Decision Machines!

BEATDOWNS

BEATDOWNS

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What do you think of this term and is it a bad thing that a fighter wins mostly by decision?

Who would be a good example - good example someone who fights their ass off and clearly wants to win

and who would be a bad example - a bad example someone who clearly plays it safe taking no risks..

and go.
 
I don't really have a strong preference towards if a fight is finished or goes to a decision. So many bad UFC cards filled with low level fights and I hear people say "what a great card look at all these finishes". Most of the fights I enjoyed the most this year went to a decision. I don't hate watching someone with a style so unstoppable or impregnable that they are able to impose and control each fight whether it's a defense first fighter like Izzy or a smothering takedown artist with a heavy top game. If anything I blame the guy losing for being unable to mount a meaningful offense or unwilling to take the necessary risks.

Don't get me wrong though, finishes are spectacular moments and they are special, I enjoy them as much as the next person but other things are as or more important to me.
 
I think Volk is a great example of a decision machine, but in a positive way.
1. He's highly skilled and is outclassing people like GSP used to
2. He is throwing a lot of power, I'm surprised he's not finishing more people
3. His fights are pretty exciting for the most part

Merab is an example of a bad decision machine for me (literally has the phrase machine as his nickname funny enough). Maybe I just have the wrong impression of him from the Aldo fight, but something about him getting that decision despite Aldo being the one going for the finish and inflicting the damage was painful. I'm also annoyed that he's in the same weighclass as Aljo and ranked highly but doesn't have any intent on fighting him due to being on the same team.
 
I mean going to decision isn't a bad thing, sometimes the opponent just has really solid defense or a steel chin.
There's also the risk factor in trying to force a finish of you getting caught.

I'm a huge Volkanovski fan, even if he only has 3 finishes out of his 12 UFC wins.
He's still putting on a ton of offense that is techical and is entertaining as well, also guys like Holloway and Ortega are tough as nails too so it's understandable why those went to the scorecards.

If I had to pick one current guy that had some boring decision wins recently it would be Marc Diakiese, dude went full lay and pray mode in his last two after getting finished by Alves in quick fashion.
It's understandable since he was close to getting possibly cut after that loss and he took the path of least resistance against guys who have weaknesses in the wrestling department.
 
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BEATDOWNS said:
What do you think of this term and is it a bad thing that a fighter wins mostly by decision?

Who would be a good example - good example someone who fights their ass off and clearly wants to win

and who would be a bad example - a bad example someone who clearly plays it safe taking no risks..

and go.
Click to expand...
One of Dan Henderson's nicknames was Decision Dan.

Fortunately he graced us with some violent KOs in between decisions
 
I'll turn it around on you.
A good decision fighter is one that doesn't take any risks and wins most fights by boring decisions with little action. To be able to do that you need to be fundamentally better than your opponent at whatever discipline you're forcing him to fight in. It's a competition and not a theater. If a fighter doesn't need to expand a lot of energy to win, it would be unwise to do so. It's up to the losing fighter to bring the heat.
e.g. Izzy
A bad decision fighter is one that has the ambition and the cardio to push the pace, but isn't skilled enough in any field to finish a fight. e.g. Vettori
 
Banana Tree's Nemesis said:
I'll turn it around on you.
A good decision fighter is one that doesn't take any risks and wins most fights by boring decisions with little action. To be able to do that you need to be fundamentally better than your opponent at whatever discipline you're forcing him to fight in. It's a competition and not a theater. If a fighter doesn't need to expand a lot of energy to win, it would be unwise to do so. It's up to the losing fighter to bring the heat.
e.g. Izzy
A bad decision fighter is one that has the ambition and the cardio to push the pace, but isn't skilled enough in any field to finish a fight. e.g. Vettori
Click to expand...
200.gif
 
It only matters when I go to make my Tap picks...

<Neil01>
 
To paraphrase Michael Bisping, every fighter would love to end all of their fights by quick KO or submission in the first round. That's the only way to minimize risk of injury to yourself in a fight. However, for whatever reason, only very few fighters have the ability to consistently do so.

As for the term "decision machine", it's neutral but has a negative connotation. Fans use it as a short-hand to say a fighter is boring, they're risk averse, etc. However, it depends on the fighter. Frankie Edgar is one of the most exciting fighters of all time, and he's won tons of fights off decisions. Personally, I just enjoy watching MMA, and decisions are part of it.

I can't think of too many bad examples of fighters intentionally playing it safe to win by comfortable decision. Aldo, Benson Henderson, GSP, and many others have certainly been guilty of it from time to time, but those same guys have also been really exciting when matched against the right opponent. I think it ultimately comes down to the match-ups more than anything else.
 
G10 said:
To paraphrase Michael Bisping, every fighter would love to end all of their fights by quick KO or submission in the first round. That's the only way to minimize risk of injury to yourself in a fight. However, for whatever reason, only very few fighters have the ability to consistently do so.

As for the term "decision machine", it's neutral but has a negative connotation. Fans use it as a short-hand to say a fighter is boring, they're risk averse, etc. However, it depends on the fighter. Frankie Edgar is one of the most exciting fighters of all time, and he's won tons of fights off decisions. Personally, I just enjoy watching MMA, and decisions are part of it.

I can't think of too many bad examples of fighters intentionally playing it safe to win by comfortable decision. Aldo, Benson Henderson, GSP, and many others have certainly been guilty of it from time to time, but those same guys have also been really exciting when matched against the right opponent. I think it ultimately comes down to the match-ups more than anything else.
Click to expand...
Cruz - bad or good?
 
BEATDOWNS said:
A good example is Pennington she always goes after it and you can tell she wants the finish.

A bad example for me is Arlovksi that guy is there to punch the clock not his opponents.
Click to expand...
I think Arlovski and Roxie are a bad comparison. Rox can throw wild and is much less likely to get KO'd. Arlovski has shown he can win despite having been susceptible to getting KO'd in the past.

Fighting to get a decision when it is the main way you can win based on skill set is sometimes necessary. Its like complaining that Damian Maia doesn't get enough KO's.
 
I generally don't like when a fight ends in a decision. It lacks a definitive end and judges can easily ruin everything. But the quality of a fight itself matters. A boring fight like amateur kickboxing from UFC undercards that ends in a decision is the worst. I also dislike terminal lay and pray cases when one fighter can only take the other down but doesn't do anything else, while the other can't stand up or attack from his back.
 
dipstickjimmy said:
I think Arlovski and Roxie are a bad comparison. Rox can throw wild and is much less likely to get KO'd. Arlovski has shown he can win despite having been susceptible to getting KO'd in the past.

Fighting to get a decision when it is the main way you can win based on skill set is sometimes necessary. Its like complaining that Damian Maia doesn't get enough KO's.
Click to expand...
I think the comparison is fine. When was the last time Andrei showed even the slightest sense of urgency in a fight? He is phoning it in 100% at least Rocky fights..
 
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