MMA Eras

[ferrisjso]

Here's mine

The 1st era ends in 01 or 02 because this is when RINGS died and Pancrase stopped being a major promotion. It's also when weight classes started. 1st era defined by OW and a few major promotions and a bunch of 1 day tournaments.

The second era ends when Pride ends in 07. It's the UFC v Pride era.

The third era ends when Strikeforce ends and the UFC has a true monopoly on talent until Bellator becomes serious.

The fourth eras probably ended sometime after the Reebok deal and Bellator became a major promotion. Probably sometime during Conor mania.

This is now the fifth era.

 

[HuskySamoan]

Are these accurate descriptions of the MMA eras?

If not what would you change?

93-96 BJJ dominant / NHB
96-99 Wrestler dominant
99-02 dark age (Tito bad boy era) / rise of pride
02-07 pride dominant/ pride v ufc era
07-2012 the Golden age
(Pride, UFC, WEC,Strikeforce all combined in this period)
Beginning of the Golden age had the best LHW era, mid to end of Golden age had the best WW, MW and HW era

2012- now: post modern lull and over saturation era?

2012-Now has the best Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight and Lightweight eras. Welterweight is starting to spice up again too. MW, LHW and HW are just whatever.

Also I think the Golden age for MW was post 2012? Like 2012-2016 That's when we had Mousasi, Weidman, Jacare, Luke, Vitor, Machida, Brunson, Yoel, Bisping, Kennedy, Gastelum, Rising Whittaker etc near or in their MW primes...Definitely the best MWs ever been by a lot.

Heavyweight was at its peak for those few years when all the Strikeforce guys were in top of their games and came over to the UFC. When you had prime JDS and Cain, Brock was still relevant, Mir, but then Overeem, Werdum, Cormier, Bigfoot, Barnett etc. So again post 2012 largely, like 2011-2015.

Light Heavyweight is hard to call, it's Pride days could be arguably it's Golden age honestly.

 

[Tweak896]

My head cannon is pre-UFC, like Ali/Inoki.
Then UFC where one martial art takes all
Then fighters had 2 martials arts like in Pride.
Then 3 mixed in.
and today is 3 mixed in better.

 

[Midget Boxer]

2015-2016 should be it's own category. The UFC reached levels high popularity during that time

 

[ferrisjso]

2012-Now has the best Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight and Lightweight eras. Welterweight is starting to spice up again too. MW, LHW and HW are just whatever.

Also I think the Golden age for MW was post 2012? Like 2012-2016 That's when we had Mousasi, Weidman, Jacare, Luke, Vitor, Machida, Brunson, Yoel, Bisping, Kennedy, Gastelum, Rising Whittaker etc near or in their MW primes...Definitely the best MWs ever been by a lot.

Heavyweight was at its peak for those few years when all the Strikeforce guys were in top of their games and came over to the UFC. When you had prime JDS and Cain, Brock was still relevant, Mir, but then Overeem, Werdum, Cormier, Bigfoot, Barnett etc. So again post 2012 largely, like 2011-2015.

Light Heavyweight is hard to call, it's Pride days could be arguably it's Golden age honestly.

I think 2012-2013 MMA was literally perfect tbh.

 

[DestinedAussie]

Are these accurate descriptions of the MMA eras?

If not what would you change?

93-96 BJJ dominant / NHB
96-99 Wrestler dominant
99-02 dark age (Tito bad boy era) / rise of pride
02-07 pride dominant/ pride v ufc era
07-2012 the Golden age
(Pride, UFC, WEC,Strikeforce all combined in this period)
Beginning of the Golden age had the best LHW era, mid to end of Golden age had the best WW, MW and HW era

2012- now: post modern lull and over saturation era?

99-02 the dark age? That is pretty harsh. Tito helped the UFC explode.

I would describe 2005-2012 The TUF era. It changed the UFC forever

2013-2018 Fox era
2019-now ESPN era

The change in the one the UFC was covered is so important because the audience changes (grows) with those changes.

2007 is the glory year, we had Andy Wang.

 

[HHJ]

I wouldnt sum it up that way at all.

 

[Leonard Haid]

Are these accurate descriptions of the MMA eras?

If not what would you change?

93-96 BJJ dominant / NHB
96-99 Wrestler dominant
99-02 dark age (Tito bad boy era) / rise of pride
02-07 pride dominant/ pride v ufc era
07-2012 the Golden age
(Pride, UFC, WEC,Strikeforce all combined in this period)
Beginning of the Golden age had the best LHW era, mid to end of Golden age had the best WW, MW and HW era

2012- now: post modern lull and over saturation era?

Modern MMA Eras:
1970s - Bruce Lee Era
1980s - Shooto Era
1990s - UFC Wild West Era
2000s - UFC Zuffa Era
2010s - MMA becomes a full-fledged internationally popular sport
2020s - Khamzat Era (During which highest-level fighters are repped by the world as opposed to predominantly the US and Brazil)

 

[Tito Tapped]

BJJ never dominated the UFC and sure as fuck didn't do it for 3 years

 

[BowserJr]

BJJ never dominated the UFC and sure as fuck didn't do it for 3 years

Royce Gracie, the runt of the Gracies won the first 4 UFCs and then got a draw while being undersized vs Ken Shamrock.

Gracies overall did well (especially Rickson) until they stated losing to Sakuraba

What are you smoking?

 

[Deleted member 110072]

I can see that. The dark age was really a US thing and is probably what helped Pride rise to the top.

"MMA dark age" is a pretty well known thing though which is why I used it. The only thing that kept mma alive in the US was websites like sherdog

Honestly though even in the US I would say the dark age is a bit before that, the real dark age was more mid/late 90's when it was off PPV, having trouble getting sanctioned in most places, etc. It didnt really start to have its first serious growth until 2002 with Tito/Ken but I think the couple of years before that it was definitely looking a lot healthier.

Really the sucess of Japan I think helped in the US as well as it showed MMA could be massively popular and a credable sport, Dana even took the Fertittas to the 2000 GP show to convince them to buy.

 

[BFoe]

dude 2012- now is way too long of an era. Thats not an era at all.
2012- 18 is the fox/Mcgregor era, and really [as much as I dont like him, but he did grow the sport], which created a widespread popularity of the sport.
18- Present- in my opinion is the Pure Sporting Era of MMA. Where we are seeing an extremely sport-oriented aspect of mma, where there has been a huge increase in fighters, sporting aspects of mma - increase in gyms, new techniques, better athletes, etc,

I agree with the first part—and FOX/McGregor Era is a fine name for it. But I don’t get calling what we’re in now the Pure Sporting Era. If anything, it’s the opposite—rankings are purposely manipulated, people constantly get title shots because of the entertainment (not sport) factor, there’s pointless rematch after pointless rematch, interim titles are created and dropped on a moment’s notice solely to fill PPV main event slots…. It’s the “Entertainment” Era if anything imo.

 

[Ancient Warrior]

All there is, is pre and post USADA era.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

I think it’s worthwhile to bump this thread because we are few years on and I’m not sure when the current era started. Or are we in an older era that is about to die off, since Jones is mostly retired but not completely?

 

[HUGHPHUG]

Are these accurate descriptions of the MMA eras?

If not what would you change?

93-96 BJJ dominant / NHB
96-99 Wrestler dominant
99-02 dark age (Tito bad boy era) / rise of pride
02-07 pride dominant/ pride v ufc era
07-2012 the Golden age
(Pride, UFC, WEC,Strikeforce all combined in this period)
Beginning of the Golden age had the best LHW era, mid to end of Golden age had the best WW, MW and HW era

2012- now: post modern lull and over saturation era?

I would say the golden era was 04 to around 08

09 onwards was more of the fake glittery era where money began to dominate who gets the title shots, with TV deals and over exposure being their main focus

 

[BowserJr]

I would say the golden era was 04 to around 08

09 onwards was more of the fake glittery era where money began to dominate who gets the title shots, with TV deals and over exposure being their main focus

09 is definitely when that started but at least strikeforce merger still created a bunch of great matchups

 

[TCE]

I think it’s worthwhile to bump this thread because we are few years on and I’m not sure when the current era started. Or are we in an older era that is about to die off, since Jones is mostly retired but not completely?

Post-covid era?

 

[El Panteron]

The sport has existed for all of 30 years and you've got SIX eras? Come on.

I reckon there's maybe 2 or 3 at the most.

 

[bubbleboyjones]

Are these accurate descriptions of the MMA eras?

If not what would you change?

93-96 BJJ dominant / NHB
96-99 Wrestler dominant
99-02 dark age (Tito bad boy era) / rise of pride
02-07 pride dominant/ pride v ufc era
07-2012 the Golden age
(Pride, UFC, WEC,Strikeforce all combined in this period)
Beginning of the Golden age had the best LHW era, mid to end of Golden age had the best WW, MW and HW era

2012- now: post modern lull and over saturation era?

Dark age/ Rise of Pride should be starting '97

 

[Streeter]

2009 thru 2016 was the golden age of mma. Those 7 years it was at its all around best