- Joined
- Nov 15, 2014
- Messages
- 420
- Reaction score
- 37
The merger era, the bloating of the ufc roster, the massive increase in picking up fighters for fringe weight-classes, mainly HW, reebok deal, usada, wmma, mcgreggor, ronda, cowboy was still pretty good,
I have been a hardcore for this whole era, flirted in various degrees of filthy casual the whole era before this but I think this chunk is definitely over, no era really has clear boundaries, but loose ones, so you could decide it ended with connor's last fight, or holloway losing the belt, there are plenty of fighters, narratives, fighting metas and even memes that define every given era.
But with the corona-year, and the new extreme bloating, it is a new talent churn for sure, a new era, this kicked it off for me. I knew it has been ending for awhile, many styles have come and gone and new metas are emmerging, lawler is not so good anymore, woodley isn't good anymore, cerrone isn't good anymore. the list is endless, much marque talent, defined by the post-mergers' era and the push of all the belts to super-lineal are now gone or done, same with most of their contenders
New talent is going to be put through, gotta learn to love them, they are the new ufc now. Many people are starting to act like people did during the beginning of the 2014, lost with how the talent is quickly changing. Venom deal and ESPN are also signs of the cross-over and it's defined but not exact point, but it is here
Wall and stall, club and sub and pressure fighter are basically outdated now. Footwork is just standard. switch fighters aren't special anymore. Take-down defense is just essential.
The good news for those suffering from losing fighters they love, is in the large turnover times, you have lots of fast risers and new stars to make. The biggest issue from the old era and this era is still headlining, every ranker fighter needs to headline or co-main a ppv, they need that name value for hardcores and casuals to respect them, and get to know them, or the ufc dies without new star power.
Funny enough, the combined win, dominant champs post made, reflects the late 2013 image that led into the 2014-2019 age.
so, will bjj rise again? what meta changes do you expect? will africa finally rise to the top of mma for good? will ufc continue to gain ground? Will brazil bounce back? Will the regional/feeder leagues bounce back? Who will be UFC's #1 competitor? Who will stay on top the whole era, like Jones did the last one? (with many struggles, and well basically 'losing', another sign of the end)
I have been a hardcore for this whole era, flirted in various degrees of filthy casual the whole era before this but I think this chunk is definitely over, no era really has clear boundaries, but loose ones, so you could decide it ended with connor's last fight, or holloway losing the belt, there are plenty of fighters, narratives, fighting metas and even memes that define every given era.
But with the corona-year, and the new extreme bloating, it is a new talent churn for sure, a new era, this kicked it off for me. I knew it has been ending for awhile, many styles have come and gone and new metas are emmerging, lawler is not so good anymore, woodley isn't good anymore, cerrone isn't good anymore. the list is endless, much marque talent, defined by the post-mergers' era and the push of all the belts to super-lineal are now gone or done, same with most of their contenders
New talent is going to be put through, gotta learn to love them, they are the new ufc now. Many people are starting to act like people did during the beginning of the 2014, lost with how the talent is quickly changing. Venom deal and ESPN are also signs of the cross-over and it's defined but not exact point, but it is here
Wall and stall, club and sub and pressure fighter are basically outdated now. Footwork is just standard. switch fighters aren't special anymore. Take-down defense is just essential.
The good news for those suffering from losing fighters they love, is in the large turnover times, you have lots of fast risers and new stars to make. The biggest issue from the old era and this era is still headlining, every ranker fighter needs to headline or co-main a ppv, they need that name value for hardcores and casuals to respect them, and get to know them, or the ufc dies without new star power.
Funny enough, the combined win, dominant champs post made, reflects the late 2013 image that led into the 2014-2019 age.
so, will bjj rise again? what meta changes do you expect? will africa finally rise to the top of mma for good? will ufc continue to gain ground? Will brazil bounce back? Will the regional/feeder leagues bounce back? Who will be UFC's #1 competitor? Who will stay on top the whole era, like Jones did the last one? (with many struggles, and well basically 'losing', another sign of the end)