Jeff Lacy: "MMA is a Fad, Not a Sport"

[2501]

Yes, their boxing isn't near the skill levels of pro boxers. But boxers' skill levels in wrestling, judo and jujitsu is nowhere near that of MMA.

ive been watching UFC, Pride, Bodog and IFL for a LONG TIME now and ive only really seen a Judo throw about 3 times and really watered down Jujitsu. the only time there is anything really of high skill level is when a lock or armbar is preformed and thats usually after 2 minutes of grappling where strength is more apparent than skill. thats why ive been following Cung Le's venture into UFC because ive been anxious to see solid skills in action.

[Drunken Cat]

ive been watching UFC, Pride, Bodog and IFL for a LONG TIME now and ive only really seen a Judo throw about 3 times and really watered down Jujitsu. the only time there is anything really of high skill level is when a lock or armbar is preformed and thats usually after 2 minutes of grappling where strength is more apparent than skill. thats why ive been following Cung Le's venture into UFC because ive been anxious to see solid skills in action.

Judo is very hard to perform without a gi. The majority of elite level athletes who've found success in MMA are from wrestling backgrounds, though kickboxers are finding increasing success now that they've discovered the importance of cross training and have learned how to defend a shot. The sport is still growing and new styles and techniques are still coming out of the wordworks.

Yeah, Cung Li is a great guy to watch, he's a very good martial artist and a solid MMA fighter as well. I hope he continues to fight on a consistent basis.. there've been echos of a Cung Li-Frank Shamrock fight, though I'm not sure how ready Li is for that.. I wouldn't count him out though, even now after just 4 fights against limited opposition.

[marsman]

I agree with this statement . It doesn't mean those guys aren't tough.

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

If there is a problem for UFC and MMA in general it is the frequency of title changes. The current pattern seems to be for a champion to dominate for a maximum of two years and then very quickly disappear off the radar. That makes it very difficult for the company to build up any interaction and familiarity with the fan and it seems to be the nature of MMA which means it will be a difficult problem to overcome.

I think UFC also took a major hit with their purchase of Pride. They brought in most of their big stars like Cro Cop and others who all went bust because of their inability to adapt their fighting style to the UFC rules.

And then as soon as a guy builds a bit of steam, like Evans or Alexander, they end up dropping the ball in their very next fight.

Another problem, which boxing did for a while, is milking a name dry. How many times does Liddell have to lose before they stop placing him in the main event positions of pay-per-views? Rampage stops him in like two minutes and they give him another top spot on a ppv against a fighter who was also coming off a loss and viewed as a "safe" opponent. He gets dropped and loses that fight. His reward is another major ppv spot against Silva - also coming off a loss, past his prime and appears to be a shot fighter.

[chosen0309]

Fair enough......I just don't find watching those arts entertaining...like I said to each is own.

Glad we can be civilized…I’ve been watching boxing a lot longer then MMA and am actually a bigger fan of boxing then MMA. But, when I hear people say MMA fighters are the equivalent of drunken, back-alley sluggers I feel they should be defended ( you didn’t say that…but a lot do!) A lot of these guys are Olympic-level wrestlers, and high-level competitors in jujitsu, judo and other martial arts. These guys also train very hard…just as hard as boxers. It may be boring to some...but I find baseball, golf, race car driving boring too...but people still watch it.

[1bad65]

Judo is very hard to perform without a gi.

Exactly. But I love watching a guy like Karo Parisyen who can do it in MMA.

Kimbo is all hype. Notice UFC did not pick him up. He fights for EliteXC.

Both are sports. Period. I happen to like both. I will laugh if Lacy gets called out by Dana White as Mayweather did and has to eat his words.

[Guest]

Jeff "LOL" Lacy needs to learn to box before he opens his mouth about other sports and how they compare to pugilism.

[Tobi.G]

He said Kimbo was popular BECAUSE of the street fights. Now he is in MMA beating guys, a legitimate street fighter beating up MMA guys.

Has Kimbo defeated anyone besides Mercer in MMA??
MMA is not just fade, but i agree with Jeff that MM will never be as big as boxing and its primitive.

[Chicago]

All it is, is 2 people rolling on the floor on top of eachother. I don't want 2 see 2 gay people doing that

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

Has Kimbo defeated anyone besides Mercer in MMA??
MMA is not just fade, but i agree with Jeff that MM will never be as big as boxing and its primitive.

He fought last week on an EliteXC card. Knocked some guy out in 30 seconds or so.