Why is "running away" a cowardly fighting tactic ?

[Crimson Glory]

I'm paying sixty bucks?

You have to

You paid 60 and that's what Gus gave you.

He damn near KO'd DC, surely that was exciting too you?

 

[MadHouse]

Running away is the most manly thing you can do in the octagon.

no, sticking your head in between someone's crotch and staying there is the manliest thing you could do

 

[kurtwpg]

The thing about Condit is he kept running away after he had already hit Diaz. Is there some code that says you are supposed to stand your ground and absorb the counter strike?

 

[FeloniousMonk]

You paid 60 and that's what Gus gave you.

He damn near KO'd DC, surely that was exciting too you?

I agree. Good fight.
Not what I'm referring to though

 

[B-Man]

I don't have a problem with what Condit or Gus did in their fights, I don't really see the problem with running to escape a dangerous position. The fighters have the entire area within the octagon to use, so why not use it?

 

[Andretti]

It's not about being macho at all. You're in a sport where you're supposed to be hitting the other guy. Why aren't you hitting the other guy?

If a quarterback did nothing but throw the ball straight up in the air, we'd be getting on him for that. Why shouldn't we object when fighters do the opposite of what their sport calls for?

Are you saying Gustafsson didn't hit DC?

 

[Andretti]

Name me one martial art that actually teaches you to literally turn your back on your opponent and run.

What the hell does having a random dojo telling you not to run in a fight got to do with the strategy of successful elite ufc fighters? I'm sure they know better than a TKD coach teaching 10 year olds.

 

[rush61]

Theres a difference between running and avoiding. Machida avoids shots he doesnt run from it with his back turned to his opponents.

 

[screaminleeman]

First thing that comes to mind with this tactic is the limerick:

Here is the tale of the great rump ranger,
runs away in the face of danger. . . .

Just a guess though!

 

[Rational Poster]

Theres a difference between running and avoiding. Machida avoids shots he doesnt run from it with his back turned to his opponents.

Why does it matter what direction your back faces your opponent if you end up winning?

 

[Defeat Unknown]

He didn't run from them, he ran out of some situations to regroup. It's kind of obvious since he beat both of them up far more than anyone else has done to them in their careers. Neither DC nor Jones have commented with any negativity towards that, but of course they aren't on as lofty of a peak as some fans that have higher standards.

Agree. Why try to out-wrestle a wrestler? He got away and reset. It was effective and worked very well for him.

GSP was the exception in that no matter how long other fighters train their wrestling, they won't be on the same level as long time wrestlers.

 

[Emjay]

It's not about being macho at all. You're in a sport where you're supposed to be hitting the other guy. Why aren't you hitting the other guy?

If a quarterback did nothing but throw the ball straight up in the air, we'd be getting on him for that. Why shouldn't we object when fighters do the opposite of what their sport calls for?

So you're saying the QB should ALWAYS be throwing the ball.

Don't wait for the WR to run routes.

No 2 or 3 step drop.

Just snap the ball and throw it.

"Why aren't you hitting the other guy?" Because I'm getting the fuck out of the way so he doesn't hit me.

 

[Bork]

Agree. Why try to out-wrestle a wrestler? He got away and reset. It was effective and worked very well for him.

GSP was the exception in that no matter how long other fighters train their wrestling, they won't be on the same level as long time wrestlers.

Yeah, but arguably running away is still a desperation move. It reeks, imo, of lacking the skill to effectively circle away or use a clinch similar to Werdum or use a greater/better variety of strikes to keep your opponent at bay/range. Though, for the last one, DC is a bit of a tank.

When you run away you completely disengage. Full stop. Even if you re-engage you still previously disengaged. This is a big turn off for a lot of fans who want to see, well, engagement. Hence the boos and threads/posts. It's pretty much the same when fighters lack output and get booed but arguably less cringe inducing.

IMO, at the end of the day, the timidity rule should be enforced since the fighter who's being ran from isn't allowed to hit the back of the head. DC even said as much at the post fight presser.

 

[MCS]

As you said, there are different types of "running". Condit strayed away from his norm, all-out mayhem, hence he gets shit. But he fought a good, smart fight considering it was his first time being elusive.

Cro Cop ran to the center all the time to get distance just like Gus & Condit, but he doesn't get grief for it because his shots in return were harder. It's common to circle for a kickboxer, they're usually at a disadvantage up close, especially if they're tall & rangy, which all these 3 are.

It's not like Starnes, who just keeps circling and thus avoiding the fight altogether, which is a foul, but a strategy needed since they can't fight as effectively from both stances, which largely solves the running problem.

Lyoto can fight rightie & leftie and has quicker feet, so his movement when evading looks more graceful.

 

[Andretti]

Yeah, but arguably running away is still a desperation move. It reeks, imo, of lacking the skill to effectively circle away or use a clinch similar to Werdum or use a greater/better variety of strikes to keep your opponent at bay/range. Though, for the last one, DC is a bit of a tank.

When you run away you completely disengage. Full stop. Even if you re-engage you still previously disengaged. This is a big turn off for a lot of fans who want to see, well, engagement. Hence the boos and threads/posts. It's pretty much the same when fighters lack output and get booed but arguably less cringe inducing.

IMO, at the end of the day, the timidity rule should be enforced since the fighter who's being ran from isn't allowed to hit the back of the head. DC even said as much at the post fight presser.

I don't think anybody was turned off by the DC-Gustafsson fight. It was one of the better LHW fights.
Didn't it even beat the record for strikes landed in a LHW fight?

 

[kikikhan]

I like it

I call it the Mongol run and gun tactic

 

[Bork]

I don't think anybody was turned off by the DC-Gustafsson fight. It was one of the better LHW fights.
Didn't it even beat the record for strikes landed in a LHW fight?

I'm not saying that fight in totality was a turn off, but the tactic is a turn off and can possibly effect the overall enjoyment. At the end of the day, there were a ton of boos at the event and there's been a ton of talk about disliking the tactic here.

Personally, I enjoyed the fight, but my personal stock of Gus dropped a bit based on my first paragraph of my OP. I believe the fight could have possibly been better (oe at least ended in a more exciting way) had the timidity rule been used, Gus had been able to more effectively use the tactics in my OP, or DC was allowed to pop him in the back of the head.

As you said, there are different types of "running". Condit strayed away from his norm, all-out mayhem, hence he gets shit. But he fought a good, smart fight considering it was his first time being elusive.

Cro Cop ran to the center all the time to get distance just like Gus & Condit, but he doesn't get grief for it because his shots in return were harder. It's common to circle for a kickboxer, they're usually at a disadvantage up close, especially if they're tall & rangy, which all these 3 are.

It's not like Starnes, who just keeps circling and thus avoiding the fight altogether, which is a foul, but a strategy needed since they can't fight as effectively from both stances, which largely solves the running problem.

Lyoto can fight rightie & leftie and has quicker feet, so his movement when evading looks more graceful.

I don't really consider circling running. I think if you watch the YT vid of what Gus was doing and a YT vid of circling, they are two completely different things. Running, imo, is what you do if you cant effectively circle or employ another tactic.

 

[chubbman]

 

[Feynman]

Gus and Condit in his fight against Diaz have both been criticized for "running away." It's a fight, right ? And if the idea is to inflict damage and not absorb any yourself, how exactly is running away from danger a bad thing ?

It's not like Gus doesn't fight - but on occasion when he feels cornered or in a bad position, he runs away from the fighter to create distance so he can regroup. Machida's style is based on this, in essence, but in a different way. Is Machida being cowardly but not engaging in this gif but backing away ?

No, people would call it smart strategy. Then why does Gus get shit ? It's basically a way to regroup, create distance, and avoid damage.

Running is to fighting as talking is to fucking.

Sure, a little bit is ok and can sometimes be necessary, but at some point you have to shut up and fuck.

 

[Jew Jif Shoes]

He was running away from Jones diving at his legs, so I don't really see how it makes him a "coward." At the same time, I don't imagine many wrestling coaches would call turning your back on a shot good wrestling technique, but he did avoid the takedown, so who am I to criticize?