There, I said it.
He get's so much flack but I like that there is this cerebral guy in a sport full of meat heads.
I like the different personalities in the camps like Cesar and Greg and so on.
It makes stuff interesting.
It doesn't mean I agree with all his decisions and views.
And as I just quoted on another thread where someone called him a sport killer:
"Here's a quick stat for you. So there's been 22 [UFC events] this year? We had 12 bonuses so far this year," Jackson said in a phone interview. "So one out of every two, one of my fighters got Submission of the Night, Knockout of the Night, or Fight of the Night."
To me he seems to be faux-cerebral. He tries to craft this eastern theology yoda-esque aura but a lot of it seems to be bullshit to me.
He just assembled a team of already accomplished fighters who feed off of each other's athleticism more than Greg's non-existent fight experience and training. He then spouts some vague buddhist inspired philosophies and convinces the fighters that they are a cohesive family so that they don't leave his gym and he can line his pockets.
The recent article in PopSci about his usage of statistical prediction models that he tabulates on a notepad in his pocket only solidifies to me that a lot of what he does is bullshit.
But do you wish he wasn't a part of the MMA scene at all?
I think he makes the MMA-landscape much more interesting by being the yoda-guy.
22 Events, x 3 bonuses per event = 66 possible bonuses, correct?
Jackson's has 12?
one out of every 2 you say?
He is to blame for guida/ maynard fight. Yes I want him out. 
and for the record, "hating Greg" is ridiculous, I don't care for some of his particular strategies, but hating the guy is a bit strong, I believe he's genuinely trying to do what's best for his fighters and I'm sure he couldn't care less what I think, and he shouldn't imo... ;o)
I'm off him and Jackson products
Cyril Jeff -
22 Events, x 3 bonuses per event = 66 possible bonuses, correct?
Jackson's has 12?
one out of every 2 you say?
I wasn't saying that(if that's what you meant). It was all a quote from Greg.
Still very good stats for proving he's not a sport killer imo.
Greg Jackson is the best trainer in MMA. If you don't always like the way Jackson's guys fight, take it up with the rules, not the winner.
Cyril Jeff -
and for the record, "hating Greg" is ridiculous, I don't care for some of his particular strategies, but hating the guy is a bit strong, I believe he's genuinely trying to do what's best for his fighters and I'm sure he couldn't care less what I think, and he shouldn't imo... ;o)
One out of every 2 events, not bonuses.
Kirik - Greg Jackson is the best trainer in MMA. If you don't always like the way Jackson's guys fight, take it up with the rules, not the winner.
This.
Cyril Jeff -
22 Events, x 3 bonuses per event = 66 possible bonuses, correct?
Jackson's has 12?
one out of every 2 you say?
12 out of 22 events is just over 1 bonus every 2 events.
Kirik - Greg Jackson is the best trainer in MMA. If you don't always like the way Jackson's guys fight, take it up with the rules, not the winner.
I'm not qualified to say who's the best but...Amen, brother.
Kirik - Greg Jackson is the best trainer in MMA. If you don't always like the way Jackson's guys fight, take it up with the rules, not the winner.
Agreed that he may be among the most efficient trainers as far as getting conservative wins, but to pretend that he isn't resposible for the rash of Floyd Mayweather-esque performances that is watering down the sport is a lie.
Ultimately he is doing a disservice to his fighters by encouraging them to win using point fighting tactics that decrease their marketability. Certainly being entertaining is important, the most obvious recent example of this being Sonnen getting gifted a title shot at the weight class up immendiately after a definitive defeat. He was offered the fight purely based on entertainment value which Jackson's fighters are steadily losing.
On the flipside, take someone like Clay Guida who was formerly a fan favorite that is now roundly criticised for sandbagging and point fighting. If he had went out and fought Maynard aggressively with some balls and lost, his marketability would still be high, and he would continue to be in the mix to headline the smaller shows like FuelTV. Now nobody wants to see him fight and his headlining days are gone.
This is just one obvious example of where the win-a-decision-at-all-costs mentality handicaps fighters that may have won otherwise, or at least wouldn't have lost an embarassing decision that soured an entire event and possibly Guida's career.
But he does have an impressive win/loss record if that is your only barometer for being a good coach, so I guess it depends on your perspective. As for me I'll take the gamers from Cesar Gracie's camp anyday.
Ive actually always liked Greg Jackson, and most of his fighters.
Im a huge Condit fan.
Cowboy is awesome, and so many other fighters under the Jackson stable.
Jones i really really liked at first, but his attitude and comments and actions outside of the cage are souring him to me. I do not like the decision he made over UFC 151, although i do understand his position.
I still love watching him fight though, because he is an incredible fighter, and will still watch him fight, despite the shit show that is occurring over 151.
The only Jackson guy that im flat out not a fan of is Clay Guida, but that is another topic.
Jaybrone -Cyril Jeff -
22 Events, x 3 bonuses per event = 66 possible bonuses, correct?
Jackson's has 12?
one out of every 2 you say?12 out of 22 events is just over 1 bonus every 2 events.
got you, thanks for clearing that up fellas, he's 100% correct in that case...
I wonder how many of those were Travis', Donald's, Leonard's, and Diego's?
all 4 dynamic and exciting fighters imo.
I think it's a balancing act between being exciting and fighting smart.
If you want to be loved by everyone, just go out and bang.
But sometimes a banger feels like he's not going anywhere career wise and wants to try something new.
If you keep on banging every fight you might get stuck with lots of love from the fans but a shorter career and some nasty head problems in your later years.
If I was an MMA fighter I would choose Greg Jackson as my coach.
Kirik - Greg Jackson is the best trainer in MMA. If you don't always like the way Jackson's guys fight, take it up with the rules, not the winner.
Basically, yes.
In the NFL, when too many games were being decided by field goals, did they blame the coaches and kickers for kicking field goals instead of going for touchdowns? No, they changed the rules (actually moved the stands back) to make going for touchdowns more strategically beneficial.
In the NHL, when the neutral trap was slowing the game down to a crawl, did they blame the coaches and players and expect them to play a different style instead of concentrating on winning? No, they changed the rules (removing center red line etc) to make more open play the better strategy.
In baseball, when there were too many strikeouts, did they blame the coaches and pitchers, and ask them to throw easier pitches to make for more exciting hits? No, they lowered the pitcher's mound.
The point being, if the best way to win in a sport is boring, you change the rules, so that the best way to win is exciting. You don't blame coaches and athletes for trying to win - doing anything other to win is the major component of scripting fights. WWE is full of the great action you can get if the goal is to entertain instead of win. But its not a sport, and it doesn't tell you who's best, just who's the most entertaining.
Cyril Jeff -
and for the record, "hating Greg" is ridiculous, I don't care for some of his particular strategies, but hating the guy is a bit strong, I believe he's genuinely trying to do what's best for his fighters and I'm sure he couldn't care less what I think, and he shouldn't imo... ;o)
This is very well said.
I believe he cares only about his fighters and advises accordingly, however as a fan think can suck balls to watch the strategy unfold. I agree with ceasar and Dana when they say he is not helping the sport. But he IS HELPING his fighters and that's what he's paid to to I guess.
fighters are ultimately responsible for their careers Jackson is only responsible for their preparation to achieve in the cage,
IMHO. 