cowboyronnie wrote:Great event. But how is the UFC getting so many stand-up fights lately? Such little wrestling. Is it their match-making, is this MMA in 2009, have they been paring down their roster of wrestlers, is everyone trying to be crowd-pleasing?
I have been thinking about this a lot recently and this is what I've come up with:
1)Takedown defense has improved. Watching the old UFCs, a lot of the wrestlers like Coleman could shoot in at will and end fights quickly. Because so many guys have a wrestling background at some point and because MMA is becoming more well rounded, guys are training in wrestling more and you can't simply shoot in. You see fights like the TUF finale where Nover was put on his back at will and you take notice. Also, that gets boring after awhile.
2)I personally find ground and pound boring and the crowds seem to as well. If it is strong and explosive, like after a knockdown or a good throw then everyone gets amped but if a guy spends 3 minutes in the guard, passes to half guard and starts gorilla slamming on the defensive fighter, ehhh. Just like takedown defense has improved, wrist control and hand positioning has improved as well so you can't really pound out a guy if you're in the guard.
3)Match-ups. If both guys have a wrestling or grappling background, they tend to stand more often. You'll get takedowns but they aren't of the effortless variety and then there is just a lot of struggling on the mat. Just like point #1, a good striker who has improved his takedown defense to the point of being able to hold off good (but not world class) wrestlers is going to force the fight to stay on its feet. So it might just be a statistical blip that strikers who have improved TDD have been matched up with wrestler background guys.
4)Money. There is no "decision of the night" bonus, it's Knockout and Submissions that can net you that extra cash. Sure, you could get Fight of the Night but spending 9 minutes of a fight in your opponent's guard won't offer you a chance to win that either. So if you want to make money, wrestling is more of a means to gain positional advantage than to win a fight. Because of this, you're seeing more guys keeping it on their feet, hoping for the knockout. Clay Guida is a pretty well known name in MMA but he was recently on a Spike Fight Night Live and he wasn't even a headliner. I can see him landing on a PPV as maybe the opening fight but he's just not exciting enough to garner more spotlight unless he develops his submission skills to go with his wrestling or his striking improves. People will remember Liddell vs Evans or Jackson vs Silva III. They won't remember the Guida vs Diaz hugfest. People have hard-ons for guys like Maia who have absolutely slick submission skills but not guys who are one dimensional wrestlers.
My personal feeling and prediction is that wrestling will always be a part of MMA and most guys will continue to have a wrestling base. But unless you transfer your talents to the other aspects (like Koscheck has), you will never make the mainstage or big money. Ryan Bader better learn to strike or he will become a FNL mainstay. Wrestling will become more of a means to an end rather than a means to victory.
I also think we saw the future with the Jones vs Bonnar fight. Jones used some absolutely beautiful Greco-Roman throws and trips to gain a positional advantage on Bonnar. I can see grapplers and BJJ guys really developing those Greco-Roman throws because they could be extremely valuable in MMA. Muay Thai is here to stay as one of the main forms of striking and the clinch will always be around so you can use G-R positioning and throws to neutralize what might otherwise be a dangerous position for a grappler who is not as skilled in striking. They will use that wrestling to get the fight to the ground and then use their BJJ to improve positions and go for a submission. Also, those throws are a lot more aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable from a technical aspect than simply shooting in for a single leg takedown. There is a level of technique in takedowns and when you see a really good one you know it but I think the casual fan (I still consider myself one as I've only been watching for about a year) can appreciate a hip throw more than a simple double leg takedown. It's entertaining, effectively neutralizes a strength for your opponent and helps put you in a position to exploit your own strength. I could see BJJ guys working on judo throws more as well. mahalo
~Chach~
