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

[SamboKing]

It wasn't really hard to predict that Shields would win a decision. He has better greco wrestling ability, and his top game is one of the best in the world. Also Maia is massively overrated at 170. That's why the majority of Sherdog thought Shields was going to go down, and some were claiming he might get submitted.

Anyone who has actually seen Shields in pure grappling tournaments (especially when he tooled Leo Santos) would have known that Maia and Shields are both equally skilled in BJJ, but Shields has by far the better wrestling.

 

[Kai Sui]

im a big fan off mma, but im in youre same boat. still a true fan

 

[Chaos Spawn]

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 [size=+1]he finds primitive[/size]. 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.

sounds like you encountered an egotistical elitist. im sure if you had discussed more topics than mma, you would have had the pleasure of enduring more condescending commentary regardless of subject matter. well played for blowing him off. in situations like that, it is easy to get sucked into a pointless debate.

i think you make a very good point in your last paragraph. i played baseball for 10 years as a kid and teen, and obviously loved it, otherwise i wouldn

 

[Chaos Spawn]

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

well played. :icon_lol:

 

[SamboKing]

sounds like you encountered an egotistical elitist. im sure if you had discussed more topics than mma, you would have had the pleasure of enduring more condescending commentary regardless of subject matter. well played for blowing him off. in situations like that, it is easy to get sucked into a pointless debate.

i think you make a very good point in your last paragraph. i played baseball for 10 years as a kid and teen, and obviously loved it, otherwise i wouldn

 

[TheNinja]

I don't like people who "if you were a true fan...", but also it sounds like you may have overreacted. I apprecaite a good grappling match between 2 high level grapplers as long as something is happening. Just like I apprecaite a good standup fight. I don't appreciate CroCop vs Mir, AA vs Timmy III, Lentz vs Winner, Guida vs Grey, Fitch vs a lot of guys.