# Any UFC fans?



## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

I've been a casual fan since about 2004 when I was first introduced to it. I have to say though, my interest has be waining in the last several months in particular. I feel like they put on WAY too many events now and the roster has gotten so big that I rarely have any idea who the people are that are fighting. I suppose it is better. A deeper talent pool means more potential stars on the rise, but it is tough to keep track of everyone.

I used to watch every event when they only had one every month or so. Now they put on something like 20-30 a year. I look up the results of about half of them and only tune in to watch maybe half of those.

Anyone else feeling the same way?


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

Same. After GSP retired, my interest began to wane. Though I did go to the Ottawa event and it was a great card.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

There are still great cards. Some of the free ones rival the PPV's too. But there are so many that aren't that great because there are just so many. I used to get a couple of PPV's a year, but there is no way I am paying what they charge for them now. It will be interesting what direction the new ownership goes as far as this. PPV is just a dieing model, and they were always working towards more TV deals and "Fight Pass".

What's crazy for me is I actually watched UFC 1 at my buddies house with his 'descrambler' box. Then I remember watching 100 with a different group of people. And now 200 just passed. It's crazy how the amount of events per year has increased since 100.

But anyway, I am still a fan. But it takes a really good card for me to want to stay up and watch them. In most cases I just watch the highlights the next day on Reddit. That's more how I learn about the newer fighters. When I see good highlights, I tend to watch them next time they fight.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I watched most of 1-100 or so. I trained myself for a few years, but had to give it up due to concussions.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

torndownunit said:


> There are still great cards. Some of the free ones rival the PPV's too. But there are so many that aren't that great because there are just so many. I used to get a couple of PPV's a year, but there is no way I am paying what they charge for them now. It will be interesting what direction the new ownership goes as far as this. PPV is just a dieing model, and they were always working towards more TV deals and "Fight Pass".
> 
> What's crazy for me is I actually watched UFC 1 at my buddies house with his 'descrambler' box. Then I remember watching 100 with a different group of people. And now 200 just passed. It's crazy how the amount of events per year has increased since 100.
> 
> But anyway, I am still a fan. But it takes a really good card for me to want to stay up and watch them. In most cases I just watch the highlights the next day on Reddit. That's more how I learn about the newer fighters. When I see good highlights, I tend to watch them next time they fight.


I'm debating getting fight pass. Apparently, they plan to have pretty much every MMA fight ever in their on demand catalog. Something like 20000 fights from UFC, Pride, Srikeforce, and other organizations. That plus the event replays makes it a little tempting.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Not a fan in the typical douchebag sense ie closet full of Tapout and Ed Hardy clothes, but recently the Rousey stuff has caught my attention,


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

Diablo said:


> Not a fan in the typical douchebag sense ie closet full of Tapout and Ed Hardy clothes


Thankfully that phase never hit me. I was introduced to it by my sensei when I was taking Japanese JuJitsu at a "McDojo".


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

I used to watch it back when it was bikers and bar drunks getting in there and clobbering each other. Gave up when it became MMA and a profession.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

GuitarsCanada said:


> I used to watch it back when it was bikers and bar drunks getting in there and clobbering each other. Gave up when it became MMA and a profession.


I'll never forget watching tank Abbott nearly end done poor farm boy. 

The interview after (with the farm boy) is one of my all time favorites. 

Something to the affect of, "he did things to me that I never thought he'd do".

Hahaha ha


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

jbealsmusic said:


> I'm debating getting fight pass. Apparently, they plan to have pretty much every MMA fight ever in their on demand catalog. Something like 20000 fights from UFC, Pride, Srikeforce, and other organizations. That plus the event replays makes it a little tempting.


From what I have heard over the last year the service has improved a ton. I tried it in the early days and it wasn't worth it. Now the on demand catalog is massive, and they also have agreements with organizations like Pancrase to show live events. But, there are still licensing issues with Canada as far as live events. EG the Fox cards aren't shown live on there.

I trained Karate and MMA at various times over the years. Doing the grappling, you are pretty much going to get injured at some point and I did. As I got older I just realized I didn't want injuries from that affecting other stuff I do.

I never go to events in bars so luckily I never have an exposure to the 'bro' crowd.


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## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

What's up with them not letting fighters advertise on their shorts anymore? Any insights? If I was a fighter I might be pissed about the last income.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

UFC has a deal with Reebok, and that was part of the deal.

They actually don't allow fighters to promote any of their sponsors while in the Octagon any more because of that deal. You used to see the fighters' cornermen roll out a banner filled with sponsor logos behind them during the fighter introductions. Same at the end of the fight, handing them a drink from a sponsored supplement company, wearing a hat from a sponsor, putting on a sponsor T-Shirt, etc. Now? Nothing.

And yes, it screws over the fighters, especially the lower tier guys who really rely on that sponsorship money.


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## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

I just assumed it was only the fight nights. Ppv too eh?


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## carrionrogue (Sep 9, 2016)

Reebok is capable of offering fighters a better deal but at the end of the day UFC is a bigbusiness. Not many fighters have spoken out about the deal with reebok but there are a few ex fighters including Brendan Schaub, who are very vocal about how the deal was not made in the fighters best interests. UFC has gone as far as banning these fighters from any talk shows and networks associated with the UFC. 

F*** reebok.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

jbealsmusic said:


> UFC has a deal with Reebok, and that was part of the deal.
> 
> They actually don't allow fighters to promote any of their sponsors while in the Octagon any more because of that deal. You used to see the fighters' cornermen roll out a banner filled with sponsor logos behind them during the fighter introductions. Same at the end of the fight, handing them a drink from a sponsored supplement company, wearing a hat from a sponsor, putting on a sponsor T-Shirt, etc. Now? Nothing.
> 
> And yes, it screws over the fighters, especially the lower tier guys who really rely on that sponsorship money.





carrionrogue said:


> Reebok is capable of offering fighters a better deal but at the end of the day UFC is a bigbusiness. Not many fighters have spoken out about the deal with reebok but there are a few ex fighters including Brendan Schaub, who are very vocal about how the deal was not made in the fighters best interests. UFC has gone as far as banning these fighters from any talk shows and networks associated with the UFC.
> 
> F*** reebok.


That's a bunch of greedy bullshit if you ask me. The UFC has always had a history of being greedy and power hungry, and I think that is what led to them over saturating themselves and losing some of their once dominating presense.

At least here in Canada. I tend to forget the American population is still keeping the WWE at the top of the TV ratings every month.


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## carrionrogue (Sep 9, 2016)

cboutilier said:


> That's a bunch of greedy bullshit if you ask me. The UFC has always had a history of being greedy and power hungry, and I think that is what led to them over saturating themselves and losing some of their once dominating presense..


I have a great deal of respect for fighters. Especially the amateurs and lower tier guys. A lot of them actually have paying jobs aside from training in the gym 3-4 hours a day, 5 times a week!
Imagine going to your factory job after getting your ass kicked in a sparring session, it's insane how dedicated some of these fighters are. These guys put their necks out for Dana White, he should at least meet them halfway...


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

carrionrogue said:


> I have a great deal of respect for fighters. Especially the amateurs and lower tier guys. A lot of them actually have paying jobs aside from training in the gym 3-4 hours a day, 5 times a week!
> Imagine going to your factory job after getting your ass kicked in a sparring session, it's insane how dedicated some of these fighters are. These guys put their necks out for Dana White, he should at least meet them halfway...


Certainly. My 1st cousin is a pro boxer. It's 2 full time jobs


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

vanderkalin said:


> I just assumed it was only the fight nights. Ppv too eh?


It's any official UFC function. Not just in the ring.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

F*** reebok.[/QUOTE]

The deal achieved one thing. It made things look more professional establishing a form of uniform. And to take things to a higher level and make a big sale of the company, it definitely did it's job.

But the conditions of the deal for fighters are ridiculous. Not even Reebok has benefited from the deal really though. They have taken so much shit for the awful payouts, and for constantly screwing up the actual clothes (These Reebok UFC uniform screw-ups will leave you shaking your head | Pro MMA Now) . The UFC is the only one who benefited from a cash grab that's not being passed on to the fighters. From what I have read some fighters were making 6 figures on their sponsorship deals. Now that can be replaced with a payment as low as $2,500 for a fight. 

The UFC decides the terms though. Reebok just took a deal they were offered. So you can only blame them so much for it. Reebok: UFC Decides How To Pay Fighters, Not Us . And they do actually individual sponsorship deals with fighters beyond this deal.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

torndownunit said:


> The deal achieved one thing. It made things look more professional establishing a form of uniform. And to take things to a higher level and make a big sale of the company, it definitely did it's job.
> 
> But the conditions of the deal for fighters are ridiculous.


That's the truth.

Honestly, the public are pretty much on the mark when people say the UFC exploits most of the fighters on their roster. That said, there is no use in anyone complaining about it. The UFC, like Apple and numerous other large companies that exploit their workers, are a business whose primary goal is to make a profit. They will continue to pay lower tier fighters poorly as long as they can get away with it. The public votes with their wallet and as long as they continue to purchase their products, the status quo will continue. Only when some high profile (big draw) fighters start leaving the organization and the public stops buying tickets will they start making changes.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

jbealsmusic said:


> That's the truth.
> 
> Honestly, the public are pretty much on the mark when people say the UFC exploits most of the fighters on their roster. That said, there is no use in anyone complaining about it. The UFC, like Apple and numerous other large companies that exploit their workers, are a business whose primary goal is to make a profit. They will continue to pay lower tier fighters poorly as long as they can get away with it. The public votes with their wallet and as long as they continue to purchase their products, the status quo will continue. Only when some high profile (big draw) fighters start leaving the organization and the public stops buying tickets will they start making changes.


RE the sponsorships, here is one point. A fighter can have whatever sponsors they want. And big (successful) fighters will still get big sponsorships. They can't wear anything but Reebok gear at UFC events. A fighter can do ads for sponsors, seminars wearing their gear or whatever else they want. That is not a defence of the Reebok deal, which is shit, it's just a clarification since this is a discussion. It's the non-marquee fighters that need the sponsorship money the most though because it allows them to be able to live while training and pay for training. 

Here are some of the UFC's arguments:

- Undercard boxers aren't making more money than undercard UFC fighters
- The undercard wages have doubled in the last few years, and are way more than other organizations are paying
- The top fighters are making more money now than ever in the sport (and also have more sponsorships)
- The UFC now covers medical insurance for active roster fighters (500 fighter roster)

The sponsorship is still the biggest issue. There has been progress in another areas. That Reebok deal was just an insane wrench thrown into things though.

A fighters union is a solution, but the top guys are doing really well. It's pretty infrequently you will hear any of them rock the boat. But if there are going to be some kind of minimum pay standards at the lower levels, someone has to get shit organized and get it established.

The other interesting side of the conversation is how young the UFC is. Yes it's about 20 years old, but it only really took off in the last 10 years. There were periods in the 90's were the company was in big trouble. If these issues with the UFC become big enough, talent will start to go to another organization, and the UFC will end up with a rival again for the first time since Pride days.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

> If these issues with the UFC become big enough, talent will start to go to another organization, and the UFC will end up with a rival again for the first time since Pride days.


The good ol' days!

That reminds me... UFC could really re-evaluate their current rules and judging methods.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

jbealsmusic said:


> The good ol' days!
> 
> That reminds me... UFC could really re-evaluate their current rules and judging methods.


The problem is the judges are assigned by the commissions. The UFC has nothing to do with them. Same with the refs. And in a lot of cases they are just boxing judges etc who know crap about MMA. 

They use the MMA unified rules, which actually just did have some decent recent updates ABC and changes to MMA Unified Rules, explained. Some of them are to the scoring, which will hopefully help with the judging a bit.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

I like a lot of those changes!

I'd also still like to see no gloves/wraps, kicks/knees on the ground, and strikes to the back of the head.
- Wraps/Gloves only protect the puncher and actually make things a little worse for the recipient. They also make grappling awkward.
- You can kick/knee a guy to the head while standing, so there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do it on the ground.
- Allowing strikes to the back of the head would make fighters a lot less likely to just turtle up and/or turn their head away from the attacker to reduce head strikes. That's as dumb as touching a finger to the ground to be considered "downed".

An alternative to allowing strikes to the back of the head could just be that if you can't defend yourself, turtling up and turning your head away from your attacker is the equivalent to a tap out and you're done.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

jbealsmusic said:


> I like a lot of those changes!
> 
> I'd also still like to see no gloves/wraps, kicks/knees on the ground, and strikes to the back of the head.
> - Wraps/Gloves only protect the puncher and actually make things a little worse for the recipient. They also make grappling awkward.
> ...


I don't agree with the gloves for one reason. Eye pokes are such a huge issue in MMA. I think they should use the old Pride style gloves, which were designed to prevent that. I pokes should be a disqualification but that won't stop them. It's a different type of striking where you have people transition from thai clinches, or switch for a take down or grappling mid strike. They are just prone to happen.

I stayed up to watch Rizin last night and it was great. Knee are allowed to downed opponents, body or head.


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## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

Put up yer dukes, it's fight night!

StreamHunter - Live Streaming Video / Watch Free Live Sport Streams - Other Sports


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

So... GSP is back, and they're giving him a title fight right out of the gate in a weight class he has never even competed in.

I'm a GSP fan, but that is ridiculous. What's the point in having titles anymore? They are essentially meaningless the way the new UFC brass has been treating the titles, title holders, and number one contenders.


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## losch79 (Jul 11, 2016)

I'm a big GSP mark, have been following him before he was in the UFC; I remember my buddy showing me his fight with Ivan Menjivar way back in the day before his UFC debut. I think the UFC has been ruining the meaning of champions for a longtime. The idea of interim titles is absolutely ridiculous when you already have champ who is active. They have been doing this regularly for at least the last 5 years if memory serves me correctly. 

I totally understand the GSP title fight for the reason that he was the reigning WW champion until he retired and arguably the GOAT so it was gifted to him. I think GSP getting a title shot makes more sense to me than did the Henderson fight with Bisping, only because of GSP retiring as WW champ. But it really should Yoel getting the fight even though he did not deserve that Tim Kennedy win.


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