"If you're a true fan of the sport..."

[BrainLeakage]

It's like saying you like hot dogs, but when you eat one, you remove the sausage and say would have liked some grounded meat instead. That means you don't really like hot dogs and you like hamburgers.

 

[lfd0311]

Stopped reading at 'I think Shields will win a decision.'

I stopped reading at:

I was recently on a long flight for business to Hong Kong

 

[gokousupasayan]

It's like saying you like hot dogs, but when you eat one, you remove the sausage and say would have liked some grounded meat instead. That means you don't really like hot dogs and you like hamburgers.

I personally love a loaded chili dog (hotdog, baked beans, ground beef, cole slaw, ketchup, mustard, & relish). In a sense, that's what MMA is.

 

[klimt]

It's like saying you like hot dogs, but when you eat one, you remove the sausage and say would have liked some grounded meat instead. That means you don't really like hot dogs and you like hamburgers.

I think it's rather more like saying I love a certain kind of music, though not 100% of the bands excite me- some are just boring. Or I love hockey, but a certain strategy used by a few teams is frustrating. Or I love Chinese food, but Mantou (the rather plain, chewy bread that often accompanies meals) is somewhat tasteless and unappealing to me.

In no other area of life do I find it a problem for someone to say that there are certain elements in a collection that are more interesting than others.

 

[beginetienne]

In addition, to be a true fan in its truest form, the smaller the weight class the better.

Then you go tell what people think on sherdog, and impose your vision. No until then will your body and soul transform in a true, unadulterated MMA fan.

 

[1strikeclothing]

This.

:icon_chee

 

[A2DaK3**]

Ive noticed that a lot of people's brains don't have the ability to fully understand the details of the fight game. It's like how some people are good at math but many aren't. So these people just watch for the violence because they don't understand the art but it doesn't make them less of a fan.

 

[Alexandergreat3]

Shields is very boring, but I'm pumped for this fight, because I'm looking forward to see Maia Fitching Shields :icon_chee.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Shields is very boring, but I'm pumped for this fight, because I'm looking forward to see Maia Fitching Shields :icon_chee.

I'm more excited for this fight after seeing interviews from Shields and Maia, it looks like they both are actually going to attempt to submit the other, I hope that happens instead of a low skilled kick boxing match.

 

[Lucifer Alpha]

MMA fans should at least make an attempt to appreciate different types of fighting instead of reflexively bitching about it like they always do.

 

[MCS]

It's a wannabe purist/diehard purist attitude that's awfully "me, me, me! I know it all". Enthusiasm can't be forced.

 

[Jopo]

youre insecure that someone called you a non fan? LOLZ.

I've been watching forever and many would call me a "just bleed" fan. Who gives a shit. These same people probably never trained a day in their lives.

Honestly, if someone finds a guy who runs around and picks shots as "art" or that laying on someone requires skills then good for them. I wish i was so easily amused. I've trained in bjj and more and have held down guys much bigger than me. To me its not a skill... Hell I won my first match ever at NAGA by holding this dude down for 5 mins... guy musta been pisssedd ha ha.

 

[machine85]

I agree with the guy. If you can't enjoy watching two of the highest level grapplers in the sport then you probably don't properly understand/ appreciate what's going on. I'm looking forward to it as Maia has looked like a title contender since he dropped to 170 and is destroying guys. But Sheilds is a very tough challenge. If maia passes this challenge I think he's ready to challenge GSP.

 

[HereticBD]

Ah', the old "if you don't like grapple fuck fests, you're not a true fan" garbage.

Let me guess, he also thinks the 125lb division has "the most exciting" fighters in MMA, too.

 

[Jopo]

I agree with the guy. If you can't enjoy watching two of the highest level grapplers in the sport then you probably don't properly understand/ appreciate what's going on. I'm looking forward to it as Maia has looked like a title contender since he dropped to 170 and is destroying guys. But Sheilds is a very tough challenge. If maia passes this challenge I think he's ready to challenge GSP.

Ehh I'm excited to see Demian for sure. One of my favorite up and comers. but I think this is going to be a blowout and Demian will sub him. Shields' bjj is *gasp* overrated in my book. We'll see.

 

[ayiio]

I was recently on a long flight for business to Hong Kong, and I was re-watching UFC 162 on my laptop. My "neighbor" in the seat next to me, an aussie peaks over and starts watching too. I'm like, whatever, enjoy.

After the video ends, he perks up, and starts discussing to me how he's been a life long UFC fan, and thanks me for letting him watch the video.

Then he ask me about the upcoming fight between Maia and Shields. I casually reply, "Eh, I don't find either of them all that entertaining. I think Shields will win a decision but I probably won't be watching the whole fight."

He sort of gets huffy, and tries to explain how grappling is what makes the UFC different than brawling or boxing, which he finds primitive. He then says, "If you're a true fan of the sport, you would appreciate two world class grapplers trying to submit each other."

That's when I tuned him out and said I was going to take a long nap for the rest of the flight, and we left it at that.

Why do people think to be a true "fan" of any sport, you have to enjoy fighters who have a boring style. This isn't only true for MMA, it's for boxing I find too. For instance I don't enjoy watching guys like Wladimir Klitschko and his brother, or Floyd Mayweather, and I would never pay for any of their PPV events. But I do enjoy watching boxing, and MMA when there are fighters who have entertaining styles. But to be a "true fan" you have to love Jake Shields or Maia, or Machida? That seems kind of lame. I understand the grappling game, and I love rolling around on the mat myself for exercise, but I don't really enjoy seeing others do it for entertainment.

He's right . MMA need grappling otherwise it's boxing or K1 .

 

[SamboKing]

youre insecure that someone called you a non fan? LOLZ.

I've been watching forever and many would call me a "just bleed" fan. Who gives a shit. These same people probably never trained a day in their lives.

Honestly, if someone finds a guy who runs around and picks shots as "art" or that laying on someone requires skills then good for them. I wish i was so easily amused. I've trained in bjj and more and have held down guys much bigger than me. To me its not a skill... Hell I won my first match ever at NAGA by holding this dude down for 5 mins... guy musta been pisssedd ha ha.

That's exactly my point.

I won my first tournament as blue belt by basically controlling the guy, passing into side control, and getting my knee on his stomach a few times. I won by a 9 point blowout and I never got to seriously attempt a submission.

While I appreciate the effort it takes to actually pass someone's guard, and get dominant position, do I want to spend 15 or 25 minutes watching it? Hell no. I'd rather go in the other room and play GTA V until they are done.

 

[Shogun Rising]

I hate the real fan bullshit perpetrated by various factions and individuals on Sherdog. I think everyone can think of the most obvious and annoying user here.

The only possible exception with me, though, is I can't see how otherwise dedicated fans don't appreciate Machida. I find Machida to be the most interesting fighter in MMA---he along with Cain---and I see 2006 join dates calling Lyoto boring and saying he runs. To me, he really is a true example where even in uneventful fights, the nuances of his game are well worth watching.

 

[SSJ16]

The TS and the guy on the plane can both be right. Grappling is an enormous part of the sport and generally speaking, pure fans will likely enjoy it. It's like a pure baseball fan saying he doesn't like good pitching (because home runs are fun) or the running game in the NFL, because deep passes are more exciting. Purest, old school fans like it all, because it's all part of the sport.

TS can be right because Shields really is a snoozer to watch. Generally, grappling can be very exciting. I tend to think Maia is one of those guys (I really enjoyed his domination of Fitch).

TS could have just said there are exciting and boring grapplers, just like boring and exciting strikers.

I like this answer. I think there are some grapplers or people who just employ a ground game who are boring because they don't really try to finish or advance-just control.

But I enjoy a great grapple match or jits battle where both people are active and willing to take risk.

I think to be a 'true' fan of any sport, you should enjoy all aspects of that sport but of course you can find a team or a fighter boring per se.

 

[SSJ16]

I tend to think anyone that uses "If you're a true fan of the sport..." in their argument is an idiot. It is a weak and baseless argument and used by people who are not intelligent enough to come up with anything else.

You must be some kind of a fan, if you are watching fights to which you already know the outcome just for the entertainment of watching a fight.

I think a 'true' fan, as Aussie claims to be, would realize that Shields skills and abilities have led to some boring fights. A 'true' fan doesn't care what people think of the sport, or of certain fights. Maia, while his skills can be exciting, can also have boring fights. I'm going to record it so I can fast forward if I need to, as I'm worried that their wrestling/ground skills will cancel each other out and we'll see a stand up fight between two less than exciting strikers.

I cant say I agree with this. I've known some people in basketball for instance who buy Miami Heat jersies and probably watch less than 25% of their games and claim they are a true fan as opposed to someone like myself who reads/listens to basketball news everyday (during season), watch 90+% of my team's games as well as other matchups. I would consider myself a true basketball fan vs someone who is more fair weather. I don't see how this is idiotic at all.

I think there is a variance in level of fan for any sport or thing. The more one is involved in following sport, naturally they would be a truer fan.