"Iron Ring" is anti-grappling

[bulldogs85]

This may be old news, but I'm currently wasting another hour of my life watching BET's "Iron Ring" MMA reality show.

This show is setting the sport back 10 years. The "scouts" are in Atlanta for the show and scouting the Fight Party show- which has produced guys like Forrest Griffin and Rory Singer, and they are saying things like "These guys can't qualify for the Iron Ring, they just want to wrestle" "I thought we were coming to see fighters, this is more like a XXX boy on boy Boys Gone Wild" and the best one of all "All those moves they do on the ground, they don't realize you can do all those standing up".

This show may be the worst thing to happen to MMA, ever. These guys don't realize THIS ISN"T BOXING. All they do is say "stand 'em up". It's a fight, not a boxing match. This show is a complete waste of my eyeball energy.

 

[DaRuckus337]

Out of curiosity, who is contracted to hire thee guys who appear on/win that show? Do they have an affiliation with a series promotion, or do they just showcase wannabe-tough local mma guys while rappers bark fight cliches at them?

 

[Goat Meal]

I don't watch the show, but I kind of want to because it sounds so horrible.

 

[Deloitte]

I'm keeping up with this show. It's annoying but it's not like its surprising to see these thugs not like the ground game. Ludacris is the only one that respects it.

 

[bulldogs85]

Out of curiosity, who is contracted to hire thee guys who appear on/win that show? Do they have an affiliation with a series promotion, or do they just showcase wannabe-tough local mma guys while rappers bark fight cliches at them?

They actually have rappers as the head of the 6 teams. Ludacris, "T.I." and Lil Jon are three of them. I think Shonie Carter is the only MMA guy heading a team. Floyd Mayweather is another. So, yeah, in one scene the rapper T.I. is preaching to these fighters about how they haven't done anything yet, they can still be cut at any time, etc. These rappers havent' trained 1 day in their life, and are lecturing these fighters? Ludacris is hyping one "fighter" because the guy said "I ain't even a fighter, I'm just trying to get out the hood".

The referee is awful. They stand the fighers up anytime good ground work is in progress. Just awful, horrible show.

BTW, the figthers talent isn't bad. Seem to be decent small show type fighters, not TUF quality, but decent. Just hate that they are getting caught up in such a disaster of a show.

 

[bulldogs85]

I'm keeping up with this show. It's annoying but it's not like its surprising to see these thugs not like the ground game. Ludacris is the only one that respects it.

Yeah, it's like they are trying to turn MMA into boxing and criticize anyone who doesn't think standup trumps ground work.

As annoying as it is, I watch it still. Some entertaining fights, but basically 80% standup 20% ground.

 

[Deloitte]

They actually have rappers as the head of the 6 teams. Ludacris, "T.I." and Lil Jon are three of them. I think Shonie Carter is the only MMA guy heading a team. Floyd Mayweather is another. So, yeah, in one scene the rapper T.I. is preaching to these fighters about how they haven't done anything yet, they can still be cut at any time, etc. These rappers havent' trained 1 day in their life, and are lecturing these fighters? Ludacris is hyping one "fighter" because the guy said "I ain't even a fighter, I'm just trying to get out the hood".

The referee is awful. They stand the fighers up anytime good ground work is in progress. Just awful, horrible show.

BTW, the figthers talent isn't bad. Seem to be decent small show type fighters, not TUF quality, but decent. Just hate that they are getting caught up in such a disaster of a show.

Shonie isn't heading, hes a coach. The referee's are worse than Herb Dean as far as early stoppages go.

 

[bulldogs85]

Shonie isn't heading, hes a coach. The referee's are worse than Herb Dean as far as early stoppages go.

Yeah, the ref is awful. Remember the fight where the BJJ guy kept getting the thug into submissions, and the ref was standing them up, then the thug got into the BJJ guys guard, landed a couple clean shots and the ref called it? I'm waiting for Don King to come out of the curtains on this trainwreck of a show.

 

[Magooglie]

I don't even know what's going on with this show. They show some guys fighting. And then they do some background story on some guy but he doesn't fight. The Novell fraud guy shows some kung fu. And then they pick teams for something.

 

[Deloitte]

The show is confusing as hell, it's poorly done but entertaining nonetheless.

 

[olddude]

Watched it tonight, That guy was back for another chance.

These rappers havent' trained 1 day in their life, and are lecturing these fighters? Ludacris is hyping one "fighter" because the guy said "I ain't even a fighter, I'm just trying to get out the hood".

Yup, and he got into the ring with a white boy with some jits and LOST!!!!! Imagine that.

I actually want to see Nelly's guys, haven't gotten to see any of them do much, and they seem to have a legit coach.

The rest is just pathetic.

 

[bulldogs85]

Watched it tonight, That guy was back for another chance.



Yup, and he got into the ring with a white boy with some jits and LOST!!!!! Imagine that.

I actually want to see Nelly's guys, haven't gotten to see any of them do much, and they seem to have a legit coach.

The rest is just pathetic.

Oh, that was the same guy? Good, I'm glad to hear that, his JJ looked pretty damn good- even though against a street thug any blue belt would look like Rickson Gracie! Good, glad he's back. I pray a grappler/BJJ guy wins that show.

 

[jasond]

I've gone from watching it for sporting entertainment to watching it for comedic entertainment.

There are some good C / D level fighters on the show, but listening to guys like TI and Dipset "coach" from the couch is just pathetic. If I didn't look for the humor in it, I'd be extremely pissed off at how embarrassing it is for the sport of MMA.

 

[DaRuckus337]

Well? Do the fighters/winners get a contract with a major promotion or not? Does 'The Iron Ring' have a legit affiliation with anyone, or is it just a freelance 1-fight-for-tv kind of thing with BET cutting the checks?

 

[jasond]

Oh yeah, almost forgot: Rashad Khan is a fucking joke and needs to shut the fuck up.

Same thing goes for that Novell guy who was "teaching" all the fighters that hokey "throw a punch and stand there, so that I can trip you" kung-fu bullshit. At least, they panned the camera around the room to show all the fighters laughing at him while he was showing them that garbage.

Both of those guys are fucking disgraces and I would pay big money to see them step into a cage / ring to teach them what "all that romancin' on the ground" is all about. Every time a fight hits the ground, one of those idiots makes some stupid comment like that.

 

[jasond]

Well? Do the fighters/winners get a contract with a major promotion or not? Does 'The Iron Ring' have a legit affiliation with anyone, or is it just a freelance 1-fight-for-tv kind of thing with BET cutting the checks?

From what they said on the first episode, they don't get any contracts with a major org, but they do get the chance to win a cash prize from "Iron Ring" / BET.

 

[bulldogs85]

Well? Do the fighters/winners get a contract with a major promotion or not? Does 'The Iron Ring' have a legit affiliation with anyone, or is it just a freelance 1-fight-for-tv kind of thing with BET cutting the checks?

I haven't seen them say anything about it. I guess it's just for the pride of winning the Iron Ring.

I heard the ref saying "no elbows" in the fight tonight, so I don't even think this is pro-MMA, just amateurs (which I am, so not knocking it, but TV-worthy?).

The sad thing is this show is supposedly getting HUGE ratings, at least for BET. So, a LOT of people are getting their perception of MMA from this show, and that is shameful to the sport.

 

[bulldogs85]

Oh yeah, almost forgot: Rashad Khan is a fucking joke and needs to shut the fuck up.

Same thing goes for that Novell guy who was "teaching" all the fighters that hokey "throw a punch and stand there, so that I can trip you" kung-fu bullshit. At least, they panned the camera around the room to show all the fighters laughing at him while he was showing them that garbage.

Both of those guys are fucking disgraces and I would pay big money to see them step into a cage / ring to teach them what "all that romancin' on the ground" is all about. Every time a fight hits the ground, one of those idiots makes some stupid comment like that.

It's funny, because the producers and rappers probably think that is really what works in fighting. I'd pay a spectator fee to watch these clowns in a NAGA tourney. Hell, I'd pay just to watch them do a smoker at a local MMA gym. I'm speaking of the "coaches", not the fighters. I feel bad that the fighters are getting dragged into this joke of a show. Maybe they'll get a little exposure though and move on to better things.

 

[DaRuckus337]

Got it. Not really all that great of a prize, but not really surprising considering the focus of the show and the quality of the trainers/coaches on it. No organization would endorse such crap, and certainly wouldn't put any stock in fighters who come out of such a show (regardless of whether they happen to have some skill or not). The show is just a neatly packaged and BET-marketed 1 fight deal for low up and comers - it doesn't seem to even be trying to push the sport or serious help the athletes that much.

 

[jasond]

Got it. Not really all that great of a prize, but not really surprising considering the focus of the show and the quality of the trainers/coaches on it. No organization would endorse such crap, and certainly wouldn't put any stock in fighters who come out of such a show (regardless of whether they happen to have some skill or not). The show is just a neatly packaged and BET-marketed 1 fight deal for low up and comers - it doesn't seem to even be trying to push the sport or serious help the athletes that much.

Correct. It's not at all about pushing the sport. It's about the producers at BET trying to cash in on the current popularity of MMA.