Comments on: Quote of the Day – MMA is a thinking man’s game

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:04:41 +0000

iain: Forrest won three rounds on the judges’ scorecards, Jackson two. He beat the champ.

as for “beating the champ” in boxing, see Hagler-Leonard.

By: Ultimo Santa

Ultimo Santa — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:09:32 +0000

Landing a crisp uppercut, knocking your opponent off his feet, and then gaining top control isn’t as significant as landing a couple more jabs and leg kicks?

And Forrest, after being backed to the fence by Jackson, intentionally reached out, laced his fingers in the cage and used it to re-adjust himself (there might have been a warning by the ref, but if it was it was inaudible).

Then, by some miracle, he WINS the round?

Those factors might not have constituted a 10-8 for Jackson (as some have argued), but 10-9 for Griffin? That’s either a massive judging error, or there was some alternative reason that Forrest was given that round.

By: Rollo the Cat

Rollo the Cat — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:36:36 +0000

The fact that the judges gave the first round to Griffin show me that, at least in that fight, the judges understood the difference between boxing and MMA. The knockdown is not nearly as significant in MMA and the judges understood that.

By: iain

iain — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:57:04 +0000

it this WAS a boxing match the belt would not have changed hands. gotta beat the champ to be the champ.

By: Ultimo Santa

Ultimo Santa — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:58:50 +0000

Rollo the Cat,

1) I did not lose anything on the fight. I do not gamble with money…only with people’s lives.

2) Rampage is not my hero. The only heroes in my mind are Batman, Hugh Hefner, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

3) I never had much dignity to begin with, so no big loss.

I think if you nit-pick, and count punch-for-punch, etc. (ie. score it like a boxing match) then yes, marginally, Forrest Griffin won.

My main gripes are that a) MMA should not use boxing’s stupid scoring system, b) judges have no idea how to score MMA with this system anyway, and c) a championship should not change hands on a marginal judges decision. There SHOULD be an overtime round in these cases.

And 10-8 for Jackson would indeed be a stretch in R1, but giving the round to Forrest? Whether he won the whole fight on points or not, this fact alone raises **serious** questions about the system, it’s effectiveness, and possibly the judges themselves.

By: spacedog

spacedog — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:59:01 +0000

I have no problem with people saying Rampage won rnd 1. But 10-8? Come on. ONE uppercut does not total domination make. In fact Besides that ONE punch Forrest stayed busier, and landed more shots. Frankly its insulting that this is even a real debate. Not even a bad decision much less a robbery.

By: Brandt

Brandt — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:22:29 +0000

Ibarra is insane. He needs to spend more time working on a different strategy and less time crying all the time.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:57:01 +0000

One thing to remember is that Forrest landed some nasty leg kicks in the first round. I would guess they felt those were enough to win it.

I thought that Page won the first round, but the leg kicks were enough for it not to be a 10-8 like Ibarra is saying.

By: Hattori Hanzo

Hattori Hanzo — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:19:26 +0000

I guess inept referring is not a good enough reason to get a decision overturned.
MMA Doesn’t need a dozen weight classes just mwn and women that can judge mma fights correctly,

By: Aaron Crossen

Aaron Crossen — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:16:51 +0000

MMA isn’t all that different from other sports. Good strategy pays off. Although I do I think there’s an argument that it takes a much more thoughtful athlete to find success in MMA than in other sports. For example, a wide receiver in or a defensive tackle.

Again, for example I’ve always thought Wanderlei Silva’s strategy – lots of hooks, lots of counterpunching – is, perhaps ironically, quite intelligent. It keeps opponents off balance, driving open opportunities to end the fight. He knows it, and he’s used it, with variations, in most of his fights.