Is the cage really better than a ring?

[Sirwastealot]

This isn't about pride vs UFC, or MMA vs boxing so no need to take the discussion there. What's the optimal way for MMA fights to take place?

Does everyone agree that wall and stall, while a very effective strategy, is very limiting and therefore not exciting to watch. It's not that far from lay'n'pray, you can stay busy and do damage but at the same time keep yourself safe. In fact you can't even be subbed so it's even a safer position to be in. Tonight we saw both Comier and Cain apply this strategy for a vast majority of their fight.

Of course it required a lot of skill to be able to do that, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's easy to do, but if you are good at it you can stay safe. It heavily favours grapplers, and doesn't really have a counter attack (like BJJ)

In a ring this style would be more or less eliminated. You can clinch guys, hold them in the corner for a while, do some damage. But not for an extended period of time, certainly not for the whole round. I think the sport would be better for it.

Discuss

inb4 TS is a butthurt JDS fan

 

[Hans Gercmiov]

Let's get this out of the way:

 

[FenoxSky]

"It's bad because if you're good at it you're safe"
Man that's one terrible argument.
There's a lot of promotions that still use a ring, go watch them and enjoy your sloppy takedowns against the ropes and annoying resets.
Or you can always just watch Glory and stop crying.

 

[Matt4786]

They both have some good and bad points.

To give a few comparisons

Cages have no break in the action and give grounded fighters more of a chance to get up (not necessarily a good or bad thing), whereas the ring has the awkward resets to the center of the ring. In the cage, it can be easier to avoid engagement, while you can corner a guy in the ring and force him to fight.

As a spectator in the audience, I think the ring is better, as the cage and the cameraman standing outside of it can block the action a lot of the times.

Some fighters are clearly better in a cage and some in a ring. For example, Cro Cop is a ring fighter, whereas Randy Couture is clearly a cage fighter.

 

[Sirwastealot]

"It's bad because if you're good at it you're safe"
Man that's one terrible argument.
There's a lot of promotions that still use a ring, go watch them and enjoy your sloppy takedowns against the ropes and annoying resets.
Or you can always just watch Glory and stop crying.

Thanks for your contribution. Typical sherdog, brainded, chest beating reply. Not worth engaging.

 

[greenmanwldcard***]

They need to bring in the WCL fighting surface

 

[Sirwastealot]

They both have some good and bad points.

To give a few comparisons

Cages have no break in the action and give grounded fighters more of a chance to get up (not necessarily a good or bad thing), whereas the ring has the awkward resets to the center of the ring. In the cage, it can be easier to avoid engagement, while you can corner a guy in the ring and force him to fight.

As a spectator in the audience, I think the ring is better, as the cage and the cameraman standing outside of it can block the action a lot of the times.

Some fighters are clearly better in a cage and some in a ring. For example, Cro Cop is a ring fighter, whereas Randy Couture is clearly a cage fighter.

Some great points there. Giving fighters more of a chance to get up is probably a positive from the spectator's point of view. So are the resets. But it still seems to me there are more advantages to the ring. Will make for better fights overall.

 

[Westbrick]

They need to bring in the WCL fighting surface

that would be nice

 

[InfamousMP]

The problem is that the current rules favor a wrestling base.

The cage is, by far, better.

 

[iowamma2012]

Cage is better.

Momentum is the name of the game. Forced resets mid round has killed many a fight.

Cage issues can be resolved. Refs can do a better job of interpreting the rules and reset wall and stalls as a stalemate.

 

[MrHoost**]

Forced resets mid round has killed many a fight.

So has leaning on the cage round after round.

 

[MiroHa]

I prefer the ring but both have their pros and cons.

 

[Cygnus-X]

The ring has some aesthetic advantages over the cage, but for any practical purposes the octagon works better and that isn't even a debate anymore.

 

[hoyle1911]

I always liked the ring better, but the resets stunk.

There could be a subjective rule to teach refs to break up more wall and stalls, as well as lay and pray. However then you'd have too many purists complaining the ref is influencing the fight too much in the name of entertainment and not martial arts.

 

[greenmanwldcard***]

The ring has some aesthetic advantages over the cage, but for any practical purposes the octagon works better and that isn't even a debate anymore.

Except it is debatable and I think the ring is better. They just need to make it bigger.

 

[BoogerDawson]

Electric fence and moat with live alligators.

 

[Cygnus-X]

Except it is debatable and I think the ring is better. They just need to make it bigger.

What's better about it? How many guys do we need to see get sent between the ropes? How many awkward resets to mid-ring do we need to see? The debate was over long ago and all I see when this gets brought up is people talking revisionist nostalgia about events in the past.

 

[Cygnus-X]

The problem is that the current rules favor a wrestling base.

In what way do the rules favor a wrestling base?

 

[lapollarecords]

someone should make a compilation of MMA ring fails to end threads like this

 

[greenmanwldcard***]

What's better about it? How many guys do we need to see get sent between the ropes? How many awkward resets to mid-ring do we need to see? The debate was over long ago and all I see when this gets brought up is people talking revisionist nostalgia about events in the past.

I'd much rather them pause for 10 seconds than have someone do the splits on the cage for 3 minutes.