"Teammates" Not Fighting Each Other

[Sharkhunter]

They are fighters, that is there job. If he refuses to fight the #1 contender he should lose the belt. They would not even be getting paid if it was not for the fans, if the fans want to see it, too bad if they are friends. Pick a different career

 

[notafighter86]

MMA is not a team sport!

It not a coinsidence that the best fighters in the world are surrounded by best. You need people to train with, and these people become friends. Fighting a friend can jeopdise friendship, health and career of someone that has helped you.

Some people are fine doing that, and I commend them for it. But I would never expect a fighter to fight someone they consider a friend. Sure some matches would seem great on paper. But there are always other matches to be made. Just because you force them to fight, with the emotions invloved doesn't mean you would get the best fight out of them.

I generally find people that want to see team mates fight don't train themselves. As a grappler, I can understand thier mentality of refusing to fight.

 

[cc023]

So, boxing is a team sport? Kick-boxing?


Ok, let's actually pretend it's a team sport even though it's actually an individual sport. There are many sports with "teams" and are individual sports. An example is track sprinting. Watch the Olympics. They compete against teammates to see who is the best in the world.

If the UFC is a team sport let's separate the teams, have a structured season and with a playoff.

You've missed everyone's point entirely... While it's obviously an individual sport by definition, an individual will not make it to the top with out a strong team. We're talking about appreciating the people who have gotten you where you are.

Now, using track sprinting or any other Olympic sport was a nice try, but those things are hardly comparable to a fight. In track and field sports, "teammates" do run in the same heats but notice in Olympic boxing, judo, wrestling etc they do not compete against a fellow countryman? Because the runners aren't trying to trip each other or hold each other back from the finish line... they aren't in direct competition with anyone but themselves and record holders unlike judokas or boxers. The US Judo team would be more of an actual team than the US sprinters because the judokas have needed eachother in order to train. They weren't practicing ippons on themselves... however, the sprinter prob did spend alot of her time preparing alone....

Pretty much, it's like this: If you are part of a team during your preparation, your team is part of you during competition.

 

[John015]

What do you think of fighters who train at the same training camp who call themselves "teammates" and refuse to fight each other? Now it's being said that Cormier and Velasquez wouldn't fight each other. It's absurd. MMA is not a team sport! Suppose Cormier becomes the number one contender for The UFC Heavyweight Title? Do you believe he would honestly turn down a title shot? That would shortchange the fans and they'd also be shortchanging themselves by losing out on the amount of money they'd make from that fight.

Even worse, it implies that MMA is exactly what its critics have called it which is a barbaric fight similar to a fight between two roosters. We as fans tend to think that MMA is a legit sport. If it's a legit sport the champions need to act like it and take on the top contenders, even if they are friends. When a fighter says he won't fight a guy because they're friends it's basically saying that an MMA fight is to terrible of a thing to put your friend through, as if it were a streetfight!

I understand how you feel but guys like Cormier and Velaquez train together everyday, are good friends,help prepare each other for fights,coach each other (DC is the wrestling coach at AKA) and have the same trainers. It makes absolutely no sense for them to fight...you say there isn't any such thing as teammates in MMA but everything I just said is definitely an accurate description of what a teammate is. How would they be able to game plan if they have the same coaches? Javier Mendez,Bob Cook,and the rest of the fighters would have to pick a side between the gym's two best fighters. That creates a huge conflict of interest both professionally and personally.

 

[cc023]

It is a team sport in terms of training. I wouldnt expect some of you that dont train in anything to understand the camaraderie that goes on. Make teammates fight and they wont go hard. Just careful what some of you wish for. It will be a easy sparring session for the fans

^i just thanked Jesus for making other reasonable human beings, because of you lol

 

[Phisher]

Always nice to see a fresh topic.

 

[seanb1979]

its much easier to swat down a ball thrown by a friend than it is to punch that same friend in the face

 

[bubkusjones]

Only a fool would think MMA isn't a team sport.

Try training by yourself in your garage and see how far you make it.

Do the camps share fight records? Since GSP is the champion, if it was a team sport, shouldn't MacDonald be able to call himself the UFC WW champ? Should Cormier already be the HW Champ, since his team won the title this past weekend?

Nope. Doesn't work that way

Results, accolades and failures are awarded individually. The training may be team oriented (and that's just a matter of efficiency), but you don't get rewarded for training. You get rewarded for how you perform in the actual fight, and no matter who you have training with you, they're not getting in the cage with you come fight night.

That being said, I don't really care if teammates don't want to fight each other. The divisions are strong enough that there should be no need, there should be enough other fighters at that level to avoid them ever fighting.

When you get the #1 contender being a close training partner of the champion, THEN you may have an issue, but if they're that close, chances are they've already agreed that someone is going to change divisions.

 

[ngn21]

i wouldn't fight a friend of mine... all i got to say

 

[Guiltypartie101]

Some guys simply just train together, but some guys are friends as well. The type of person that you would fight for. No issue with it at all.

 

[Blackjack]

Wait wait wait, did you just say that MMA fighters are "barbaric" because they won't fight their teammates...LOFL I like your logic LOFL

No, I said that the message a champion who refuses to fight the top contender would be sending is that the sport is too barbaric for them to be able to compete against a friend.

If you've followed the sport long enough, the image of The UFC being "too barbaric" got their PPVs banned from most cable providers. The UFC fought long and hard against that stereotype by insisting they were just like any other sport with rules to protect the safety of the athletes. Friends compete against friends in all kinds of sports. So for the champion to say he won't take on the top contender because they are friends would nullify a lot of the hard work The UFC has done in establishing MMA as a legit sport.

 

[Cygnus-X]

No, I said that the message a champion who refuses to fight the top contender would be sending is that the sport is too barbaric for them to be able to compete against a friend.

If you've followed the sport long enough, the image of The UFC being "too barbaric" got their PPVs banned from most cable providers. The UFC fought long and hard against that stereotype by insisting they were just like any other sport with rules to protect the safety of the athletes. Friends compete against friends in all kinds of sports. So for the champion to say he won't take on the top contender because they are friends would nullify a lot of the hard work The UFC has done in establishing MMA as a legit sport.

You're assuming the general public would overanalyze the situation as much as you do, which is probably not the case.

 

[cc023]

No, I said that the message a champion who refuses to fight the top contender would be sending is that the sport is too barbaric for them to be able to compete against a friend.

If you've followed the sport long enough, the image of The UFC being "too barbaric" got their PPVs banned from most cable providers. The UFC fought long and hard against that stereotype by insisting they were just like any other sport with rules to protect the safety of the athletes. Friends compete against friends in all kinds of sports. So for the champion to say he won't take on the top contender because they are friends would nullify a lot of the hard work The UFC has done in establishing MMA as a legit sport.

People this ignorant of the sport already consider it barbaric.

Fighting has an inherit barbarism attached to it anyways so I believe most people just wouldn't prefer to see "friends" in the cage together.

 

[Goatjc160]

It may not be a team sport but there is a degree community in a training camp/club, particularly at a star level like in the UFC. These guys train together and know each others secrets and weaknesses better than anyone. In addition to that it's a fight, there is emotion involved and things could change after. In a stretch of a comparison it's like a male/female pletonic friends having sex, things are almost never the same.

-Goat

 

[cc023]

Always nice to see a fresh topic.

lololol

 

[Yeast**]

Lets explain why these guys don't fight


- They're friends.

- They share coaches, gym, etc -- very hard on the gym if they fight and nobody wants to leave (who corners who, etc).

- They spar every day; they have a good working relationship and fighting will almost certainly end it, if you've got a good thing then you want to keep it going.

 

[Alpinestar]

I understand what you're saying. But it is always easier said than done.

It's true MMA is not a team sport. But these teammates spend more time with each other than with their own families when preparing for fights. They not only train together, but they hang out and go through lots of dramas together. So in a way, it's like fighting your own brother.

Dana White doesn't train, so it's easy for him to say teammates should fight each other from a businessman's stand point. But I disagree. If they don't want to fight each other, don't blame them unless you're a fighter yourself.

 

[mraa1]

Obviously, the UFC should implement camp vs camp format like the IFL so that the fighters don't have to make excuses for not fighting their friends.

 

[Fuzzybread]

Only a fool would think MMA isn't a team sport.

Try training by yourself in your garage and see how far you make it.

This. I don't like teammates fighting each other unless absolutely necessary. You end up with 1 fighter leaving a camp that works for him wether temporary or permanent and a less than optimal version of a fighter will enter the cage.

 

[Nola213]

It's a rough situation that's all I know, and it's gonna start happening more frequently, as these camps get bigger, and come with young talent.

Great fighters, make the other fighter's in the camp better leading to the Champ meeting a "teamate" for a title shot alot more likely.

It's gotta be something coaches and trainers think about before accepting certain guys into their camps.

Again it's a strange situation. Must suck for everyone involved when this happens, or almost happens.