“Rock-Paper-Scissors” – The Problem(s) with MMA/UFC

The emergence of “rock-paper-scissors” fighting

As the sport of MMA grows more lucrative and the cost of losing becomes greater, fighters are beginning to think more intelligently about how they go about securing a win. More and more fighters are putting down their swords and picking up the pre-fight pen and blueprint. The old boxing adage goes the good big guy beats the good little guy. Although Jones Jr and Pacquiao have proven this isn’t always the case, it usually is. Until recently, MMA has excelled because of its unpredictability, its no holds barred fighting spirit and its added dimensions in combat. Increasingly however, it appears that a new set of MMA truisms are starting to emerge.

The good wrestler beats the good boxer

The great Muay Thai guy beats the great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guy

Blueprints on how to beat opponents are beginning to influence the outcome of top-level, revenue-generating fights, way before fights have even started. Increasingly, it seems the once multi-dimensional sport is becoming more like a pre-determined game of rock-paper-scissors. Recent UFC events are making fans wonder if it’s really about heart or technique or the will to win, or simply about picking the right tool for the job and sticking to a game plan. Does this sound like adrenaline-pumping entertainment to you? Dana isn’t worried for nothing..

The problems at the heart of MMA stem from the most unlikely place: the sport’s versatility. Unlike the purer sport of boxing, which requires a fighter to only punch, defend and move, MMA requires fighters to develop a range of skills: striking, grappling and a submissions-based ground game. Sure, it means fights appear to be completely unpredictable. But what happens if a fighter is able to determine the outcome of a fight by eliminating one or two of the sport’s dimensions, controlling the fight and the opponent according to his/her own strict blueprint?

The worrying fact is that it’s already happening. Some recent examples highlight this growing trend in the sport. Georges St Pierre (GSP) was candid about the methods he employed to defeat Dan Hardy at UFC 111. In the post-fight press conference, he admitted that he didn’t fancy his chances in a boxing contest against the heavy-handed Hardy. So he used his far superior wrestling and take-down game. By continually taking Hardy down to the ground, GSP was able to almost completely eliminate Hardy’s stand-up game. But it isn’t just Hardy who has found his game almost completely denuded by GSP. Ask Thiago Alves, BJ Penn or any number of recent GSP opponents.

..GSP chooses paper when his opponents choose rock.

As these patterns of dominance start to appear, the sport of MMA is in danger of becoming less of a true mix and more of a must system. In other words, fighters know which area they must excel in, in order to totally dominate and win a fight. This destroys the idea of an even fight, and is contrary to the purer aspects of boxing, where fighters have only one option. They learn how to use their arms and move their feet, or they get knocked out. There are no real blueprints in boxing, unless your name happens to be Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Another counterproductive trend has also recently emerged. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) experts, on occasion, completely shy away from a stand-up battle and simply wait for the fight to go to the ground, resulting in a dull, forgettable 25 minutes of punching avoidance. Anyone that witnessed the farcical Anderson Silva v Demian Maia UFC 112 match-up will have noticed two things. Anderson Silva’s obvious dominance (and surprising “stamina issues”); but also both fighters’ reluctance to fight each other’s game. Silva refused to take the fight to the ground and compete with Maia’s excellent BJJ game. Maia, for the most part, didn’t want to trade blows with Muay Thai expert Silva.

Silva chooses scissors when his opponents choose paper.

Bottom line: if even so-called COMPLETE MMA FIGHTERS such as GSP and Anderson Silva want to stack their chips cautiously, it sets a bad precedent for the sport. Understandably, the most intelligent fighters are not prepared to take on the odds. But by doing this, not only are they taking on the dealer, Dana White, by refusing to make the fight a fight; they’re taking on the house (AKA the fans and more importantly, the fans’ money), ..and no one ever beats the house.

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