With all this talk of MMA in general being in decline (In America at least) wouldn't adding this rule make the product more exciting?
MMA without knees to a grounded opponent has always felt like Boxing without uppercuts. It feels horribly incomplete to me.
Imagine Miocic vs Ngannou if Stipe was allowed to knee Francis in the head on the ground?
A much more exciting fight!!
I honestly thought we would already have this rule in American MMA by now when Pride died. It's not as if fighters were being permanently damaged when you had this rule in the early UFC.
They're trying to make american mma a more family friendly event like Monday night football. There's still too many people out there who think hitting someone on the ground in a cage is a cheap shot. I remember when Ricardo lamas busted Erik Kochs face open on Fox and people being concerned that it was too bloody and a bad look for a sport still trying to breakout on mainstream TV
They say its due to the danger of being trapped against the cage but they have the inner line on the canvas so why not make it legal if youre in the center of the mat? it would definitely get more people watching.
They're trying to make american mma a more family friendly event like Monday night football. There's still too many people out there who think hitting someone on the ground in a cage is a cheap shot. I remember when Ricardo lamas busted Erik Kochs face open on Fox and people being concerned that it was too bloody and a bad look for a sport still trying to breakout on mainstream TV
I think for every fan that it would lose it would gain at least one in its place.
They're trying to make american mma a more family friendly event like Monday night football. There's still too many people out there who think hitting someone on the ground in a cage is a cheap shot. I remember when Ricardo lamas busted Erik Kochs face open on Fox and people being concerned that it was too bloody and a bad look for a sport still trying to breakout on mainstream TV
I suspect you are right
However family friendly = more boring fights and lower ratings (IMHO)
Since when was fighting family friendly anyway? Lots of people warned that expanding the sport without first fixing the rules was huge mistake.
Most people watch MMA because they want to see exciting violence. The current rules hinder the sport's growth in America in my view.
I would actually watch TUF again if they had knees to the head of a grounded opponent. I would also be more likely to watch cards with fighters I don't know if they had this rule as well.
They say its due to the danger of being trapped against the cage but they have the inner line on the canvas so why not make it legal if youre in the center of the mat? it would definitely get more people watching.
Yet when the UFC had knees against those trapped against the cage there wasn't any serious injuries.
You are right though at least making it centre of the mat would be a substantial improvement and get more people watching.
To be clear I'm all for grounded knees and kicks because without them the ground game is limited. I don't think mma would lose any fans but it might discourage the "human cockfighting" crowd from learning more about the sport and reduce the trickle of new fans coming to the sport
They say its due to the danger of being trapped against the cage but they have the inner line on the canvas so why not make it legal if youre in the center of the mat? it would definitely get more people watching.
Yet when the UFC had knees against those trapped against the cage there wasn't any serious injuries.
You are right though at least making it centre of the mat would be a substantial improvement and get more people watching.
They say its due to the danger of being trapped against the cage but they have the inner line on the canvas so why not make it legal if youre in the center of the mat? it would definitely get more people watching.
Yet when the UFC had knees against those trapped against the cage there wasn't any serious injuries.
You are right though at least making it centre of the mat would be a substantial improvement and get more people watching.
Which is what the UFC and Bellator want right?
Youre preaching to the choir, bud.
Apologies I wasn't trying to convince you personally. I was just explaining to newer fans who might think that knees against the head of those trapped against the cage, was something potentially lethal.
Maybe we should try mass tweeting at Scott Coker and see if he would ever be interested in working to bring back this rule to MMA.
Would certainly give Bellator a huge advantage over the UFC if they had this rule and the UFC did not.
However the chances of this happening are obviously slim.
They're trying to make american mma a more family friendly event like Monday night football. There's still too many people out there who think hitting someone on the ground in a cage is a cheap shot. I remember when Ricardo lamas busted Erik Kochs face open on Fox and people being concerned that it was too bloody and a bad look for a sport still trying to breakout on mainstream TV
I suspect you are right
However family friendly = more boring fights and lower ratings (IMHO)
Since when was fighting family friendly anyway? Lots of people warned that expanding the sport without first fixing the rules was huge mistake.
Most people watch MMA because they want to see exciting violence. The current rules hinder the sport's growth in America in my view.
I would actually watch TUF again if they had knees to the head of a grounded opponent. I would also be more likely to watch cards with fighters I don't know if they had this rule as well.
I agree.. and i dont kniw hoenthe commisions work and if its actually up to the ufc or bellator. But if bellator could chsnge there rules to allowing knees to grounded fighters they would become more exciting then ufc. That could mske them more competitive in ratings n interest
The Unified rules are seperate to any MMA organisation. When Pride came to America back in the day they had to comply with them. So 5 minute rounds and no knees, kicks to the head of a grounded opponent. Was so strange watching that ruleset in a Pride event.
Yeah I agree that change in rules would give Bellator a massive advantage. The chances of it happening though are miniscule.
the violence doesn't mean shit to America. We're a country founded on it and now a days kid grow up playing video games that kill people at the age of 12. UFC appeals to almost everyone but no one gives a fuck anymore. There is no hype behind any of the products they're pitching. Marketing fighters has long been dead but now UFC isn't even marketing its self
Anyways it won't happen because MMA is only adding rules and the UFC has ripped itself apart internally with USADA