UFC 146!

[jamie3]

Anyone else looking forward to this or have predictions?

[Jeremy]

Billy-Bob to beat his half-brother Cletus by strangulation, after 5 minutes of rolling around on the floor.

(smiley face)

[jamie3]

Haha! More of a sweet science fan then. Freddie Roach would disagree.

[Otta]

I have tried watching UFC a few tines, wanting to like it, but at the end of the day, it's just not a particularly exciting spectator sport. Far too much mat grappling, and whilst I respect what they are able to do, I just find it boring to watch.

[jamie3]

It's definitely a problem when there's a stalemate on the ground or you're not a big fan of the finer technical points of catch wrestling/bjj/grappling, I agree.

But there are a lot of incredible fights out there with some amazing striking and submission skills on display, not to mention super human levels of toughness.

Check out some highlight reels of the top guys - there's some pretty crazy grappling action . You also get stuff like this:

And that's in the last minute of a 25 minute war.

[Jeremy]

I kind of agree with Otta on this one... not doubting the skill/fitness/toughness, etc. I just find boxing more engaging and exciting.

[Annette Curtain]

So, deliberately kicking someone in the head and then punching them further senseless (with bag gloves on) is now a sport.

Wow, where have I been ?

One word:

Moronic

Nette

[Jeremy]

Poor old Jamie... this discussion isn't quite turning out as intended...

[jamie3]

Not intended but not unexpected - always interesting to gauge reaction too. Nette, is boxing also moronic?

[Preston]

Prefer boxing, but like Otta I respect what they're doing in UFC and TBH find it hard to not watch if I come across a contest because I just have to know how it turns out.

Whether it's called a sport or not I don't care, I can't help but watch a scrap however it's conducted or whoever it involves.

[maxxi]

Prefer the art of boxing - and if there's no M of Q on offer I like a bit of Muay Thai.

But then I also liked sumo when they showed it on 4 back in the 90s - I like a bit of ritual salt throwing.

[Annette Curtain]

jamie3 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not intended but not unexpected - always

> interesting to gauge reaction too. Nette, is

> boxing also moronic?

Boxing is/was a decent sport , though it has been taken over somewhat by utter morons lately

See here

Tell me jamie3

Are you or have you been a fighter of any kind

or just a wanna-be-armchair-dreamer ?

What if they took the head kicks out of UFC, would it be so much fun?

I mean, it's the head kicking that thrills you, isn't it.

Nette

[jamie3]

Maxxi, you might be interested in K1 Rising which is coming up in a week or two. More an eagle dance fan myself but like a bit of salt action too.

Nette, I've competed in Boxing, Judo and BJJ and did Karate for quite a few years, none to any high level but enough to see things from an inside point of view and get to know a lot of other mma fans and practitioners.

[Jeremy]

Is UFC/MMA really more dangerous than boxing? Genuine question... what recorded cases are there of brain damage or death? In boxing, you're more likely to receive repeated blows to the head over a long bout, which could arguably be more harmful. Besides - if two guys want to get in the ring and fight, knowing the risks, it's totally up to them. Nobody's being forced to fight.

[Annette Curtain]

Yes agree

But can we give them wooden clubs or massive thick sticks

I'd pay to see that, why f-ck around with plain-ol head kicking & punching eh?

[KidKruger]

No, because without wooden clubs, massive sticks and nail-encrusted swords the bouts last longer.

[mrsouthlondon]

Jeremy - It's a complicated picture right now because the sport is still relatively young compared to boxing and the studies being conducted lack for a large and diverse enough group of subjects. But it's definitely harder on the body - Muay Thai and Wrestling take their toll on cruciate ligaments as well as bones and muscles absorbing impact. Catch/submission techniques cause a lot of hyper extension of joints as well as compressions - so breaks, fractures and tears are common. Thanks to the advances in brain scanning techniques there's now a huge controversy in the US over chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which they've discovered is rife among players of American Football and is especially damaging for younger kids. They're just beginning with fighters - boxing and MMA. Rugby will shortly follow. Padded gloves allowing for a very specific kind of repetitive blunt force trauma over a longer period of time (12 rounds) and with counts that allow a fighter to 'recover' are currently not considered any safer than 4oz grappling gloves with no counts and fewer rounds etc etc. The general debate is ongoing but the science hasn't yet settled it. Either way, dangerous sports. I remember distinctly losing my appetite for boxing after watching the Eubank Watson fight - missed the Roy Jones era completely.

[jamie3]

From Wpedia on Deaths in MMA

While competition in the MMA have been occasionally depicted as brutal by the media,[56] there were no documented cases of deaths after a sanctioned MMA event prior to 2007.[57]

In the period of 2007 to 2010, there were two fatalities in mixed martial arts matches. The first was the death of Sam Vasquez on November 30, 2007.[58] Vasquez collapsed shortly after being knocked out by Vince Libardi in the third round of an October 20, 2007 fight at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.[59] Vasquez had two separate surgeries to remove blood clots from his brain, and shortly after the second operation suffered a devastating stroke and never regained consciousness.[58] While questions have been asked about Vasquez's health before his final bout, no firm indications of pre-existing problems have yet surfaced. The second death stemming from a sanctioned mixed martial arts contest occurred in South Carolina on June 28, 2010, when 30-year old Michael Kirkham was knocked out and never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead two days after the fight.[60]