So ive been watching MMA since 2005. Back then i was watching a brazillian soccer player using heads as a football(Guess who ?) and a 350 pound instable monster with a psychotic laugh (bob S....) . What i mean is i didnt "follow" the sport, but watched it. Since the UFC 67 i really got into it. Watching the countdowns, interviews, basicly becoming a passion. started training mma (i already had experience in Romanian BBQ wrestling, neck cranking cousins since 98') So i basicly was swallowed by the Zufa entertainment machine. Untill a month ago; I was a fanboy of certain fighters, a hater of others. Disliking Anderson and Jones for stupid reasons. Persona's and the entertainment aspect was important for me. Getting pissed for stuff bisping is saying or how Jones is acting... But since a month ago , i suddently just dont give a flying Sh*t about it anymore. I watch the fights as a sport, not a soap. And man, its great! I start seeing how amazing alot of these fighters were that i was hating. Started watching undercards, other organistions. Ive basicly become a fan of every warrior that steps into that cage.. Im loving it. JJ his killer elbows, Bisping' hard working. Jds boxing, Cains Gnp... (Ofcourse i know that some fighter is better then the other, but hey.. ill watch and (hopefully) enjoy! A bad fight is a bad fight) So i ask, do many of you share my recent mindset? Just the fights. Not drama and hating how fighters are, but watching for what they do inside that arena (Its fun being a fan of anderson, JJ, gsp, (even) bisping....etc in this time in their carreers. Some badass mofo's)
Having fighters you love and hate adds to it, but a good fights a good fight regardless of who is fighting.
You gotta respect the just bleed guy, so humble... He just wants to see them bleed, so much to ask ? :wink:
Cheers to that. I watch fights, not soap operas; but wanting a war hero to beat up an annoying English guy is something I can get behind.
Sounds like you've become enlightened! Now you can enjoy the sport no matter what. Well, almost no matter what.
Mindset of UFC Fan Pride>UFC Pride fighters who come to the UFC and lose are past their prime Goldie is the worst when he is commentating, and Where's Goldie? when he is not there Rogan is so over the top and bad,......nobody brings the passion like Rogan Goldie/Rogan> Anik Florian Anik/ Florian > Goldie Rogan
Yeah, I'm kinda the same way. There are fighters I like better than others but at the same time I am aware that most of the feuds and colorful personalities tend to be the product of the marketing machine, so I don't take them too seriously.
I find I enjoy fights a lot more when I'm not a fan of either of the fighters, or I'm a fan of both. If I'm too invested in the outcome of the fight, I end up feeling anxious the whole time.
I still invest time into certain fighters as i do teams and stick with them. Win,lose or draw. I consider myself an MMA purist or an MMA fan as opposed to a Zuffa Zombie of any sorts as i entrench myself with all org's and undercards i can feast my eyes upon. I agree with you in regards to the entire "soap-opera" shit,it sucks. And too many people get involved and sucked into that. Being sucked into that too much can seriously cloud your judgement and entertainment of fighting,so it's good to hear you've pulled yourself away from it for the right reasons and been rewarded for it.
I am the same way TS, I can get behind anyone stepping up to fight. Also you may know one guy is better than the other, but the beauty of MMA is that lesser fighter could show he was the better man that night and I am a fan of that all day.
I never really understood the concept of "nuthuggers". I may cheer for one fighter over another in a particular fight and I definitely have a few fighters who I have a huge dislike for (Diaz brothers, Sonnen, anyone else who talks with their mouths more than their fists) but I have never had a favorite fighter. I have followed the sport since its inception and have always been a fan of the competition in general and I feel as a result I get more out of the sport. Good post, always glad to see someone come around full circle and properly enjoy the sport.
I'm in it for the violent style clashes between two competitors. Knowing the history of a fighter also makes it intriguing. But everything else: rankings, skill-level, prestige, hype, title-implications, promotion, rule-set, weight-class, gender, fighter-relationships, etnicity/nationallity, marketing, are just meaningless variables in the MMA game for me. Personality tends also to be irrelevant. Although if someone has a really bad one it tends to bore me. I'm not in this sport to see grown men act like children.
