All the major sports have embraced their uniqueness. There are too many rules for a casual fan to understand exactly what's going on, but as one continues to observe, each sports nuances emerge, and strategies reveal themselves. In turn, you can become an "educated" fan and a fan that enjoys the unspoken, unexplained elements of the sport. In the case of football, there is so much going on during each play that an instant replay is required just to gain a tentative grasp of what just occurred. NFL-centered programs then take it to another level and actually break down the roles of each player and how effectively each player executed their role. Despite the multitude of rules and strategies employed, the average fan still understands when a teams objectives have been met, without necessarily understanding the HOW. The objective of the game is still obvious,
Yet with MMA, I feel that over the years, the unique elements of this fight sport have been curtailed in order to make the sport more easily digested by the average fan, in the process, making the sport seem more watered-down by the more "educated" fan. Some feel this was necessary. On the contrary, I believe that this was an unnecessary avenue to pursue because the average fan would have still been able to detect whether a fighter's ultimate objective was met (winning the fight) despite various nuances coming into play. The unexplained elements of the sport would not obfuscate the obvious nature of the fighters' objectives. So here is what I think needs to be returned to the sport:
1) Leg strikes to the head of downed opponents. Now I realize that the Unified rules forbid this, but that only begs the question: If MMA is a global sport, then why can't there also be global rules? They should bring them back (leg strikes to downed opponents) whenever they promote shows in countries that allow them. I think fans would enjoy knowing that Brazilian cards, for example, would have different rules than the fights that take place in the US. It would add an element of intrigue to those cards, derailing a stream of identical-seeming fight cards. Casual fans might not know why these strikes are allowed at times, and other times not, but they won't lose sight of what's happening in the cage.
2) Let Aoki wear his bright pants. I remember Aoki not being allowed to wear his long pants when he fought on SF. Allow fighters to wear a variety of fight garb when competing. A grappler should be allowed to wear clothing that best suits his expertise, providing friction for his holds. I still don't know why the shirts off/shorts only model became the norm. I think fighters should be allowed to wear shorts, tights, long tights, tight shirts, and long sleeve tight shirts. I'm on the fence about the gi. I'd have to hear pros and cons about that, perhaps certain rules to using and grabbing the gi would be necessary. The fans might not know WHY a fighter is dressed the way they are, but they'll still understand what they're watching.
3) Bring back the ring. I know the ring is not gone, but I would like to see a single organization use both just to change things up from fight card to fight card. Perhaps when a crd is meant to showcase strikers, they could use a ring instead of a cage.
In conclusion, I just don't feel the level of confusion over situational rule changes would confuse fans as much as feared. i think it would make more cards seem unique and make MMA itself seem more complex for the educated fan.
Yet with MMA, I feel that over the years, the unique elements of this fight sport have been curtailed in order to make the sport more easily digested by the average fan, in the process, making the sport seem more watered-down by the more "educated" fan. Some feel this was necessary. On the contrary, I believe that this was an unnecessary avenue to pursue because the average fan would have still been able to detect whether a fighter's ultimate objective was met (winning the fight) despite various nuances coming into play. The unexplained elements of the sport would not obfuscate the obvious nature of the fighters' objectives. So here is what I think needs to be returned to the sport:
1) Leg strikes to the head of downed opponents. Now I realize that the Unified rules forbid this, but that only begs the question: If MMA is a global sport, then why can't there also be global rules? They should bring them back (leg strikes to downed opponents) whenever they promote shows in countries that allow them. I think fans would enjoy knowing that Brazilian cards, for example, would have different rules than the fights that take place in the US. It would add an element of intrigue to those cards, derailing a stream of identical-seeming fight cards. Casual fans might not know why these strikes are allowed at times, and other times not, but they won't lose sight of what's happening in the cage.
2) Let Aoki wear his bright pants. I remember Aoki not being allowed to wear his long pants when he fought on SF. Allow fighters to wear a variety of fight garb when competing. A grappler should be allowed to wear clothing that best suits his expertise, providing friction for his holds. I still don't know why the shirts off/shorts only model became the norm. I think fighters should be allowed to wear shorts, tights, long tights, tight shirts, and long sleeve tight shirts. I'm on the fence about the gi. I'd have to hear pros and cons about that, perhaps certain rules to using and grabbing the gi would be necessary. The fans might not know WHY a fighter is dressed the way they are, but they'll still understand what they're watching.
3) Bring back the ring. I know the ring is not gone, but I would like to see a single organization use both just to change things up from fight card to fight card. Perhaps when a crd is meant to showcase strikers, they could use a ring instead of a cage.
In conclusion, I just don't feel the level of confusion over situational rule changes would confuse fans as much as feared. i think it would make more cards seem unique and make MMA itself seem more complex for the educated fan.
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