Integrity of the sport ... Does it matter to you?

[mxkey]

At the end of the day people need to realize that this is a gambling event first and foremost. It's run by casino owners, and while there is a great deal of athleticism and technique involved, it's in essence the same as horse racing. Fights are real, finishes are real (some im skeptical about), judges are where the house always wins.

I still enjoy watching it, but I dont see it becoming a real major league like sport under current ownership with no fighters union.

Your extraordinary claims are missing their extraordinary evidence. Without it your just another blathering "i hate everything that becomes popular guy".

 

[ocfightfan]

Yes, but integrity is just one element that matters.

 

[hutchens]

Depends what you mean by 'integrity of the sport'. I want legit competition, as in nothing fixed, but I also don't lose my mind when they make a money fight for the title.

I also don't think the occasional mismatch is the end of the world as guys running clinics can be a lot of fun. I have no problem with guys fighting to a stalemate if they come by it honestly, but I also don't want to see fight after fight where guys neutralize each other and very little happens. Variety is the spice of life type shit.

I would change the judging criteria, but since it's not going to happen anytime soon, I'll pass on expanding.

100% agree

 

[BruceLeeOnTRT]

Your extraordinary claims are missing their extraordinary evidence. Without it your just another blathering "i hate everything that becomes popular guy".

I don't see how I hate anything here, I enjoy the fights even if I think there is more then meets the eye.

Fact is, there us no fighters union, nor is there ever going to be one. Salaries will remain undisclosed under Zuffa. How many major league sports operate this way?

Boxing has a rich history, but it's also filled with fixed decisions. If you think that a pair of casino owners are above putting the intangibles in house favor with a league they run, you're entitled to your opinion and I wont even claim you're naive.

 

[chefdiablo]

I care for the integrity of he sport, though if I'm honest I have some blatant double-standards between fighters I support and the opportunities they are provided with, close decisions they get the nod in etc, and fighters I dislike.

In short, I think I am a regular guy with biases.

That still doesn't mean I want to see MMA degrade into pro-wrestling.

This is generally how I feel about most fights.

I have guys I like and dislike and I favor the ones I like for that very reason. I can however sit back and admit when the guy I was backing did a terrible job or just got beat without deluding myself into believing otherwise.

The integrity aspect is important to me from all angles. If the fan blood lust and hunger for action is going to become a criteria for growing this sport in the "right" direction then it is stepping closer to entertainment than sport.

There are only so many steps in that direction I will tolerate as a fan before I lose interest altogether. As a fan of both Hockey and Baseball when I was younger they lost me during the extensive lock out seasons and I have not invested my time or money in their products since.

Am I a hardline stubborn fan?

Yes, and I stand by my own integrity no matter what.

 

[ethanfranklin]

This.
..is the stupidest post so far.

How. Its obviously true.

UFC does think its brand is bigger than the sport.

 

[Osnodon]

If we want integrity, we have to develop a specific title fight picture. Which I will admit is incredibly hard to do on a yearly basis without a tourney.

But honestly what I care about are exciting fights. If we aren't going to be systematic about title shots and match ups I'd rather just enjoy what we get. Cut the sherks, fitchs, okamis and machidas of the world.

 

[Kotoamatsukami]

It really depends on what you mean by integrity of the sport...

do you mean trash talkers like Chael Sonnen or the recent stunt pulled by Wanderlei? if so, then I could care less. that's up to them and it's their choices. all that matters is that the fighting is real. that's it.
do you mean squash matches like the good old PRIDE days? eg. Fedor vs Zulu. if so, I don't care about that either - like I said, as long is the fighting is real, I don't give a shit about anything else just as long as they fight for real with no pre determined outcome.

and I watch MMA as a whole, not just UFC lol

 

[spid3yo]

At the end of the day people need to realize that this is a gambling event first and foremost. It's run by casino owners, and while there is a great deal of athleticism and technique involved, it's in essence the same as horse racing. Fights are real, finishes are real (some im skeptical about), judges are where the house always wins.

Who cares, and what does that even mean??

 

[Ring Shark98]

I care about it quite a bit. I have been watching less and less over the years, because to me it is reverting back to a spectacle rather than a sport. I still watch for the love of the sport, but the way ufc has taken over and the way they run things has lead to my waning interest.

I know lots of people will be on me like rabid dogs for this post, but it's an online forum. I don't care.

 

[chefdiablo]

I don't see how I hate anything here, I enjoy the fights even if I think there is more then meets the eye.

Fact is, there us no fighters union, nor is there ever going to be one. Salaries will remain undisclosed under Zuffa. How many major league sports operate this way?

Boxing has a rich history, but it's also filled with fixed decisions. If you think that a pair of casino owners are above putting the intangibles in house favor with a league they run, you're entitled to your opinion and I wont even claim you're naive.

I don't think there is anything wrong with having a healthy dose of skepticism. With all of the wide spread doping scandals, gambling businesses, and general corruption that exists in this world I would wager it is naive not to assume underhanded motives first.

When I found out about fixed soccer matches that took place in Ontario Canada for gambling houses in Europe I stopped doubting the lengths people will go to in order to be dirty, rotten, filthy, stinking, rich.

 

[ethanfranklin]

all that matters is that the fighting is real. that's it.

If we go outside and someone tells you to fight to your detriment, and i beat the crap out of you, then thats real to you?

Or if you fight to win, and then get told you lost anyways. Thats real to you?

You cant put the fighters under duress, and limit their fighting options, extraneous to a rule set and call it real fighting.

Its a stylised martial art, just like boxing is.

Only it doesnt have rules, they dont like gatekeepers, and they judge people on if they speak english and how many twitter followers they have.

UFC = TVMA.

 

[Mikedh]

I care about it quite a bit. I have been watching less and less over the years, because to me it is reverting back to a spectacle rather than a sport. I still watch for the love of the sport, but the way ufc has taken over and the way they run things has lead to my waning interest.

I know lots of people will be on me like rabid dogs for this post, but it's an online forum. I don't care.

When did they have more integrity? When they gave Randy Couture infinite title shots? Or before that when they started a reality show to recruit fighters? Or before that when they lost and could not acquire a lot of top fighters from overseas fights due to not having the money to pay them?

 

[Ghost in the Shell]

Aside from just the US, there needs to be more widespread knowledge of the sport. It needs to be accepted just about everywhere in order to have some kind of order before any integrity.

 

[ethanfranklin]

Dana White has invented a new martial art called TVdo.

The art of fighting attractively on tv, to elicit a full retard response from fans that promotes you in the popularity contest called "UFC" The Ultimate Farce Competition".

Best farcical, TVdo fighter wins the title shot, unless he isnt doing the martial art right, and bores the viewers,. In which case he loses and is cut.

 

[Ghost in the Shell]

Dana White has invented a new martial art called TVdo.

The art of fighting attractively on tv, to elicit a full retard response from fans that promotes you in the popularity contest called "UFC" The Ultimate Farce Competition".

Best farcical, TVdo fighter wins the title shot, unless he isnt doing the martial art right, and bores the viewers,. In which case he loses and is cut.

Or if that fighter says something contrary to his opinion he'll cut him and ban him from any event and bitch about him on every press conference.

 

[BruceLeeOnTRT]

I don't think there is anything wrong with having a healthy dose of skepticism. With all of the wide spread doping scandals, gambling businesses, and general corruption that exists in this world I would wager it is naive not to assume underhanded motives first.

When I found out about fixed soccer matches that took place in Ontario Canada for gambling houses in Europe I stopped doubting the lengths people will go to in order to be dirty, rotten, filthy, stinking, rich.

Even major league sports have had their share of ref corruption. Nba championships have been lost over one ref not even a full decade ago.

and yet no one thinks this can happen in mma. I don't even care how much fighters make. I wanna know how much judges and referees make. What kind of lifestyle do they live on those salaries. You'll never find anyone asking these questions tho.

It doesn't matter because it's still entertaining, but I don't see it becoming a ML sport. Too much shit is kept secret, and athletes dont have a lot of rights.

 

[Mikedh]

If we go outside and someone tells you to fight to your detriment, and i beat the crap out of you, then thats real to you?

Or if you fight to win, and then get told you lost anyways. Thats real to you?

You cant put the fighters under duress, and limit their fighting options, extraneous to a rule set and call it real fighting.

Its a stylised martial art, just like boxing is.

Only it doesnt have rules, they dont like gatekeepers, and they judge people on if they speak english and how many twitter followers they have.

UFC = TVMA.

Where do you see combat sports that are presented in the way you are describing the UFC should? MMA, boxing and kickboxing all have unscrupulous integrity if you compare them to major sports. If you don't like prizefighting fine, but prizefighting will never be like regular sports.

 

[Ackrite]

Depends what you mean by 'integrity of the sport'. I want legit competition, as in nothing fixed, but I also don't lose my mind when they make a money fight for the title.

I also don't think the occasional mismatch is the end of the world as guys running clinics can be a lot of fun. I have no problem with guys fighting to a stalemate if they come by it honestly, but I also don't want to see fight after fight where guys neutralize each other and very little happens. Variety is the spice of life type shit.

I would change the judging criteria, but since it's not going to happen anytime soon, I'll pass on expanding.

THIS. /endthread

 

[Kotoamatsukami]

If we go outside and someone tells you to fight to your detriment, and i beat the crap out of you, then thats real to you?

Or if you fight to win, and then get told you lost anyways. Thats real to you?

You cant put the fighters under duress, and limit their fighting options, extraneous to a rule set and call it real fighting.

Its a stylised martial art, just like boxing is.

Only it doesnt have rules, they dont like gatekeepers, and they judge people on if they speak english and how many twitter followers they have.

UFC = TVMA.

Wait what? lol that would be a street fight, what does that have to do with anything? and yes that would be real... it's a street fight??

fight to win but get told you lost? what you mean by that? a robbery? (eg. Garcia vs Phan 1, Machida vs Davis) then yea that's real... it's just that shit happens with dumb judges lol.

when did I say anything about putting fighters under duress or limiting fighting options? you mean like the Okami and Fitch cuts? then I don't support that at all - in fact, Okami and Fitch are two of my favourite fighters. if they wanna use that style, then that's their fighting style. they shouldn't be penalized just because of that.

all I said is that I don't care if they trash talk/troll (Chael) or pull off WWE like stunts (Wanderlei) just as long as when they fight opponents, they just... fight lol.