Why isn't UK catching up to UFC level?

[JayTeeM]

No-one knows how to wrestle

This is exactly it imo. UK and even Australian fighters just don't have the wrestling base that a lot of the guys in the US have. In such a relatively young sport it's a pretty big disadvantage. I see it evening out to a degree in another 10-20 years as the kids come through who have trained at pure MMA gyms from a young age.

 

[Rea_ctor]

I don't know about that when I first trained MMA back in 2006/7 there was one gym around, now a few have come and go but there's still a fair few to choose in comparison. The event times are a big issue here, with big boxing events like Joshua they are in the UK and shown live in bars, MMA is primarily shown in the US so hasn't become something casuals will just encounter at their local and learn to accept, therefore not as many people seek to train this sport.
Wrestling is also the base for successful MMA and the UK has close to zero wrestling schools, we don't train it through school and simply never will, try telling a UK kid to lycra up and wrestle his pal and he'd run a mile hahaha, but because of this we learn wrestling through MMA, from a coach that learnt it through MMA and so on, so it's hard to improve that vital part of the game.

 

[Tallblackfat]

Pre 1960s The UK had some of the best wrestling and a good history of it area like Lancashire and Cornwall had its own variants similar to catch.

But it disappeared once schools took it off the agenda now ,MMA wise 10 ten years ago lots of local shows and a lot going off now nothing hardly at all Mark Godbeer was trying to highlight this very issue recently

The Austerity also hasnt helped lots of working folks just keeping head above water ,so hobbies take a dive and buying tickets for a show so I think its a few factors

 

[SOAzmayesh]

Other sports, more money... Add that to the fact that rugby, tennis, cricket, swimming and football are taught right through primary and secondary school and you prob found your answer.

Bisping, Conor, che Mills, Mike wier... Those are just off my head.
We have a good mma circuit and some dream of making it big but the odds are pretty slim eh.

 

[clivers]

if you compare the size of the uk to the us then comparitively in terms of population x land mass they produce more

 

[The Reed]

There's been plenty of top UK fighters including champion Bisping and Darren Till. Plenty of good up and comers too like Leon Edwards and MVP.
Count how many more top guys you can name from countries that aren't USA/Russia/Brazil and compare.

 

[Hardkore]

Now GSP retired, why aren't USA any good at MMA?

GSP is Canadian last I heard

 

[Oachkazl]

Wrestling is somewhat popular in the US, being available for many people to pick up already in school.
Wrestling is popular and settled in traditions in many Eastern-Europe and Central-Asian countries, being the national sport in a few of them.
Nobody gives a shit about Wrestling in central Europe.

 

[Large Hound 77]

MMA just isn't that big a deal, despite being neck-and-neck with soccer.

It's not even neck and neck with women's football there

 

[chukutee]

It's very hard to get gumshields that fit British teeth

 

[Croo67]

Someone in the UK would have to stay up until past 6am to watch an entire UFC card.

 

[Gorkle]

GSP is Canadian last I heard

No shit.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Ground fighting or lack of it is the issue, even if the UFC went all out and had a stacked card live at 8pm, as soon as the fight hit the floor....."GAY".

May draw in a few guys in their teens, but boxing and Tae Kwon Do seem to have it sewn up as far as combat sports go

 

[FWRGeorgie]

I think a few years ago there was a boom in british MMA. Bisping was doing his thing, top 10 in his division. Then we had fighters like; Dan Hardy, Paul Daley, Paul Kelly, Paul Taylor, Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, Paul Sass and Terry Etim all come over and look pretty decent. I think this was when the UFC was trying to break in to the british scene a little more, but it was an exciting time over here in the UK. I remember getting fighting magazines each week and there would always be a new british contender signing with the UFC. I think the sport still has light years to go at this point though, while there are a lot of mma gyms here (I go to two) they are nowhere near the quality of those in the states or other countries

 

[Mug]

MMA at the moment is almost just a second port of call for American wrestlers or Russian Sambo guys, UK has no grappling programs in place and a rich history of boxing
Boys want to grow up to be footballers(soccer players) or some box, MMA just isn't that big at the moment but it is growing only problem is fighting other UK guys without the wrestling pedigree of Americans or Russians. That being said BJJ is seemingly thriving in the UK

 

[realdealgeale]

Say what you want about him but Eddie hearns is a hell of a promoter. Also have the most boxing champions of any country across the 4 major belts iirc. Something like 13 or 14.

 

[Hardkore]

No shit.

Yes its true

 

[ICHEERTHEBULL]

Unbelievable the amount of people who think that Ireland is part ok the UK

 

[SiEdmondson]

Western Europeans have real sports to care about like football. Also UFC is on at like 4am. Also boxing is big over here. Also Conor isn't from the UK. Also MMA is a grappling dominated sport which is why USA, Russia, Brazil have done so well. Europe dont have an extensive grappling history.

even though we pretty much invented catch wrestling, funny isn't it

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

MMA is just not that popular here, it seems to me like the participation rates have actually declined since the earlier part of the decade. The UK is a boxing nation through and through and we dont have anything remotely resembling the pipeline of elite wrestling talent that somewhere like Russia produces. Theres such a huge surplus of high end wrestling talent in Russia that its no surprise they do very well in MMA.