The Evolution of Sherdog Forums

['Rocky']

I lurked for a good year or two on this forum before joining. Back in the early 2000s, die hard MMA fans were extremely rare, especially in person. At best you'd have a friend or two who was moderately into the sport, but not anywhere near the encyclopedia of knowledge that you were. On sherdog, it was a completely different monster. The history of MMA was still young, and nearly every damn poster knew every tiny detail about the sport. I can still recite a lot of Main Card fights from the first 100 UFC events and most of PRIDE. This was the place to talk shop about anything MMA.

I've always been a frequent reader and casual poster, so watching the forum evolving as the sport grows has been interesting in unexpected ways. I'm seeing threads being made from newer posters who have just started getting into the sport over the last couple of years, discovering some of the history of MMA, and it really puts into perspective how different the forum is now. What once was absolute common knowledge among every poster is now much lesser known. It's really cool to see that, and it makes me feel nostalgic for the early era of MMA and the discussions on sherdog. The forum collapsing after every big event, "The Heavyweights" (or: f2), The Year of the Upset, the Rashad shoop thread, etc... Good times. I frequent some other non-MMA forums, never made any close friends on sherdog, but it's low-key become a place I really cherish. A rare poster here, just stopping in to say thanks for the memories and the fun that's lasted over the last 15 years or so.

One thing I don't want to see change is watching some of you retards argue. That's been the one constant that I just cannot part with.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Eiffel-sixtyFight]

I can't say too much. I only post in the Mayberry.

 

[2004 account]

Back in the day you had a lot more posturing and projecting. Hardcore fans really wanted to be hipsters and edgy, dissing those who knew less about the sport. Nowadays I see those same try hards are a little bit more chilled out, I guess they finally feel confident and comfortable enough in their owns skins that they don't feel the need to show it much anymore and abuse the tuf noobs of today (who am I kidding, people bash Conor fans all the time lol)


Back in the day you had a lot of people that are known in the mma landscape posting here (under clandestine accounts) , some still do.

Sherwood, Josh gross, Joe Rogan, baroni, Barnett, etc.


The mods were really uptight back then and would ban you over anything. Now they are way more relaxed and more impartial.

The pride vs ufc thread wars were always fun to read, although they ended in many users getting banned lol

Everyone back then started watching mma since ufc 1 or so they would say lol

Rickson by armar was one of the first memes here.

There were eras on sherdog where we would experience Influxes of masses joining:

-You had the og era from 2001 to 2005

-Then came the tuf newb era that came in with Bonnar vs griffin.

-Then came the Brock WWE convert era in like 2008-2009

-The Anderson era was important to hardcore fans, not sure if he brought in masses to sherdog though

-Then came the bratty Rhonda wmma and Conor eras around 2013/2014 or so

I dunno, I'm just loosely working off memory, I might have missed an era or two. I'm not sure the machida era classifies as an era that brought in masses, sure he brought in some karate fans but not sure if they were a huge demographic.


Anyways, I've been on this site since 2003 lurking, joined in 2004 (first account was something like tiger knee, inspired from muay thai/Sagat from street fighter... I believe I opened that one up technically at the end of 2003 but got banned right away lol), then my beloved 2004 account that I opened was named Longtime fan (I wanted to make it sound like I was such a veteran fan since I began watching ufc in 1995, I was such a projecting try hard lol) ... Which got banned in 2009 or so for creating threads about the corruption, mob ties, and unethical business practices in the ufc (plus I was salty they helped to end pride), the real reason I got banned tho was cause of flamewars with other posters...(after this I got so upset that I didn't create another account for more than a decade because I felt there was an agenda here... So I just lurked from 2009 until 2018...i finally gave in and felt the need to speak up again lol (no actually I'm buggin... I did open one account in between that time which was short lived because I probsvly got banned again for some dumb reason lol)

2004 was the year I started bjj at Renzos academy in New York, so it was an extra special year for me.

It's been a part of my life for 16 years. There is rarely a day I don't read the threads to inform myself about what's going on in mma.

Best site out there. Nothing else comes close.

 

[RedFoxNdisBihhh]

you clearly dont UFC this has nothing to do with Zuffa

<Lmaoo><Lmaoo>

 

[Frank McEdgar]

 

[PurpleStorm]

I lurked for a good year or two on this forum before joining. Back in the early 2000s, die hard MMA fans were extremely rare, especially in person. At best you'd have a friend or two who was moderately into the sport, but not anywhere near the encyclopedia of knowledge that you were. On sherdog, it was a completely different monster. The history of MMA was still young, and nearly every damn poster knew every tiny detail about the sport. I can still recite a lot of Main Card fights from the first 100 UFC events and most of PRIDE. This was the place to talk shop about anything MMA.

I've always been a frequent reader and casual poster, so watching the forum evolving as the sport grows has been interesting in unexpected ways. I'm seeing threads being made from newer posters who have just started getting into the sport over the last couple of years, discovering some of the history of MMA, and it really puts into perspective how different the forum is now. What once was absolute common knowledge among every poster is now much lesser known. It's really cool to see that, and it makes me feel nostalgic for the early era of MMA and the discussions on sherdog. The forum collapsing after every big event, "The Heavyweights" (or: f2), The Year of the Upset, the Rashad shoop thread, etc... Good times. I frequent some other non-MMA forums, never made any close friends on sherdog, but it's low-key become a place I really cherish. A rare poster here, just stopping in to say thanks for the memories and the fun that's lasted over the last 15 years or so.

One thing I don't want to see change is watching some of you retards argue. That's been the one constant that I just cannot part with.

Thanks for reading.

Love these kinds of posts. Happy new year Rocky.

 

[Elmo]

Meh, used to be much better. Too much drama and too many "know it alls", kinda like Youtube. Don't lurk, post or hang out like I used to.

There used to be some really funny people in here, did they all get banned lol?

 

[PurpleStorm]

Back in the day you had a lot more posturing and projecting. Hardcore fans really wanted to be hipsters and edgy, dissing those who knew less about the sport. Nowadays I see those same try hards are a little bit more chilled out, I guess they finally feel confident and comfortable enough in their owns skins that they don't feel the need to show it much anymore and abuse the tuf noobs of today (who am I kidding, people bash Conor fans all the time lol)


Back in the day you had a lot of people that are known in the mma landscape posting here (under clandestine accounts) , some still do.

Sherwood, Josh gross, Joe Rogan, baroni, Barnett, etc.


The mods were really uptight back then and would ban you over anything. Now they are way more relaxed and more impartial.

The pride vs ufc thread wars were always fun to read, although they ended in many users getting banned lol

Everyone back then started watching mma since ufc 1 or so they would say lol

Rickson by armar was one of the first memes here.


I've been on this site since 2003 lurking, joined in 2004... It's been a part of my life for 16 years. There is rarely a day I don't read the threads to inform myself about what's going on in mma.

Best site out there. Nothing else comes close.

As a relative newbie to watching the sport and to posting here, thanks for all the cool info.

How did the 'Rickson by armbar' meme come about?

Happy new year to you.

 

[dildos]

I can't say too much. I only post in the Mayberry.

Cept for this post.

 

[Fahcough]

One thing I don't want to see change is watching some of you retards argue. That's been the one constant that I just cannot part with..

Why did this send an alert being mentioned?

Gave a like because your name is forever awesome to 80s kids. If you tell me you're a super fan of Pennington, I'm taking it back.

 

[GrantB13]

Were there as many GOAT threads or endless post about a fighter just because they had one good showing and then base their entire past and future on one performance and never let it go?

 

[Reign009]

Sherdog is dying bro.

Great to have you too though.

 

[mb23100]

It's probably the only sport we have been able to witness from what was essentially the very beginning to being on ESPN and network TV. Aside from some dumb shit like drone racing or esports.

 

[Morning Star]

Sherdog is dying bro.

Great to have you too though.

Sherdog never dies. We run this shit. How many forums can you say are relevant after social media? Basically none. Not trying to be confrontational, you're a solid poster.

 

['Rocky']

Love these kinds of posts. Happy new year Rocky.

Same to you, brother.

 

[Elmo]

It's probably the only sport we have been able to witness from what was essentially the very beginning to being on ESPN and network TV. Aside from some dumb shit like drone racing or esports.

Battlebots though? LOL

 

['Rocky']

Why did this send an alert being mentioned?

Gave a like because your name is forever awesome to 80s kids. If you tell me you're a super fan of Pennington, I'm taking it back.

Who? (Jk)

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

 

['Rocky']

Were there as many GOAT threads or endless post about a fighter just because they had one good showing and then base their entire past and future on one performance and never let it go?

It was consensus Fedor until GSP started emerging. Throughout Silva's run it was overwhelmingly Silva until Weidman came along. Shoops of Silva front kicking polar bears and stuff. Anderson's run was the most remarkable to me. Living through it was different than going back and watching. There was an aura he had that was unreal to be around for. Makes me wonder what it was like to watch Ali as his career progressed.

 

[Kforcer]

As a relative newbie to watching the sport and to posting here, thanks for all the cool info.

How did the 'Rickson by armbar' meme come about?

Happy new year to you.

Because of Rickson's claimed 400-0 record and his folk hero status in the BJJ and larger MMA community. Rickson by armbar was just a play on that, with the idea that the most likely outcome of any possible fight, eve one Rickson had nothing to do with, was Rickson by armbar.