Should the UFC Adopt Five-Round Main Events?
So frequently I find myself and other MMA writers or followers say, "Man, I really wish this were a five-round fight" when speaking of a highly-touted main event which is not a title fight.There are only five divisions in the UFC, and some of the champions in these divisions fight on the same card, as B.J. Penn and Anderson Silva did at UFC 112. It is impossible to have a title fight on every card, and sometimes grudge matches or No. 1 contender fights deserve more rounds than the general bout.
Last night, Rashad Evans won a unanimous decision over Rampage Jackson, and the decision went rightfully in favor of "Sugar." However, in the third round Evans was rocked and the fight could have been stopped had Jackson landed a few more punches from the top position. If the fight went two more rounds, Evans easily could have controlled and outworked Jackson as he had the entire fight, but Jackson may have been able to stop Evans with one of his powerful strikes. Unfortunately, we were not able to see two more rounds between these past champions, who have fought in five-round fights in the past.
It is understood that the UFC wants to avoid long fights with little action as Strikeforce had in their Henderson-Shields card. The card featured three five-round fights that all went the distance, and the card was deemed lackluster by most fans because of it.
The UFC, however, seldom has problems like this due to the fact that they have a plethora of talented fighters compared to other promotions, and they don't need three title fights on one card to sell. Just as last night proved, a non-title fight can sometimes be an even more hyped matchup than one that has the belt on the line.
When a card would be announced with a headliner being a non-title fight, the fighter would be given ample time to train for a five-round fight. This means they will be able to prepare just as a title holder or No. 1 contender does before his five-round fight.
Chances are, if they are fighting in a five-round fight, they either have in the past or look like they may challenge for a title in the future. Changing the way non-title main events are run seems like a wise choice, in my opinion.
One drawback would be that some fighters may not want to take a headliner card due to having to fight a five-round fight. But does the UFC want to cater to those types of fighters rather than to the fans who deserve more than they are getting? I am sure there are plenty of fighters who would take the opportunity and run with it, and those are the types of fighters the UFC should be looking to promote.
I don't speak for all MMA writers or followers on this matter. I know some feel that this would lead to more drawn out fights with less action, but I believe you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would not have liked to see Rampage and Rashad go at it for two more rounds.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Should the UFC Adopt Five-Round Main Events?
via mmacrypt.com
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