I have a proposal for how to make MMA much more interesting, which I am sure athletes and fans will agree with. I myself am experienced as a competitive Judoka, so I understand a thing or two about how these things will work and will present new and extensive rules with regards to this proposal.
Remove the cage as a boundary altogether - there is no cage in any other martial art. Pressing people up against the fence and scooping out their legs isn't an honest way to get a takedown, and nobody enjoys watching this type of fight. It is practically impossible to defend from; the cage is used as a tool and a weapon, and this is against the spirit of MMA.
Adopt a style like wrestling, judo etc. Have a large mat area with the fight area one colour, the out of bounds area a different colour, and perhaps a cage surrounding the out of bounds area just to be thorough (prevent the fighters from leaving and the fans from throwing things inside or streaking).
New Rules
If the fight is taken out of bounds, the referee will quickly reset the fighters to the starting position. If a takedown or strike lands the fighters out of bounds and a fighter is able to establish control in a dominant position on the ground, he/she will be allowed to maintain the position until both of the fighters stand back up, upon which the referee will immediately reset the fighters. If a fighter intentionally leaves the area or tries to leave the area (including while on his/her back and trying to escape the boundary to get stood up), this will result in a penalty. If the fight is taken to the ground and out of bounds as discussed earlier, motioning towards the cage is allowed; the fighters will still be immediately reset only if both of the fighters stand up. If a fighter is too often pushed out of bounds, this will result in a penalty due to being too defensive. However, simply trying to forcefully push your opponent out of the area will also result in a penalty; getting an opponent out of bounds must be a result of takedown attempts or strikes.
This style will obviously require a bigger mat area, perhaps double the size, but it's certainly possible to do.
Overall this will yield a much more pure version of MMA, which overall the fans will enjoy more. From solely an entertainment standpoint, NOBODY likes when fights take place on the cage. From an athletic standpoint, takedowns will have to be earned the proper way like they are in Judo and wrestling. I'm sure my fellow grapplers can appreciate that it is much harder to defend from leg picks when pressed against the cage. You cannot sprawl or move backwards when there is a fence behind you. The best thing you can do is spread your legs, which isn't nearly as effective.
So, what do you guys think? Do you agree? If you have any other suggestions feel free to post them. I'm gonna go email this to Dana White. No, not really, but I'm sure a lot of us would like to see fights performed like this one day. At this point, it's just a thought.
Remove the cage as a boundary altogether - there is no cage in any other martial art. Pressing people up against the fence and scooping out their legs isn't an honest way to get a takedown, and nobody enjoys watching this type of fight. It is practically impossible to defend from; the cage is used as a tool and a weapon, and this is against the spirit of MMA.
Adopt a style like wrestling, judo etc. Have a large mat area with the fight area one colour, the out of bounds area a different colour, and perhaps a cage surrounding the out of bounds area just to be thorough (prevent the fighters from leaving and the fans from throwing things inside or streaking).
New Rules
If the fight is taken out of bounds, the referee will quickly reset the fighters to the starting position. If a takedown or strike lands the fighters out of bounds and a fighter is able to establish control in a dominant position on the ground, he/she will be allowed to maintain the position until both of the fighters stand back up, upon which the referee will immediately reset the fighters. If a fighter intentionally leaves the area or tries to leave the area (including while on his/her back and trying to escape the boundary to get stood up), this will result in a penalty. If the fight is taken to the ground and out of bounds as discussed earlier, motioning towards the cage is allowed; the fighters will still be immediately reset only if both of the fighters stand up. If a fighter is too often pushed out of bounds, this will result in a penalty due to being too defensive. However, simply trying to forcefully push your opponent out of the area will also result in a penalty; getting an opponent out of bounds must be a result of takedown attempts or strikes.
This style will obviously require a bigger mat area, perhaps double the size, but it's certainly possible to do.
Overall this will yield a much more pure version of MMA, which overall the fans will enjoy more. From solely an entertainment standpoint, NOBODY likes when fights take place on the cage. From an athletic standpoint, takedowns will have to be earned the proper way like they are in Judo and wrestling. I'm sure my fellow grapplers can appreciate that it is much harder to defend from leg picks when pressed against the cage. You cannot sprawl or move backwards when there is a fence behind you. The best thing you can do is spread your legs, which isn't nearly as effective.
So, what do you guys think? Do you agree? If you have any other suggestions feel free to post them. I'm gonna go email this to Dana White. No, not really, but I'm sure a lot of us would like to see fights performed like this one day. At this point, it's just a thought.
