Has anyone else lost interest in UFC/MMA , possible to regain it?

[Ogata]

Interest for me comes and goes. But it will never be like what it was when I became a fan in 2005.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

Not the first time I haven't checked. Considering how much time we spend here, bit rubbish really.

I don't even check the heavies hardly at all anymore. There isn't even anything entertaining going on in there these days.

I'll tune in to watch Gaethje, Ferguson and a couple other guys but that's it these days. I just don't understand how the UFC went from having dozens of interesting fighters to just this blanket of no names that encompass every card. The LHW division alone back in the day with Rampage, Shogun and those guys had more draws than the entire UFC and Bellator rosters do combined these days. I'm not sure if it's marketing or fighting styles or if I've just lost interest and wouldn't recognize an exciting up and comer anyway.

 

[danny23]

I don't think that holds in MMA though, its a transitional sport that needs to attract talent. You could pay alot for say a world class kickboxer to switch or you could pay alot less for 10 very low level kickboxers, the latter would not improve the standard of the sport.

I was standing about 3 rows up from the top of in your avi pic BTW.

I think MMA is a sport on its own with skills applicable within its rule set. A kickboxer or other specialist, regardless of their standing in their respective sport, won’t do great without the other MMA skills. I’d pick the best MMA fighters to beat anyone crossing over in MMA.


Okay forget that, you witnessed football history.
No, you were part of it so close some feet away. You’re a Palace fan.
I wasn’t even born at the time lol.




What was the immediate aftermath within the crowd? How did people react?
Surely shocking but also hilarious? Do you think the guy did enough to deserve it?

Speaking of MMA that was a great kick by Eric.
Got him around the ribs. What a hit son.

 

[Spounman]

I was definitely more obsessed with it in the Pride days. I would stay up all night watching PRIDE cards and I'd read/watch all I could about MMA but I also knew some fighters and took classes and worked out constantly. These days I still watch every UFC card and I go Bellator whenever its in my area but I'm not as obsessed. Start playing Draft Kings or Fan Duel, your interest will come back.

 

[90 50]

I remember getting into MMA when it was still gaining hype in 2009 with the video game. I became addicted to watching the spike events and learning about the fighters from Pride, strikeforce, and later DREAM. I got friends into it whenever there was a fight to watch.

Fast forward a few years and Zuffa sold the UFC, all of my favs from UFC/Strikeforce are old or retired. The ufc puts on so many cards, i barely know any of the fighters. My hands used sweat when the main card started now its like ''who is the champion again?''

I feel my lost of interest is due to life changes personally but also how UFC adapted the Boxing model. There doesnt need to be 400 fighters on the roster, and their doesnt need to be 4 fights a month. I want to get back into it but man its hard.

Provide some insight if you faced this or are facing this.

I have always been involved in some form or another in martial arts. When ufc 1 hit we were like WTF is this holy shit!!
Then the dark ages and the return.
05ish? Started ordering all the events again, would always have people over.

it fell off to be just me and one buddy watching them, then that was gone too.

I didn’t really follow it or even post here for a couple years.

Like you said, to many cards too watered down. Wasn’t as big of a deal anymore.

came back with the return of gsp. Kinda stuck around since.

started watching Whittaker’s fights and last one was vrs izzy.

almost ordered costa izzy but didn’t.
I watched Tito/chuck though lol.

 

[fingercuffs]

I don't even check the heavies hardly at all anymore. There isn't even anything entertaining going on in there these days.

I'll tune in to watch Gaethje, Ferguson and a couple other guys but that's it these days. I just don't understand how the UFC went from having dozens of interesting fighters to just this blanket of no names that encompass every card. The LHW division alone back in the day with Rampage, Shogun and those guys had more draws than the entire UFC and Bellator rosters do combined these days. I'm not sure if it's marketing or fighting styles or if I've just lost interest and wouldn't recognize an exciting up and comer anyway.

Know that feel. I actually fell asleep going to Bellator watching Bendo a couple of years ago so it hasn't held the same hold over me for some time apparently. I still enjoy the bigger fights and a chick fight the other day sent me a bit mental a couple of weeks ago...I don't normally get excited with chick fights.

 

[90 50]

If you arent hyped for Khabib vs Gaethje you were never a true fan to begin with

I really don’t have much interest in that fight.
I’ve never even seen Gaethje fight.

only Khabib fight i watched was vs Conor but that crap was hyped like crazy.

I’ve never been interested in classes below 70’ though ever so there is that.

 

[WandySaku2]

It’s far better now old man.

I only watch the big fights but the quality of fighters and fighting is better in every measurable way than 10 years ago. More fighters means better competition and talents to choose from and the sport is growing.

I lean towards you being spot-on on this, but for me that doesn't necessarily equate to a more enjoyable product, at least for me.

The fighters may be better, but a lot of them seem like variants of the same template. It's just hard to get fired up for that. That said, I do still get into certain fighters and big fights. Can't wait to watch Khabib/Gaethje.

I don't even check the heavies hardly at all anymore. There isn't even anything entertaining going on in there these days.

I'll tune in to watch Gaethje, Ferguson and a couple other guys but that's it these days. I just don't understand how the UFC went from having dozens of interesting fighters to just this blanket of no names that encompass every card. The LHW division alone back in the day with Rampage, Shogun and those guys had more draws than the entire UFC and Bellator rosters do combined these days. I'm not sure if it's marketing or fighting styles or if I've just lost interest and wouldn't recognize an exciting up and comer anyway.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I've never felt like the UFC has been good at marketing and getting fans interested in fighters and it's usually the fighters themselves bringing the heat. Even when you think of a lot of their stars in the mid - late 2000s, they were big because PRIDE made them stars, and I feel they were better at the marketing game.

Also, squash matches had their purpose.

 

[sleepyguard85]

Furry muff. When I lived in Holland I'd avoid all spoilers and lose the plot on a Sunday morning if I couldn't find a torrent. It used to drive me flippin mad.

I used to have Mondays off, kid was at school and wife was at work so i’d avoid spoilers and enjoy the event. Nowadays I’m about 3 or 4 events behind and I’m not about to waste 3 hours of my life watching an event with 8 decisions.

 

[Brom Bones]

Pay more attention to WMMA. Seriously. There are way less fighters to worry about.

 

[Deleted member 110072]

I think MMA is a sport on its own with skills applicable within its rule set. A kickboxer or other specialist, regardless of their standing in their respective sport, won’t do great without the other MMA skills. I’d pick the best MMA fighters to beat anyone crossing over in MMA.

True but most of the best MMA fighters have always tended to be those who already had an elite skill set from another sport then crossed over and rounded it out. My point really is that MMA isnt like most sports in that its a case of the more people who are involved the better the standard, it depends alot on the quality of fighters attracted to the sport.

Okay forget that, you witnessed football history.
No, you were part of it so close some feet away. You’re a Palace fan.
I wasn’t even born at the time lol.



What was the immediate aftermath within the crowd? How did people react?
Surely shocking but also hilarious? Do you think the guy did enough to deserve it?

Speaking of MMA that was a great kick by Eric.
Got him around the ribs. What a hit son.

The strange thing is that incident happened in the main stand which is really more families(look how many kids in the shot, not something that common in the mid 90's when the hooligan era had only just ended, I wasnt taken to game smuch until I was 15-16) and old people, not somewhere you would expect much agro. It was more Matt Simons(the guy Eric kicked) as a lone tanked up loud mouth so whilst we enjoyed Erics misfortune the crowd was never going to jump onto the pitch and go after him.

I would normally have been sitting much higher up in an area were by extended family have season tickets but was on a standard ticket further down that night.

 

[Cygnus A]

I am in that boat. Grew up starting at UFC 1 I rented on VHS tape back in middle school. Watched every UFC and Pride event religiously up until the fall of Anderson. Since then i would catch big name fights, but a lot of those started becoming letdowns.

 

[mb23100]

I still watch but the days of getting together with a bunch of people and watching are long gone. I don't know anyone who watches anymore except for one guy from work and he only watches because his son is in the UFC.

 

[IloveTHIS]

I’ve never even seen Gaethje fight.

What in the actual fuck

That's kind of like loving to watch NBA but never once watching a game with Kobe in it. I'm almost speechless right now reading that.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Really liked it when I watched every PPV on AFN for free. I liked seeing guys I used to watch in college wrestle, then make it to the UFC.

Now, I just don't care.

I don't know anyone.

I can't say there is a particular fighter I cheer for.

There is no more sense of one style vs. another style now that everyone is a jack of all trades.

I don't do social media and I know they try to brand themselves on soci media.

Then again, I feel that way about many sports. I now looked forward to the NFL season because it means the grocery store is empty on Sunday afternoons.

 

[90 50]

What in the actual fuck

That's kind of like loving to watch NBA but never once watching a game with Kobe in it. I'm almost speechless right now reading that.

I’m not as active in it as I used to be, and he’s relatively new.
Plus like I said, anything under 170 I just don’t get into.

only Conor fight I’ve ever seen also was Khabib Conor.
And that was because of all the hype and the bus shit etc.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

I try to watch almost every event. I think the fighters now are just as good as their predecessors or even better. So it's great to watch these guys perform in such a high level. Especially the top elite fighters.

 

[Cantona7]

I think MMA is a sport on its own with skills applicable within its rule set. A kickboxer or other specialist, regardless of their standing in their respective sport, won’t do great without the other MMA skills. I’d pick the best MMA fighters to beat anyone crossing over in MMA.


Okay forget that, you witnessed football history.
No, you were part of it so close some feet away. You’re a Palace fan.
I wasn’t even born at the time lol.




What was the immediate aftermath within the crowd? How did people react?
Surely shocking but also hilarious? Do you think the guy did enough to deserve it?

Speaking of MMA that was a great kick by Eric.
Got him around the ribs. What a hit son.

I’d like this twice if I could...

 

[IloveTHIS]

I’m not as active in it as I used to be, and he’s relatively new.
Plus like I said, anything under 170 I just don’t get into.

only Conor fight I’ve ever seen also was Khabib Conor.
And that was because of all the hype and the bus shit etc.

Do you consider LW too small? The average LW is bigger than the average man. Or is it something else?

One day when you get bored you should watch Conors entire FW title run. And pretty much every single Gaethje fight.

Gaethje is one of the only guys in the sport that truly lives kill or be killed.

 

[Deleted member 110072]

Do you consider LW too small? The average LW is bigger than the average man. Or is it something else?

One day when you get bored you should watch Conors entire FW title run. And pretty much every single Gaethje fight.

Gaethje is one of the only guys in the sport that truly lives kill or be killed.

I would say if people have a preference for higher weight classes its not really much to do with the "average man" but more the sense of tension the bigger men bring knowing that a single shot could end a fight more easily. More recently that has turned into a "who falls first" kind of situation thats perhaps less entertaining to watch but back in the day matches could be long exchanges of technique quite often even with that finishing potential.

Really MMA in the mid 00's was run around HW and LHW more than anything else, espeically in Pride and it is pretty amazing to consider just how much happened in a relatively short space of time in those divisions. I mean the absolute peak of Pride was probably 03-06 and those 4 years have so many big HW and LHW fights that are still talked about, the UFC had a few as well.