Do you think it takes a long time maybe years to understand or appreciate a certain type of period in MMA?

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

I think you can ask this question in sports in general or even in life in general. But will stick to MMA.

But instead of looking at stats to decipher how things went back in a certain time period of the sport.

How about passage of time and contemplation to really appreciate say for example what Anderson Silva did or GSP did in certain period of time.

Or can you realize that at that moment? I mean you probably think you're witnessing greatness, but I think in hindsight you tend to appreciate and be more illuminated by the nuances/subtleties of that time.

Just lets say fighters nowadays, maybe we don't appreciate the run Volkanovski did or Usman did until we have the passage of time to look back and analyse it better.

For example you can see what happens to a certain opponent and how they developed or evolved or devolved after losing to Volkanovski or Usman or vice versa.

And with time you have the ability to look at the bigger picture of what happened.

Thoughts?

 

[Leinster Rugby]

Took me a while to properly appreciate wrestling. Back in the day I'd always be a bit annoyed if fights spent too long on the ground. Now most fighters have defensive and offensive ground skills way more than the wrestler v striker days which has made wrestling/grappling/ground game near fascinating to me.

 

[ArtardFiesta]

it helps if you train as a hobby to fully appreciate what is going on

 

[skylolow]

I think this happens way more often today than say 20 years ago in this sport. Fanboys and haters are clamouring in the moment. I'm sure as years go by everyone will appreciate it much better than now.

I will say this, back in the day with less amount of events/less amount of fighters the big PPV cards really felt a lot different than today's big events in the mind. Each fight felt like it meant much more. There was proper build up to it all. Now days, some events happen and outside of a few hardcore fans no one even knows it took place.

I think in today's fast paced world it will take time to really appreciate some of the greats today in full.

 

[Qays Stetkevich]

I think this happens way more often today than say 20 years ago in this sport. Fanboys and haters are clamouring in the moment. I'm sure as years go by everyone will appreciate it much better than now.

I will say this, back in the day with less amount of events/less amount of fighters the big PPV cards really felt a lot different than today's big events in the mind. Each fight felt like it meant much more. There was proper build up to it all. Now days, some events happen and outside of a few hardcore fans no one even knows it took place.

I think in today's fast paced world it will take time to really appreciate some of the greats today in full.

I agree, with tears in my eyes. When there was give-or-take one UFC and one Pride card per month, each one was epic, and carried weight.

 

[Get To Da Choppa]

I think you can ask this question in sports in general or even in life in general. But will stick to MMA.

But instead of looking at stats to decipher how things went back in a certain time period of the sport.

How about passage of time and contemplation to really appreciate say for example what Anderson Silva did or GSP did in certain period of time.

Or can you realize that at that moment? I mean you probably think you're witnessing greatness, but I think in hindsight you tend to appreciate and be more illuminated by the nuances/subtleties of that time.

Just lets say fighters nowadays, maybe we don't appreciate the run Volkanovski did or Usman did until we have the passage of time to look back and analyse it better.

For example you can see what happens to a certain opponent and how they developed or evolved or devolved after losing to Volkanovski or Usman or vice versa.

And with time you have the ability to look at the bigger picture of what happened.

Thoughts?

It took about a decade before being called a "TUF Noob" changed from an insult to a compliment

 

[JustforBROCK]

I miss Randy, and the days of fighting a guy, or challenging a guy, or going for a belt - because you wanted to see if you could beat him. Wasn't about money or anything else. And sometimes Randy got smoked which makes me miss the days when guys could lose and it wasn't the end all be all of there career. Randy wanted to fight fedor and Brock cos it was a challenge. Those days are gone and they still aren't appreciated as much as they should be.

 

[SuperNerd]

Experience is pretty much the only thing that lets me enjoy Conor McGregor.

He's not my type of fighter, or person.

I've wasted enough time hating. I hate watched Prince Nas, Claude Lemieux, Roger Clemens, Adrian Broner, ect...

Now I look back at those times fondly, I sometimes miss the passion I had. Today I am mostly grateful for the entertainment, and what they did for their sports.

What Conor has done for MMA was great. You can quote me and argue, but I don't care. He unironically blessed MMA.

I'm so glad I sat back and soaked it in, and got to appreciate the ride with laughs.

 

[jeskola]

MMA is still a very young sport. Fighters are evolving at a level that makes it difficult to compare and contrast past eras with current ones. a lot of journeyman today could have been champ in a prior era and there is also drug test and rule changes to be considered.

 

[World eater]

Experience is pretty much the only thing that lets me enjoy Conor McGregor.

He's not my type of fighter, or person.

I've wasted enough time hating. I hate watched Prince Nas, Claude Lemieux, Roger Clemens, Adrian Broner, ect...

Now I look back at those times fondly, I sometimes miss the passion I had. Today I am mostly grateful for the entertainment, and what they did for their sports.

What Conor has done for MMA was great. You can quote me and argue, but I don't care. He unironically blessed MMA.

I'm so glad I sat back and soaked it in, and got to appreciate the ride with laughs.

Excellent post. When I think back how I used to hate Fedor, I can’t help but laugh at my own pettiness. But the passion was real and I remember those times more vividly then the newer eras. That said, I appreciate every era, although I have to admit I mostly watch for entertainment these days and takes me ages to put a face and a name together unless a fighter breaks into the top 10.