From UFC 1 to Today... What is the worst rule change?

I prefer the original rules. But I understand the rule changes, and if it means the difference between being regulated or not, I'm okay with most of them. What I don't like is when the rules aren't enforced. If grabbing the fence is going to be against the rules, take points away. If grabbing shorts is going to be against the rules, take points away. If strikes to the groin are illegal, take points away.

What I have learned is that more often than not, cheating (or even accidental violations) pay off because more than likely, you will get by with a warning, even with multiple offenses. The pre-fight talk should be the warning, or maybe just give one warning. Then start penalizing.
 
Hand on mat counting as down and 12-6 elbows are the bane of modern MMA.

I can tolerate most of the other stuff though I would like the bottom competitor to be able to use up-kicks regardless of whether or not the other guy has a knee on the floor.
 
Old days were fun but I like the sport in it's current configuration. Too bad Jon Jones perfect record is marred by the 12/6 rule.
 
Would definitely like to see one hand not count as downed.
 
stin4tw said:
yeah, because this can't possibly permanently fuck up someone's head or spine

Coleman-vs-Goes-ko.gif
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Yea, its not like EVERY STRIKE AND SUBMISSION has the ability to cause real damage. Only knees to the head of a downed opponent. Thats the only way people get hurt.

1. 12-6 rule. Stupid stupid stupid
2. No soccee kicks. Dumb.
3. Standups. Unfair.
4. No automatic mandatory point deduction for grabbing the cage
 
opie said:
they didnt stand people up in pride, they moved them to the center of the ring and restarted them in the same position on the ground
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Yes. I understand that. It's the stopping and starting I don't like. Plus the position is never the same and it gives guys rests that they do not earn.
 
All of the rules that give boring ass wrestlers more "points" than fighters actively trying to finish were the worst decision of all.
 
Knees to the head. There is no punishment for failed TDs whatsoever. You get the guy down once and it undoes 10 failed attempts in terms of points. You need to reward/punish failure in wrestling like you can reward/punish failed strikes opening up yourself to a counter. The rule is akin to saying you can't counter punch when a guy throws a haymaker.

The 12-6 is pretty dumb but it isn't a gamechanger like the stupid grounded opponent/stupid lone hand on the ground rule.
 
Dionysian said:
Knees to the head. There is no punishment for failed TDs whatsoever. You get the guy down once and it undoes 10 failed attempts in terms of points. You need to reward/punish failure in wrestling like you can reward/punish failed strikes opening up yourself to a counter. The rule is akin to saying you can't counter punch when a guy throws a haymaker.
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There is no rule that says... that is the product of bad judges for years and newer judges not challenging what has no been set as a precedent.
 
scoring by rounds is bad, a grounded opponent should only be when someones head, belly or back is touching the ground., 12-6 elbows is dumb.
 
Hank30 said:
There is no rule that says... that is the product of bad judges for years and newer judges not challenging what has no been set as a precedent.
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I was talking about knees to the head of a grounded opponent (ie: what you'd inevitably do after sprawling on a failed TD). That's a rule unfortunately.
 
I'm fairly confident all of the rules changes in place are, in a word, harmless and better for the sport. You can quibble about 12-6 being illegal, but headbutts and knees/kicks to the heads of grounded opponents promote fighter safety and longevity.

While I know it's necessary for a modern sport, there is something to be said about open weight tournaments. There was a certain magic about watching tiny fighters win early on that we'll never recapture. In today's MMA world, no 170 pound guy has a chance against Cain Velasquez. Even if you had an open-weight tournament, he'd still be the odds on favorite.

[And, yes, we could construct a scenario where in the round of 16 every HW lost to every LHW, and every MW lost to every WW, and the process repeated itself until some Flyweight wins the finals... ...but 1-on-1, Mighty Mouse will never win the heavyweight championship. :) ]

The 10-point must is probably what bothers me most, but I'm not sure I have a better solution that doesn't end in "all fights go until finish." Maybe that's not so bad, at least for the fans.
 
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