The golden age of mma where your heroes fail drug test and pull out of fights days after them being announced?Quit living in the past. The golden age of MMA is right now.
It was referred to as MMA, but it was more pro-wrestling than actual fighting.I know this thread has been done before but I feel that it is important to remind you all that PRIDE was the greatest MMA promotion of all time. Bas and The fight professor were the best commentators too.
Let’s state all of the facts.
Fedor vs Cro Cop
Shogun vs Rampage
Shogun vs Arona
Sakuraba vs Carlos Newton
Wanderlei Silva vs Rampage 1+2
Minotauro Nogueira vs Cro Cop
Minotoro Nogueira vs Shogun
Minotauro Nogueira vs Fedor
Gomi vs Sakurai
MMA back in the day had the storylines that made you care and the personalities that got you emotionally invested. You mix that with superior ability and the ultimate presentation and you have a spectacle unlike no other.
Let’s all discuss the nostalgic days of MMA where people just fought each other and didn’t have to worry about what USADA has to say.
Source that stat.....You forgot to mention the fact that a 40% of all UFC main events are cancelled.
Big Nog-Sergei
There was a year where more than half of the original main events were changed.Source that stat.....
But is it a sport? The highest grossing ufc PPV ever was Mcgregor - Diaz 2.It was referred to as MMA, but it was more pro-wrestling than actual fighting.
Unsanctioned, unlicensed, no medicals, encouraged drugs, backstage politics, yakuza involvements with swaying bets... etc
It was fun. I had a great time cheering for it. Saku is still one of my favorites.
That being said, we shouldn't be comparing it to what we have today. Obviously that show didn't work out. Yes, it was a show, not a sport.
Not saying the sport is perfect today... far from it... but it IS a sport today.
I tell myself the new UFC is the best version ever, but who am I kidding, old Pride blew the doors off the new UFC, and these gifs prove it: violent finishes, better judging, better rule set, no wall and stall, roids up the wazzo and freak fights. We would never, in a million years, see anything like Frye vs Takayama in the UFC.
It was referred to as MMA, but it was more pro-wrestling than actual fighting.
Unsanctioned, unlicensed, no medicals, encouraged drugs, backstage politics, yakuza involvements with swaying bets... etc
It was fun. I had a great time cheering for it. Saku is still one of my favorites.
That being said, we shouldn't be comparing it to what we have today. Obviously that show didn't work out. Yes, it was a show, not a sport.
Not saying the sport is perfect today... far from it... but it IS a sport today.
That's not a source.There was a year where more than half of the original main events were changed.