Why does it have to be one or the other?
by jpcampbell710 on Jun 29, 2010 10:36 AM EDT
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I have been an MMA fan for many years. I've paid many a dime to watch Pride PPV's and UFC PPV's alike. I've watched every event Strikeforce has put on TV, as well as Elite XC and pretty much anything Japanese or second tier that HDNet puts on. I changed from Comcast to ATT Uverse just to get HDNet.
With all of that being said, I really hate the sentiment on many website message boards that you are either a UFC "nuthugger" or a real MMA fan. It is so frustrating. There was a blog on Cagewriter after that last TUF finale and (besides the inaccuracies from the author) there was the typical argument on the comments from someone that said they enjoyed the show, and someone else that basically said the first comment came from one of Dana White's lapdogs, to a TUF Noob, to other assumptions/generalizations. It is so unfair that you have to defend yourself to the so called hard core MMA fans if you actually enjoy a show that Zuffa puts on.
Zuffa puts on the most polished shows. They have the best overall talent. They have the most funds to pay for these things. It's a fact. More often than not, their shows are competitive and entertaining. Like any promotion, they do have their boring, or controversial shows. People need to realize that is sports in general. In my life, I have watched many a boring football, baseball, or basketball game. No I'm not paying $55.00 for those, but that is the risk you take when you buy a PPV. In the whole scheme of things, nobody has to agree or disagree with everything/anything Dana White or Zuffa does. There are many things that they do that are typical business moves. Cutting a fighter after 2 or 3 or 4 losses is no different from a football team cutting a veteran offensive lineman that gives up 3 sacks in a game or is consistently getting beat. It's sports. There is always a hungry, young dog that is chomping at the opportunity. There are many things that occur that seem to be a knee jerk, gut reaction that a person in a similar position would make out of an emotional reaction and not a measured business decision. Sometimes it is assumed that a decision was made that way because people assume they know how and what Dana White is thinking.
Bottom line, is that people need to realize that it is OK to be an MMA fan and enjoy the Zuffa product. It doesn't mean that you are Dana White's lap monkey. It just means that you enjoy fights. If you are a person that only watches Zuffa, please broaden your horizons. There are many great fighters out there and many quality fight promotions that put on entertaining cards. It's ok to like coffee and tea both. It's not one or the other.
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I’ve always called it keyboard courage. Many people will say and insinuate things on a keyboard that they wouldn’t do face to face, unless inebriated maybe. It is just sad that there are such divisive lines in the MMA fandom. I never hear or read about people saying the CFL is better than the NFL, or the NBDL is better than the NBA. You do get some of it with people debating their enjoyment of college football or basketball over the pro versions, but that is typically due to the differences in the style of play and their ties to a specific state or program. I’m from Indy and I know that I will attend UFC 119 if they do have it here and if Strikeforce, or King of the Cage or someone else put a show on here, I would attend too. I have attended the smoke filled bar shows that are put on here and would love to see a real show.
So if you have At&t does HDnet come with it or do you have to request it?
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 29, 2010 3:30 PM EDT reply actions
HDNet
When I first got Uverse, the HDNet came with it. Then they made it part of a “HD tier” so I pay about $5 a month. it is worth it to see Inside MMA, the new Fighting words with Mike Straka, Dream, Sengoku, KOTC, XFC. Well worth it.
by jpcampbell710 on Jun 29, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Clarification
Let me clarify, it came with the “300” and “400” package originally. I don’t think the lower packages had it. Like I said though, now it is a special tier, but I think only $5 a month.
by jpcampbell710 on Jun 29, 2010 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
id get uverse
But my comcast is how I like my women- illegal and free.
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Jun 30, 2010 6:23 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i get called a ufc nuthugger a bit.
So I feel your pain. Just cuz I have two (even if only one sees) and can tell that. The current UFC product is the most superior MMA promotion in all aspects- promotion, talent, production, commentary, etc etc. Doesn’t mean much. It probably doesn’t help cuz I talk shit about strikefarce constantly either (I’m sorry but cbs/showtime doesn’t know how to properly promote MMA).
The fact is that I prefered pride in the day. I looooooove me some dream, I enjoy the great matches strikeforce puts on. I think bjorn rebney and bellator is the best thing since grilled cheese bacon burgers.
Its just that I think the ufc does nearly everything right (TUF withstanding) and most of the time you say something positive online someone that disagrees will hate on you for it.
I think I’m stoner ranting again…so in a nutshell, I feel ya. Id rec ya if I could on my phone, and id pass the joint after mauro hit it if my arms were long enough
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Jun 30, 2010 6:33 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I’ve never been called a nuthugger. Maybe because I don’t post a whole lot. I think people have trouble looking at different eras of MMA and understanding that the skill level it took to be dominant at another time (and other rules like Pride’s soccer kicks and knees to a downed opponent’s head, etc) is not enough for current times. So the majority of times the newer age fighter, with more rounded skills and training methods would beat an old school fighter that was more 1 dimensional. That is where the UFC has spoiled many fans because their fighters have evolved farther and faster than most other groups due to the competition level. Top to bottom, their roster is huge and talented. There are some 1 dimensional fighters, but less than you see at regional shows and some of the lower level televised fights. So I guess I’m saying that because Frank Glamrock and Mark “gassout” Coleman have struggled of late, it doesn’t diminish their accomplishments. It just means they are getting older and left behind by the new wave of fighters. That’s why I try to give the noobs some slack. Its like when my son tells me how the new transformers or spiderman are better than the old ones. LoL
I think people have trouble looking at different eras of MMA and understanding that the skill level it took to be dominant at another time … is not enough for current times. So the majority of times the newer age fighter, with more rounded skills and training methods would beat an old school fighter that was more 1 dimensional.
This line of reasoning is wrong; who are you to say fighters of past eras, if given todays training camps and techniques, couldn’t hold their own against the current crop of talent? You’re telling me that Igor Vovchanchyn couldn’t have been just as feared a fighter now as he was then if he fought at 205 and trained at say ATT? I don’t buy it.
That is where the UFC has spoiled many fans because their fighters have evolved farther and faster than most other groups due to the competition level. Top to bottom, their roster is huge and talented. … So I guess I’m saying that because Frank Glamrock and Mark "gassout" Coleman have struggled of late, it doesn’t diminish their accomplishments. It just means they are getting older and left behind by the new wave of fighters.
This has nothing to do with the UFC. It has to do with the evolution of MMA and dominant, modern training camps. If PRIDE were still around, or if there were any promotion that could give the UFC a run for it’s money, fighters would be just as well rounded, because that’s the nature of the beast: camps and training techniques evolve. Look at Bellator, all of their champions are just as well rounded, and probably more talented, than your average UFC fighter. Furthermore, the only thing stopping Frank Shamrock is age, not skill or well roundedness, and Coleman was never well rounded to begin (and never showed a willingness to become more well rounded) with so I don’t understand why you brought him up.
Bashing older fighters is something that happens pretty often in MMA circles and is completely inexcusable to me. Nobody bashes the achievements of Wilt, Russell, Jim Brown, etc. Stars of older eras in other sports are given just as much respect as stars of current generations, even though they were obviously not the same. BUT, fans give Gale Sayers and Walter Payton and Jim Brown and Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell and every notable athlete of worth that played before the modern era the benefit of the doubt when it comes to translating their skills from that to this day.
"It’s going to be like sex with a grizzly bear, you know, a lot of scratching and growling on both sides." - Don Frye
RIP Sherdog (6/26/10)
Reading comprehension is lost?
Wow. Selective reading skills abound. I didn’t disparage either of those fighters. I think both of you are probably the kind of people that are the ones calling people names (troll is a perfect example. Thanks for confirming my original premise to a certain degree) on these sites. I’m sure it validates your self esteem and I am glad I can help with that. I was using those two as examples of past champs (that were champs in the UFC and also outside of the UFC) that at their prime couldn’t compete with current age fighters in their prime. Of course given current training methods and techniques it would be a different scenario. However we can play the what if game all day. Let’s play what if the mortal kombat characters were real and trained at AKA. Come on. Opionions are like assholes. Lots of opinions on here.
As far as the Wanderlei insult. I take that as a compliment. Have a great day!
