UFC?

[smokin_reels]

Not a massive UFC fan but my brothers are so I sit down and watch the occasional main event if I’m around. It seems to me that the sport plays up to marketable personalities not who necessarily is the best at times. Then there’s the different promoters where fighters are locked into contracts.

The contracting situation is awful.

Unfortunately promoting 'personalities' seems to be more effective than promoting the actual fighting. The McGregor thing was always fascinating to me, but on the upside, more money and more people interested in the sport make it easier to get students and make a living out of what I do. I think a really good chunk of our students under the age of 25 are interested in Martial Arts because they heard him talking then watched him fight. Same deal with Rhonda and the ladies, although she had a heap of title defenses as well. She could have armbarred 100 people in a row, without the personality that went with it, anyone outside of our very little niche just doesn't care.

The local scene is finally getting itself together. It's popular enough that venues are starting to pay attention to it, and the sport is attracting higher quality athletes that might otherwise go to Football (or whatever). There are intra-clubs popping up that are more than just a couple of guys with vague ideas throwing haymakers at each other. The last 5 years in Melbourne has been really really good.

The level of some of the teenagers coming through the system is staggering in BJJ and MMA. There are 16/17yo's who look like the pros looked 15 years ago. There are very few one trick specialists anymore, everyone in the system seems to be pretty well rounded and the progression on the local level is staggering.

Dougie but the sport has evolved too no. like from whatever John Daneher brought in with the leglock game
its such a versatile sport thats constantly evolving.
so much fun to watch

[DougieK]

Dougie but the sport has evolved too no. like from whatever John Daneher brought in with the leglock game
its such a versatile sport thats constantly evolving.
so much fun to watch

Yes, that's what i'm talking about.

The free flow of information via the internet has basically meant that technical ability has gone beserk in the last 10 years. In grappling in particular, which as a professional sport is only really 10ish years old. There were pro comps before then but you couldn't really make enough money to even get by.

The J.D death squad and Lachlan and Craig from Absolute have made huge advances in what they're doing even in the last 2 years. If you watch Lachlan Giles run at the last ADCC, he goes straight through 3 world class guys who are all 30kg heavier than him, because he figured out an entry into a 5050 inside heel hook (knee attack) something that nobody had really done before. The guy, amazingly enough, also has a PhD in the rehab of knee injuries. I'm biased because I train with him, but that bronze he won is one of the best grappling performances of all time.

In MMA the same thing. The more money and people who get into the sport, the higher calibre of athlete it's going to produce. The more money at stake the more access to good training and good information. The training modalities even in local gyms are so advanced they are almost unrecognisable to what we were doing in 2011.

[DougieK]

Guy named Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida just signed at ONE FC.

Arguably the best grappler who ever lived.

[DougieK]

Anyone else watching today?

Kamaka vs Kelly on the undercard is a banger.

[smokin_reels]

Anyone else watching today?

Kamaka vs Kelly on the undercard is a banger.

I bought the PPV

Cant wait for it, i hope DC wins

[smokin_reels]

Im at the tail end of a crazy work day and have placed a bet to make sure i dont fall asleep while watching

[DougieK]

I won't spoiler it in here in case you've passed out and missed it. Lemme know what you think after you've watched. I like o'mallay a lot, hope DC wins and retires.

[smokin_reels]

I watched it live. Was crazy.
Burns getting submitted/pounded was a shock, especially after he missed weight, you’d think he’d have come in heavier and worked with it.

Not sure what happened to omalleys foot, but I think herb did a good job with that stoppage.

Sucks to see DC lose, hope his eye is alright,
Stipe is a beast.
Dana probably gonna have stipe fight francis next, hoping francis knocks him out and then gets francis and Johnny boy for the belt

[DougieK]

If anyone is watching today. Mackenzie Dern is arguably the best female grappler in the world, and khamzhat is khabib version 2.0 but the guy he's fighting is incredible as well.

This should be an awesome maincard.

[smokin_reels]

If anyone is watching today. Mackenzie Dern is arguably the best female grappler in the world, and khamzhat is khabib version 2.0 but the guy he's fighting is incredible as well.

This should be an awesome maincard.

Dern ended up with another nice submission, it looked like she was trying to show off her stand-up till she kicked her way onto the floor and from the there her opponent had no chance.

Khamzat looks insane 170/185 now put on high alert.

Was disappointing to see T-Wood go out the way he did, Colby for all his talk , always shows up