are. In fact, I think it gives all of us something to strive for when we see Shamrock, Vitor, Royler, and all of the other Greats get in there and show what can be done with some serious minded training, and the right kind of technical and scientific approach. I agree with Maxximus in that a brawl is fun to watch, but hell, go to a bar on a busy saturday if that's the kind of fight you're after. I think MMA has become a true sport in every sense of the word, and that the rules are what put it there. Hopefully, it will lead to athletes in the sport getting the kind of recognition they deserve.
Mike

[TKOU]

I agree with Mike on the rules actually improving the type of competitor that goes to these types of events.

Tracy the posture that NHB or MMA does not hold true in real life "street encounters" is perhaps an essentially true statement, but I disagree that it accurately depicts how today's MMA athlete would fare on the street. The average boxer has always fared well in street fights and boxing is significantly more restrictive in it's rule structure than MMA. Why do boxers do well in street fights? They are very familiar with striking, are more fearless of the other guys ability to hurt them and are used to landing quality shots. MMA guys are used to these same things albeit to a slightly lower degree in some cases, but they also have a much greater understanding of clinch, takedown, and ground skill than any boxer ever gets. Now most boxers and MMA guys are lacking in the arena of weapons defense but so are a number of traditional martial artists. I say a number because I trained for 13 years in traditional MA and in the first 2 months I studied Filipino arts I am confident that I would have devastated 95% of my previous training partners in weapons range.

Anyway I think today's MMA athlete is exciting to watch and these are better shows for fan of the fight game. We may not see Tuli get his teeth kicked out by Gerad Gourdeau any more, but hey we still get a straight blast or two from Vitor, flying Mongolian ear slaps from Sak, the cinder block hands of Vov, improved G&P from Coleman, and intense takedown knockouts by Shamrock and Tito, so I say let the games continue!!!

[MikeJKD]

well said...