People always say UFC MMA rules help wrestlers, but why?

[Sirwastealot]

More than the rules i think the cage favours wrestlers. There's been a lot of fights where strong wrestlers just press their opponents to the cage and control the fight, avoid striking and submissions, tire out their opponent, easier TD. There aren't a lot of answers to that position.

 

[Sjb1888]

The reality of it is that it's MMA and because of that they need to take somewhat of a universal scoring approach.

A jab is a technique within the art of boxing, a single leg takedown is a technique within the art of wrestling. If you secure the single leg takedown and get the opponent's shoulders pinned to the mat then you completed a takedown, that is a scoring move. The difficulty of the technique has to be rewarded, much like positions are awarded from a BJJ perspective - you are a lot more likely to win a round if you secure someone's back than you are if you secure the guard position.

Look at submissions too, I hate this idea that if you don't complete the sub that it doesn't score. You are putting your opponent in danger of the fight being over, and okay, you didn't get the stoppage, but it's still a scoring move. Taking your "pain" point into account, I could have you in a choke and it may be close to being over, you may then wriggle out and escape - you were in no "pain", but the technique is still dangerous.

Erm, I suspect you have never been choked, it most certainly involves some pain.

I agree with you about submissions attempts, they should most definitely be scored on their merits.

But I still disagree on a basic takedown being worth more than a jab, you say it should be rewarded for it's difficulty but the position is the reward, a position that you can then inflict damage or attempt submissions.

How many times have we seen guys against the cage get a basic takedown only for the guy to pop back up in 5 seconds, too often that takedown is deciding fights on the score cards.

This is a fight we're talking about, and damage for me is the number one scoring criteria.

I'm not saying they are worthless from a scoring point of view, it's just it feels like some judges almost equate a takedown with a knock down when it come to deciding the round winner.

 

[tommi462]

I think the rules mostly favor strikers, with few exceptions. But, the scoring is biased towards wrestling, and wrestling also benefits from the cage and a some refs let the laying and leaning go on forever. So, who gives a shit. It's still basically down to whoever is best within the rules and standards of today. And that's what matters.

In most mens divisions the champ is a wrestler, or at least has that background. Even if they (like Dillashaw, Miocic, to some degree even Woodley) are mostly strikers now, having that background helps a lot.

 

[wake_me]

Cages help wrestlers

 

[The Natural Born Runner]

Erm, I suspect you have never been choked, it most certainly involves some pain.

I agree with you about submissions attempts, they should most definitely be scored on their merits.

But I still disagree on a basic takedown being worth more than a jab, you say it should be rewarded for it's difficulty but the position is the reward, a position that you can then inflict damage or attempt submissions.

How many times have we seen guys against the cage get a basic takedown only for the guy to pop back up in 5 seconds, too often that takedown is deciding fights on the score cards.

This is a fight we're talking about, and damage for me is the number one scoring criteria.

I'm not saying they are worthless from a scoring point of view, it's just it feels like some judges almost equate a takedown with a knock down when it come to deciding the round winner.

Well I agree with you in the sense that if the takedown is partial then it almost shouldn't count, I'm talking more about a fully fledged takedown where you secure the position.

On the subject of chokes hurting, it depends. If you're in a guillotine then 100% it fucking hurts, but if you're in a d'arce it's not so much pain but suffocation and loss of blood to the head.

 

[MacDuffle]

ring-related resets would be a f*cking mess

 

[Sjb1888]

Well I agree with you in the sense that if the takedown is partial then it almost shouldn't count, I'm talking more about a fully fledged takedown where you secure the position.

On the subject of chokes hurting, it depends. If you're in a guillotine then 100% it fucking hurts, but if you're in a d'arce it's not so much pain but suffocation and loss of blood to the head.

I don't necessarily disagree with you on the scoring of takedown, it's more a matter of degrees in which it's scored that we differ.

I can recall a rear naked choke by an unfriendly giant bouncer, it just about crushed my windpipe, I was feeling that for over a week, mind you it was more brute force than technique.