Are there any advantages/disadvantages to having a circular cage vs octogan cage?

[FrankDux]

Also, are there any feasible UFC replacements for linked cages as a wall/barrier besides your common boxing/kickboxing/pride etc. style ropes? Has there ever been any serious thought or suggestion given to using some type of plastic or tempered glass wall (with a similar amount of give that a cage would) instead of a chain link cage? (similar to hockey arenas). Of course we know "the cage" is a signature trademark of the UFC...but I'm just wondering if an actual chain cage has advantages/disadvantages for bringing out the highest performance of a MMA artist...

 

[EXOICHO]

the reason circular is better is because in an octagon you get stuck on the corners

 

[Blanqa Blanqua]

Octagon is patented / copyrighted

that is all I think they care about

Pride ring would eliminate wall and stall, allow strikers to cut runners off easier in the corners

you would be better to discuss this ^ IMO

 

[Blanqa Blanqua]

Also for fun look into the Yamma Pit

 

[FrankDux]

I LOVE the Yamma Pits!

Curious to know how the Khabibs of the world would do in a Yamma Pit...

 

[Virtually Identical]

the reason circular is better is because in an octagon you get stuck on the corners

First thing I thought of. The corners really give an advantage to the clinch grapplers

 

[JoshTehV]

Octagon is patented / copyrighted

that is all I think they care about

Pride ring would eliminate wall and stall, allow strikers to cut runners off easier in the corners

you would be better to discuss this ^ IMO

I imagine a circle would make it easier to keep running away and the slight angles of the octagon all on you to somewhat put your opponents back towards a wall

 

[G10]

Even though would love to see fighters compete on an arena with no barrier, I know it wouldn't work in practice. There would be too many guys just running away and refusing to engage.

I personally don't like the boxing/Pride rings. Fighters getting caught in the ropes would result in too many referee resets, and those get distracting after a while.

I think the ideal is a circular cage. Fighters can strategize for it, both offensively and defensively, and it doesn't result in any delays like a ring does. Who knows though, maybe one day, MMA will happen on an platform surrounded by a moat of acid or something?

 

[tequilaboy]

Watch the movie Running Man for the answer to all your questions..

 

[aerius]

Who knows though, maybe one day, MMA will happen on an platform surrounded by a moat of acid or something?

We're almost there, just gotta add the acid.

 

[GrantB13]

I've heard a circle is better for avoiding stalling but I don't buy it. I think you can still press someone on a curved cage.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

The karate combat set up is pretty interesting, it would add a different aspect if used in mma. You can still do strikes off the slanted wall like you can off a cage.

Wall and stall will always be a problem when a cage is involved, and fighting in a ring makes it too unnatural when you have to stop the action to reset.

I personally would like to see an arena set up with plexiglass like in hockey stadiums. This set would be still be a square like a ring but no cage and plexiglass with an outer sphere shape covering it so it looks like a fishbowl or planet/globe. The crowd can be placed around it and on top of it as well for a downward view from up top. Clean the plexiglass after every fight like they do the mats to remove the blood stains from previous fights. The plexiglass would make seeing the action a lot clearer than the current cage or ropes from boxing ring set up. It would be completely see thru so it would be easy to see. Lights can be set up to line the edges so you know where the walls are. Lines on the floor as well so it's easy for fighters to know when they're close to the edge like the outer line they have right before the cage in UFC.

 

[JarlSkuld]

Octagon is patented / copyrighted

that is all I think they care about

Pride ring would eliminate wall and stall, allow strikers to cut runners off easier in the corners

you would be better to discuss this ^ IMO

The PRIDE ring was horrible! It was one of the worst things about PRIDE. Fighters got stuck under the ropes, or hid under them. Refs would randomly stop the action and pull fighters out from under them, changing the course of the fight. The ring is for boxing...and for pro-rastlin' (y'know, to throw other rastlers into so they bounce back into your jumping knee). The ring is the worst possible thing for MMA. MMA should always be in a cage...the shape of which should be debated here.

Seems like the octogon cage would help fighters get to their feet easier.

Jarl

 

[Blanqa Blanqua]

The PRIDE ring was horrible! It was one of the worst things about PRIDE. Fighters got stuck under the ropes, or hid under them. Refs would randomly stop the action and pull fighters out from under them, changing the course of the fight. The ring is for boxing...and for pro-rastlin' (y'know, to throw other rastlers into so they bounce back into your jumping knee). The ring is the worst possible thing for MMA. MMA should always be in a cage...the shape of which should be debated here.

Seems like the octogon cage would help fighters get to their feet easier.

Jarl