Good OneFC 5 Card Marred By Bad Rules

Underground
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(Hey, this just means One FC will rake in big bucks for “Sylvia vs. Arlovski 5: Please, God, Make It Stop”)


By Elias Cepeda


It’s a good thing the MMA world was so excited to see the fourth meeting ofTim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski at One FC 5: Pride of a Nation today in the Philippines, because now it might just get a fifth. The two former UFC champions were set to clash Friday near the top of the Singapore-based organization’s card, and they did, but with an unsatisfying result for fighters and fans alike, thanks to One FC’s convoluted and dangerous rules regarding kicks to the head of downed opponents.


They are legal. Sort of.


Phil Baroni won his bout earlier in the evening after effectively using kicks to the head of his opponent Rodrigo Ribeiro. However, when Arlovski landed glancing kicks to the head of Sylvia after dropping him to the mat on all fours with a punch combination, the referee called the blows illegal and gave Sylvia time to recover. When Sylvia could not, the fight was ruled a no contest. You see, One FC allows kicks to the head of a downed opponent only after a fighter is given express, in-the-moment permission by the referee. What could possibly go wrong?


(Check out GIFs of the Baroni and Arlovski finishes — as well as full results from One FC 5 — at the bottom of this post.)


Besides giving referees a strange discretion that would seem to do nothing but open up new and exciting opportunities for oversight, slip ups, and corruption, such a rule necessarily stops the action in fights and gives fighters something else to think about other than the only two things they should be — attacking their opponent and defending themselves.



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 That was the dumbest rule ever! Screwed the fight up bad.



Cindy

3

 Allowing soccer kicks and stomps definitely adds excitment, allowing the referee to signal open attack is a way to make it somewhat safer (insuring that a fighter that is not intelligently defending himself / herself does not get soccered or stomped)



I believe the open attack rule can and will work once the fighters become more accustomed / aware of it. The Cage Rage events used the same exact rule "open guard" for years and had very few problems with it 

4

This rule is dumb and needs a change. Phone Post

5

What's weird is the ref never signals anything before baroni's initial kick. How was his different the rule is convoluted and a disaster. Phone Post

6

Just decide. Either have kicks to a grounded opponent or don't.

But preferably do.

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Pro Ice -  Allowing soccer kicks and stomps definitely adds excitment, allowing the referee to signal open attack is a way to make it somewhat safer (insuring that a fighter that is not intelligently defending himself / herself does not get soccered or stomped)

I believe the open attack rule can and will work once the fighters become more accustomed / aware of it. The Cage Rage events used the same exact rule "open guard" for years and had very few problems with it 

Good insight I didn't know that the other org did it with success ... Phone Post

8

Thanks for this article.

I really want One Fc to do well. But it needs to fix this as it is a joke as it stands... One guy gets rewarded for breaking the rules, but the other gets a no contest.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. And dangerous... and unfair for the fighters who do play by the rules. Phone Post