Rule changes that could help reduce chain control wrestling?

[Alpha_T83]

Back when fighters could get away with grabbing the cage, wrestlers would want to get takedowns in the middle of the octagon, to prevent their opponents from using the cage to stand up. Now it's the exact opposite: guys like Khabib, Merab, Makhachev, Belal, Khamzat, etc. all pressure their opponents against the cage, and then use the cage as a barrier to get takedowns and hold people down. It's insane to me that they can use the cage to their advantage, but fighters aren't allowed to make use of defensive cage grabs to stand up.

I think the rules should be amended to allow defensive cage grabs for downed fighters to get back to their feet. Either that or takedowns against the octagon should be automatically reset to the center of the octagon in full guard. One of the best ways to stand up from a takedown is to get half guard and then shrimp out to create a scramble. But you can't do that when you're pressed up against the cage.

I guess I'm just sick of MMA rules making the cage an advantage for control wrestlers.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Disallow takedowns.

Allow striking, a sport where you can box and kick.

Call it something like kickboxing maybe?

 

[franquito]

Don't need an actual rule change, just some soft encouragement from Uncle Dana.
Like, get rid of win bonuses and change them to "Swangin' and Bangin' Bonuses"
And get rid of the actual belts and change them all to BMF belts which can be awarded and taken away whenever he wants

 

[StonedLemur]

Disallow takedowns.

Allow striking, a sport where you can box and kick.

Call it something like kickboxing maybe?

You beat me to it ya bastad lol

 

[RonDante]

I don’t know anyone that has ever voiced an opposition to taking someone down against the cage

The outrage is when someone pushes you the fence, holds you there, and does nothing

Then they get rewarded with a win because of vague “control time” when that’s not even in the criteria and no effective grappling was achieved

 

[usernamee]

Disallow takedowns.

Allow striking, a sport where you can box and kick.

Call it something like kickboxing maybe?

It would be interesting to have a more serious discussion about this without the go-to extremist reaction "Go watch kickboxing"

Because obviously stalling is possible in a fight, surely you agree with that. So we need to determine what is stalling and how it should be handled.

 

[Alpha_T83]

Disallow takedowns.

Allow striking, a sport where you can box and kick.

Call it something like kickboxing maybe?

Such a poor attitude honestly. These sarcastic replies are just dumb and uneducated.

There's a world of difference between exciting grappling where fighters actually go for submissions and you have reversals and scrambles, and control wrestling with someone pressed against the cage, unable to move.

 

[Alpha_T83]

I don’t know anyone that has ever voiced an opposition to taking someone down against the cage

The outrage is when someone pushes you the fence, holds you there, and does nothing

Then they get rewarded with a win because of vague “control time” when that’s not even in the criteria and no effective grappling was achieved

It's the same when someone gets a takedown and pushes their opponent into the fence on the ground, but doesn't do any real damage.

 

[RonDante]

It's the same when someone gets a takedown and pushes their opponent into the fence on the ground, but doesn't do any real damage.

No it’s not, because what bautistsa did to Aldo is not comparable to what guys like Khabib would do with the leg wrap

 

[Hellowhosthat]

It would be interesting to have a more serious discussion about this without the go-to extremist reaction "Go watch kickboxing"

Because obviously stalling is possible in a fight, surely you agree with that. So we need to determine what is stalling and how it should be handled.

It's a judging issue. If judges don't score it, then they won't do it as much.

I do think there needs to be more emphasis on fighters learning to separate well though. If you look at Vartanyan or what Gurule was doing on Contender Series they aren't letting people hold them there.

With someone like Aldo I think he prides himself so much on his TDD that he isn't willing to risk giving up a takedown to get off.

 

[Alpha_T83]

No it’s not, because what bautistsa did to Aldo is not comparable to what guys like Khabib would do with the leg wrap

Khabib was a little different. He actually passed guard and smashed people.

I still think the cage unfairly benefited him, since fighters can't grab it but he can use it to get takedowns. But at least Khabib was dominant and passed guard and finished fights.

That's not the case for every control wrestler. Some of them get the takedown and just keep their opponent trapped against the cage in guard/halfguard like Merab did to O'Malley.

 

[ticho123]

I don’t know anyone that has ever voiced an opposition to taking someone down against the cage

The outrage is when someone pushes you the fence, holds you there, and does nothing

Then they get rewarded with a win because of vague “control time” when that’s not even in the criteria and no effective grappling was achieved

This. The only rule change that's needed is to only start counting effective strikes, slams and maybe deep submission attempts and do away with all the top control, cage hugging and securing a late takedown to "steal the round" stuff. Like the judging criteria is already there, it's just not being applied correctly. A straight right that lands flush and snaps the head back should be worth more than a full minute of useless top control.

 

[usernamee]

It's a judging issue. If judges don't score it, then they won't do it as much.

I do think there needs to be more emphasis on fighters learning to separate well though. If you look at Vartanyan or what Gurule was doing on Contender Series they aren't letting people hold them there.

With someone like Aldo I think he prides himself so much on his TDD that he isn't willing to risk giving up a takedown to get off.

What if in the Aldo fight he gets stuck on the cage right away when the round starts, and is kept there for the full five minutes with no damaging strikes being landed, no significant strikes anyways.

Would you want to break that action up or would you let it run for five minutes?

 

[StonedLemur]

It would be interesting to have a more serious discussion about this without the go-to extremist reaction "Go watch kickboxing"

Because obviously stalling is possible in a fight, surely you agree with that. So we need to determine what is stalling and how it should be handled.

Everyone knows what stalling is, I mean Bautista is a perfect example of that.
Tbf, Aldo was also guilty of that in the same fight...just hoping for the ref to split them up.

When I watched that fight back, along with the Merab and Aldo fight...you can see Aldo looking at the ref...but what you didn't see is him just getting out of there like he clearly could.

Stalling happens on both sides sometimes, and its a very nuanced situation to be absolutely fair.
I say all of this as a massive Aldo fan sir.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

What if in the Aldo fight he gets stuck on the cage right away when the round starts, and is kept there for the full five minutes with no damaging strikes being landed, no significant strikes anyways.

Would you want to break that action up or would you let it run for five minutes?

They do break the action up. I think in Aldo's case though there has to be an onus on him to be able to turn and separate. Other fighters can do it.

 

[RemyR]

Or maybe watch a different fucking sport if wrestlers are beating your favorite strikers.

 

[usernamee]

They do break the action up. I think in Aldo's case though there has to be an onus on him to be able to turn and separate. Other fighters can do it.

Sure they break it up from time to time. But do you think they should break it up if it's happening as I laid out or do you think they should let it run for the full five?

 

[octagonation]

Disallow takedowns.

Allow striking, a sport where you can box and kick.

Call it something like kickboxing maybe?

Lmao.

You one shoot KOed thread before it started

 

[Paolo Delutis]

Back when fighters could get away with grabbing the cage, wrestlers would want to get takedowns in the middle of the octagon, to prevent their opponents from using the cage to stand up. Now it's the exact opposite: guys like Khabib, Merab, Makhachev, Belal, Khamzat, etc. all pressure their opponents against the cage, and then use the cage as a barrier to get takedowns and hold people down. It's insane to me that they can use the cage to their advantage, but fighters aren't allowed to make use of defensive cage grabs to stand up.

I think the rules should be amended to allow defensive cage grabs for downed fighters to get back to their feet. Either that or takedowns against the octagon should be automatically reset to the center of the octagon in full guard. One of the best ways to stand up from a takedown is to get half guard and then shrimp out to create a scramble. But you can't do that when you're pressed up against the cage.

I guess I'm just sick of MMA rules making the cage an advantage for control wrestlers.

Umm no ... The cage can stop takedowns sometimes already, it also help fighter's get up by them wall walking up vs being takendown in the middle of the ring ..the cage doesnt favor only grapplers ...look at what Alex .P did to Izzy in the first fight and what Anderson Silva use to do with the cage.. it can be a weapon to trap your opponent against and tee off on for strikers too ...


Wrestling is part of the game and there is ALWAYS an answer to what your opponent does...thats what makes the sport so great..

Changing rules based on current trends almost always backfires

 

[RockyLockridge]

Wrestling positions are all considered neutral. Wrestleing doesn't score only ground and pound or submission attemps score.