UFC fans have a negative stigma.. But so should all sports fans

[loisestrad]

So I've been on here for a few months to kill time during my semester because classes are way too easy and I was bored.

Yeah. I hear Albert Einstein used to be a regular at Sherdog too, but got banned relatively early.

 

[osudude]

UFC fans have a negative stigma in the eyes of whom exactly? If you mean in the eyes of more mainstream sports fans or media, then that's probably true but not because UFC fans are necessarily negative, but as someone already said, it's a violent sport. If you mean in the eyes of other UFC fans, then it's probably a case of confirmation bias.

MMA is a different thing than team sports which tend to lend themselves more towards a tribal-like identity for fans than the more cult of personality fandom of MMA or other combat sports. I'm not sure a comparison of fans is really apples to apples. That's just my take.

 

[Dontevenguess93]

ahh.

yes, there is something to what you say. and there is a second factor; most people are dickish and say dickish shit on the internet that they would never say in real life. and most mma discussions happen online. hell, go to any new story and read the comments, you'll see what i mean. i don't care if it's cnn, tmz, a physics site (the bible thumpers are rampant on there trying to disavow the theory of relativity so as to justify a 7k year old biblical earth - so sad) or even facebook.

so no, this bashing that goes on here - as disgusting as it is - is probably not unexpected after looking at the bigger picture.

I think you nailed it indeed.

 

[spid3yo]

I like to think some of the idiotic hate is at least from a passion of the sport, and not just pure stupidity.

The truth is the violence doesn't attract a particularly educated and intelligent fanbase. Those of us privy to the intricacies of training, specifically grappling styles and enjoy the art of MMA get lumped in with the american trailer trash, Brazilian gangs and other degenerate fans that perpetuate the mma fan stereotype.

 

[Dontevenguess93]

You have 12 friends all agreeable and happy about everything fighters do?

Sounds boring as shit to me. Kind of odd too.



It isn't even about hating them as human beings.... It's about loving to hate guys as a sports fan. Like I hated Rampage because I was a huge Wand fan and it's like youre in on the rivalry. Just makes it more fun.

It's not about being agreeable. People point out when mistakes are made but can still respect the athlete just like being a fan of one shouldn't make you discredit the other.

People on here are worse. Just an example, Erick Silva vs Matt Brown. I am a huge fan of Matt Brown since he head kicked the dude over dip on tuf. We watched it with my friends and I was rooting for Brown and was ecstatic when he won as were most of my friends.

At no point did the conversation turn to how much Silva sucks, how weak his chin is, or how he will never ever ever be champion because he has no cardio or fight iq.

In contrast, 90% of people on here made the following conclusions.

1. Erick Silva sucks, always sucked, and will always suck
2. Erick Silva was overrated
3. Erick Silva has a bad has tank and therefore can never fix it
4. Erick Silva has questionable heart and chin (yes that was actually said)
5. My personal favorite, every freaking person said they knew all along Brown would win and how.

This is just the most recent example. No matter what fight, or who wins, they know everything and the winner doesn't fight ever well it's always the loser who sucks.

 

[koquerelle]

The respect comes from years of watching and understanding the sport. I also noticed those that train have an appreciation for those that fight for a living

I've seen that line quite a few times and it's just not true. Some of them show respect, but many are just as much disrespectful as the average joes. "How did he caught in that armbar? It was so obvious. I've been training for 2 years and I would never..."

 

[Dontevenguess93]

I've seen that line quite a few times and it's just not true. Some of them show respect, but many are just as much disrespectful as the average joes. "How did he caught in that armbar? It was so obvious. I've been training for 2 years and I would never..."

I would venture to say they are lying. Lol.

I know personally after training, for me at least, I would never say the words "I would never get caught with/in" whether is a submission, jab, whatever you just never know.

And the statement itself it so irrelevant because unless you are training with mma gloves going 100% with a UFC fighter than your training is irrelevant and you can't say you would never.

 

[Bigj383]

Because UFC fans are more sensitive than regular sports fans and like to feel different.

I don't know if we are more sensitive but we do understand the struggles this sport has had to overcome. If you are a post TUF era fan you don't get it. Baseball, Football, and Basketball are all endocrinated sports of American culture just like Soccer is internationally. It's just something that is part of the culture.

MMA is a sport that's very existence was threatened by the government. It had political opposition that lead to it being banned. For the longest time there were only 5 or 6 events a year. So fans that watched MMA through that time have a certain respect for it. Especially those that have evolved with the sport and appreciate where it was and what it has become.

 

[NihiSwannn]

Why is critiquing and bashing of UFC fighters so different? Sports fans of all sports do it but with other sports it's considered completely normal. Why is it with the UFC it's magnified?

YOU tell us! this is YOUR thread and YOUR opinion...

I see no difference, apparently YOU do...

 

[Durruti]

UFC fans have a big stigma because a big amount of them are dumb and ignorant; you just have to look at the audience in the events and how they act, or analyze the commercials.
Or listening UFC fans booing when a fight goes to the ground, or bashing about top fighters because they don't have heart or LnP, or they are "boring"....this shit only is talked by UFC fans.

I felt the same than you when I came to Sherdog the first time. Im not from USA, the mma fans that I lnow and trained with here, never heard them fighter bashing or that shit about LnP, heart, entertainment....

But do not confuse UFC consumers with sport fans.
MMA fans not do fighter bashing nor ask for the release of top guys as Okami or Shields. UFC consumers do.

 

[SnowBlynd]

Where do you train at ts?

 

[AvengeAll]

Mixed martial art fans are a collective bunch of losers.

 

[jimbob27]

MMA fans are angels compared to football (soccer fans).

People on sherdog accuse Jon Jones haters of being racist, but I've never seen somebody throw a banana into the octagon. That's a regular occurrence in football when a "fan" decides they don't like black players on the pitch.

Football "fans" organize mass riots/brawls in city centers which involve about 3/4 of the city police marching about in riot gear to try and prevent the violence.Even the BJ and GSP fan rivalry never reached that level. :wink:

A lot of sherdog is just people being douches because they're on the net. When you've been on here as long as I have, you learn to filter out about 2/3 of the posts, and only properly read the ones made by people who are actively using their brain.

 

[DarthChen731]

I call BS, ts doesn't have 12 friends

I'm with you. I call bullshit.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Quite the opposite I'm stating that apparently all sports fans are negative pricks who are sideline experts while I mistakingly singled out UFC fans.

The difference in acceptability - wherein one is common practice and the other is looked down upon by a minority of fans - I believe stems from the different state of the professional leagues.

Athletes in the NFL or the NBA are hand picked from the cream of the crop. They're far beyond any normal human. Not 1% of the population will ever walk onto a major sports tryout and earn a spot on the team. I won't discuss this to an unnecessary extent. To that effect, though, I believe people regard these players and teams more as avatars of the city and something to be viewed as separate from a regular individual.

MMA fighters, on the other hand, are more accessible. You can walk into a gym, train there, and literally train alongside professionals at all levels. There's a kinship and bond, even from people who merely live in the area, that stifles criticism.

 

[Dontevenguess93]

Where do you train at ts?

I'm in South Florida.

I started at the the Armory under Kurt Pellegrino but he moved to New Jersey. A little while later this kickboxer with no mma fights or experience became my coach at the armory and he is Edson Barboza. Since then I have followed him and Moraes to wherever they teach. Right now it's called valor mma.

 

[taedium]

So I've been on here for a few months to kill time during my semester because classes are way too easy and I was bored. I had no exposure to UFC fans outside of a group of maybe 12 of my friends and I who all trained at the same gym for baby years together. We are not pros but we enjoy fighting and I have trained for a few years with a few UFC fighters and have had nothing but respect for them.

I came here and was very surprised at how negative fans are and I had no idea because I had never seen it. My only concept of commentary watching fights came from my friends and I and the pros that we watch fights with. Among them, there is nothing but mutual respect and positivity. In other words you never hear fighter bashing.

Spoiler

Here is a different story. No matter who wins the main event, every event, you (about 90% of you) guys make a million threads on why the loser sucks or was never good to begin with or is overrated, instead of just saying the other fight fought a good fight. Other times you question their heart, chin, intelligence, and toughness. For many months this bothered me because I consider every pro fighter to have heart especially in the UFC.

At the sports bar the other day though, I noticed a bunch of old dudes talking about baseball and basketball, they had you guys beat in negativity. That denounced players, coaches, strategies, all with reckless abandon and no concept of the idea that they probably knew what they were doing.

So it made me wonder. Why is critiquing and bashing of UFC fighters so different? Sports fans of all sports do it but with other sports it's considered completely normal. Why is it with the UFC it's magnified?

This is an internet forum, of course it will be a cesspool of bitter, miserable people, who probably don't have a lot going on, apart from their presence online.
It is impressive, the things people get furious over, that seem trivial to me.

The whole concept of "HATING" a fighter is so bizarre and childish, that I wonder if most people here are around 13-17.

How can you actively hate someone like Anderson Silva, especially if you are a die hard fan of MMA? (5k+ posts on a MMA forum)

If your hate of a fighter you don't know is that passionate,
maybe you should look into improving the things that suck in your life.

 

[Dontevenguess93]

This is an internet forum, of course it will be a cesspool of bitter, miserable people, who probably don't have a lot going on, apart from their presence online.
It is impressive, the things people get furious over, that seem trivial to me.

The whole concept of "HATING" a fighter is so bizarre and childish, that I wonder if most people here are around 13-17.

How can you actively hate someone like Anderson Silva, especially if you are a die hard fan of MMA? (5k+ posts on a MMA forum)

If your hate of a fighter you don't know is that passionate,
maybe you should look into improving the things that suck in your life.

Preach it. A guy who won 16 straight fights and brutalized people matrix style still has no respect on here except for a select few. There is no hope lol

 

[sprucelees]

not sure why

 

[Jarnee]

internet generation + following a niche, violent and edgy sport= different kind of fans