Do You Believe Current UFC Rules Are TOO Favorable Towards Wrestlers?

[CrusadeAgainstTheMachine]

This is an ongoing discussion that seems to be popping up on here, but I'm seeing a lot of people bringing it up that the current rules favor wrestlers too much. In regards to the cage, short breaks, what good ground pressure does to strikers, no soccer kicks etc, this is also corroborated by 9/10 champions having strong wrestling backgrounds.

The rules are arbitrary to begin with, but do you guys think they are too favorable to wrestlers in a way that strikers don't really have a good chance to adapt or is it something that strikers can really overcome?

 

[L0ki]

We don't see big slams often, let alone fight finishing slams.

All we're basically getting is your standard TD.

In terms of beating someone up, it's control but it does nothing to harm them.

I personally score a single hard punch over a TD, though the judges.....if you punch someone in the mouth hard 3 times and get taken down and just held down with no activity, there's a good chance they're giving the nod to the wrestler.

 

[Medical Marijuana Man]

Wrestling - Hold the guy down until the time expires.

 

[Da Speeit]

Jesus Christ, did i slip into a portal and wind up in 2011?

 

[Kinosis]

Yes, obviously.

 

[Wise1]

Short answer - Yes.

 

[Frank23]

Learn takedown defense and how to stand up after getting taken down.

 

[Da Speeit]

Learn takedown defense and how to stand up after getting taken down.

Or basic jiu jitsu

 

[Quietus]

no, if anything the rules are favorable to strikers (to encourage more KOs to happen). For example, in a real sport would a ref EVER stand two fighters up or break them off the fence just because they're not doing enough to keep the crowd entertained? Maybe stalling and tiring their opponent is part of their strategy, it just happens to not be so exciting to watch so it gets broken up in UFC to encourage more fireworks.

Also why are people allowed to end the round fully mounted, then start the next round standing? None of this makes sense in context of a real fight or sport, but it happens in UFC to make it so wrestling isn't as dominant as it could be. In many fights, once someone is taken down by a high level wrestler they would never get up again if not for round breaks and the ref interfering.

 

[rob mafia]

the cage and lack of 4-point attacks sure do benefit wrestlers.

 

[Organic Damage]

Wow, it's like someone necro'd a thread from back before Conor was a thing.

I'm not sure if the rules were intended to favour wrestlers initially, or it just turned out that the large amounts of collegiate wrestlers coming out of the US system managed to capitalize on them, and nobody saw a problem with their success.

As it stands, even though it makes for "boring" fights I'd prefer there to be some grappling in MMA rather than sloppy inferior kickboxing for every fight. I think maybe knees on the ground would help move things along, but I wouldn't necessarily make any more drastic rule changes.

 

[MIC]

There are too many rules full stop. Eye gauging, biting, low blows etc should all be allowed. Anything but coming in armed with a weapon. Fights should be to the death and rewarded with fatality bonuses.

 

[BubbaH]

It is Mixed Martial Arts. If you don't want to be taken down and grappled, do something to improve your ability to keep the fight upright. Or, go back to kickboxing. No one has ever lost a fight to takedowns and GnP in a kickboxing match.

No, I don't think the rules favor the wrestlers. I think pure strikers lack of grappling ability favors wrestlers. It isn't the fault of the wrestler if someone else's style matches up poorly to his. If someone want to compete in Mixed Martial Arts, they should have a mixed game and not a one dimensional one that is susceptible to a wrestler's one dimensional game if that is all the wrestler has.

Just my opinion. Yours may differ.

 

[NSTG94]

Yes. Daniel Cormier is overpowered.

 

[Koimpact]

Definitely. But it's always been that way under the Unified Rule Set. In Japan, the rules were much more geared towards securing a finish

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

no, if anything the rules are favorable to strikers (to encourage more KOs to happen). For example, in a real sport would a ref EVER stand two fighters up or break them off the fence just because they're not doing enough to keep the crowd entertained? Maybe stalling and tiring their opponent is part of their strategy, it just happens to not be so exciting to watch so it gets broken up in UFC to encourage more fireworks.

Also why are people allowed to end the round fully mounted, then start the next round standing? None of this makes sense in context of a real fight or sport, but it happens in UFC to make it so wrestling isn't as dominant as it could be. In many fights, once someone is taken down by a high level wrestler they would never get up again if not for round breaks and the ref interfering.

There is also the cage itself and rules restricting knees on the ground. In the early days of UFC people didn't know how to use the cage to help with TDD or with getting up by wall walking, now everyone knows you can use the cage to get up easier and to help stuff takedowns. Those are two things that don't really happen in a ring, if you get taken down there is no wall, you have to get up by yourself(they had stand ups too but they were good about letting guys work) and the guy you are fighting can knee you in the head from north/south and side control and the ropes won't help you from blast doubles cause they can bounce you off the ropes like Arona did all the time.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

the cage and lack of 4-point attacks sure do benefit wrestlers.

I almost didn't pick up on the sarcasm. I totally agree, if they allow knees on the ground a lot of guys would get TKOed in north/south and side control from better wrestlers. Soccer kicks can help both the guy going for takedowns and the guy who wants it standing but it really changes the takedown game, you can't shoot lazy shots if you can get blasted with a knee or kick on the ground.

 

[ostlerrage]

banned downward elbows to the back of the head while wresters try to take you down.
Yes the rules massively favour wrestlers.

 

[Death By Samson]

The fight, and every round, starts standing. If a fighter can't keep the fight standing then there is no one to blame but themselves, not the rules.

 

[mudrubble]

Well without eye gouging I don't see any way to slow a wrestler's progress so yes.

Also, a fighter should be able to rip the clothes off of women in the cage at the same time as them. And the UFC should send in some hot women at the same time as the fighter is there.

That'll stop wrasslers!