Posts by ruggedfalcon2

Eric Jackson43 said:Alright 😉 so we just have different perspectives here. I see the rules, the ring, and the referee as necessary constraints—they allow fighters to go 100% into the fight without worrying about their opponent's safety, since the officials handle that responsibility. It lets a fighter focus entirely on defeating the other person without having to hold back from causing excessive injury. Practitioners of TMA can hardly afford that level of intensity during sparring because injuries would be too severe... they always have to maintain an extra dose of self-control that isn't really natural for a real fight. Unfortunately, UFC fighting also comes with downsides, like limiting the technique repertoire or cutting out moves related to other combat aspects (like fighting in tight spaces, weapon combat, etc.).
I don't have enough experience to say whether losing those techniques is a bigger loss than the gain of being able to fight fully without restraint. But, to wrap things up, even though UFC is formally a sport, that line isn't clearly drawn—and despite some "holes," it wouldn't be dismissed as ineffective for the street just because it's strictly for the ring.

-Self-control is actually vital if you're fighting on the street 😉
-Everything can be useful for the street... basic athleticism especially 😉 however, so-called TMA is specialized for "survival" on the street, whereas UFC is designed for the entertainment of sports competition under specific rules controlled by a ref in a ring... and that's pretty much it. 🙂

Eric Jackson43 said:He can focus entirely on one opponent without constantly worrying about someone coming at him from behind. He knows exactly when the engagement starts—there’s an inherent truth to that. It's one of those gaps in UFC I've brought up before. The real question is whether UFC justifies that gap by making up for it with superior one-on-one execution. Can a fighter improvise enough to compensate for that specific deficiency through pure individual skill?

In the case of UFC, not really. I don't think these fighters view it as a game, nor do they take it half as seriously as practitioners do during TMA sparring.

At the end of the day, sport is just a game... I've gone into more detail on my blog regarding the human drive for competition, so check that out if you want the full breakdown... basically, as long as there are rules and a third party present to ensure everything stays fair, it's a game. Once you reach a point where you no longer need a referee to step in and protect the participants, then we're looking at something else entirely—something that isn't a sport or entertainment anymore. 😉

Eric Jackson43 said:But if you view sparring as the foundation—where you take the same hits allowed in the UFC—then those sporting rules don't really act as a hindrance. They don't offer a UFC fighter any sense of security they wouldn't already have in that kind of sparring. Essentially, if an MMA fighter is superior under UFC conditions, they should naturally be better during sparring too.

True enough, but I don't buy the idea that having a crowd changes anything once you're inside the cage. It’s not like Fedor or Mirkov suddenly change their fighting style just because sponsors are watching. In the cage, it's still about one thing: overcoming your opponent. Sure, the rules limit things slightly to protect the fighters, but isn't that the exact same goal behind sparring rules? And yeah, there's a referee, but his job is just to step in and stop the fight. If anything, that's a bonus... in sparring, a practitioner has to know when to call it themselves, whereas an MMA fighter can leave that responsibility to the ref and focus entirely on neutralizing the opponent.

It's true that the UFC uses rounds as another "sporting" constraint, but does that really change the fundamental reality of the situation?

-No, because I'm telling you again: competitive combat is governed by rules, but the street has none. An MMA fighter doesn't train for the most common types of street attacks... I listed a few examples in another thread. An MMA fighter trains for the bell ringing, for circling the cage, for keeping a high guard... you don't deal with any of that on the street.😉
-The point is that one is a sport and the other is self-defense. Sport and self-defense share almost nothing in common. Sparring in martial arts isn't a game, whereas a sporting competition definitely is.
-Rounds aren't even a limiting factor... think harder about the core difference between actual skill and a organized sport.

Eric Jackson43 said:He’s got the strikes down—atemi, if I remember correctly—but honestly, there are plenty of moments where going straight for the takedown just makes more sense.

Does that mean the foundation of sparring should be based on strikes that are also legal in the UFC? If so, why would two people spar that way instead of just doing MMA? And wouldn't the guy who wins in the UFC likely win that type of sparring too?

It might be worth putting together a list of everything traditional martial arts possess that the UFC lacks... then we can try to pinpoint where UFC fighters actually fall short.😉

-No, not at all.
-The UFC is a sport, which means it operates under specific sporting regulations...
-You can't really compare a pure martial art to a sport in the same breath... when it comes to self-defense, the traditional skill set is king... but for entertainment and competition in a cage, I think the UFC delivers exactly what the fans want right now.🙂

Eric Jackson43 The user said:Some Judas might actually agree with you—even if they spend their time training atleti... but that's a whole different conversation.

Judo as a martial art would definitely hold its own—especially since those guys have some serious striking power... 😉 Eric Jackson43, I'm talking about skill sets, not the sport itself... 😉

Eric Jackson43 said:Actually, when I really think about it, there’s one crucial thing sparring offers that you just don't get in the UFC. It's the concept of "demonstration strikes"—those unfinished shots where you show your partner exactly what you could have landed without actually following through. It allows you to test out certain dangerous moves—things like throat strikes, eye gouges, or elbowing the head—in a way that's controlled... even if it's only partially effective at simulating the real danger.

That’s just another misconception, much like the idea of breaking limbs... strikes to the throat or eyes aren't primary offensive moves—they're just secondary options used in extreme circumstances. Anyone basing their entire fighting style on gouging an eye is just as much of a joke as someone hoping they can win a fight simply by using a lever... 😉

Eric Jackson43 The user said:I honestly think UFC is more realistic because by allowing a wider range of techniques, it covers way more scenarios you might actually face on the street. A Muay Thai fighter stepping out into traffic is going to be caught way more off guard if someone tries to take them down compared to a UFC fighter. An MMA athlete knows how to defend against a much broader variety of attacks specifically because the sport itself permits that diversity. It’s like saying a chef in a real kitchen needs a much bigger menu than one working in a specialized ring...

Listen, anyone who actually competes in any kind of sport is going to be absolutely blindsided by how people act on the road... I'm not really interested in ranking who gets more shocked than someone else. What I actually care about—and what I respect more—are the athletes who have enough discipline to keep that composure when things get crazy out there... 😉

Eric Jackson43 said:One thing we should really dive into is how much the ring itself limits the fight—and whether UFC's dominance in that setting justifies the gaps left by neglecting other combat disciplines.

Why on earth would you claim UFC is somehow "superior" in the ring?? You can't just compare handball to basketball... it makes no sense. How can you even compare UFC to another discipline when the rules are fundamentally different? I don't follow you at all... fine, let's play by your logic: if UFC is so much more "superior" in a ring, why doesn't a top fighter just go out and challenge for a world boxing title? Why wouldn't they? Why?... There's your logic right there. Please, give me an answer. Once you grasp the difference between a specific sport and raw combat skill, it’ll be obvious they aren't comparable in that way. 😉

Eric Jackson43 said:But then you're just limiting techniques—essentially introducing rules and turning it into a sport. And so far, the best version of that sport has been the UFC as we know it today. I agree that the UFC has its flaws (like that sudden 90-degree Attack you mentioned), but it makes up for them in other ways.

Man, look... my point is that you don't need to break someone's arm to dominate them... in actual fighting skills, leverage is never your primary weapon... that’s just plain stupid, striking is always the priority... do you seriously think people can only fight within a set of rules? Sparring is designed to be a simulation of reality... if you're outclassing someone during a session, why would you even need to snap their arm to make it "more realistic"? It feels like you've never actually done any real free sparring.😕

Eric Jackson43 said:I believe they exist—after all, when two neighbors get into a brawl, it's an illegal fight. The issue is that because they're illegal, you can't really "expand" them. But as something expands—especially an open concept like the UFC—it becomes higher quality because more people contribute their expertise. It's questionable whether someone like Fedor would have ever been discovered if the UFC hadn't gone global.

The UFC is a sport, sure, but it's one that pushes the boundary between sport and pure skill as much as possible.

Eric Jackson43, you aren't distinguishing between sport and skill, and that's where you're tripping up... the UFC doesn't bridge the gap between sport and skill at all... honestly, I find things like Muay Thai matches or Burmese boxing way more realistic than the UFC... you're making a logical error here... just because the UFC allows a massive amount of techniques doesn't mean it's inherently more realistic... a chef who knows how to cook fifty dishes isn't automatically a better chef than one who masters just three.😉

Eric Jackson43 said:I don't think it gets ruined by sparring. It gets ruined when everything boils down to nothing but sparring and you lose the ability to actually test your skills in a real situation.

My point was simply that UFC is about as close as we can get to actual fighting within legal and socially acceptable boundaries today. If you want something that mimics a real fight while remaining legal and socially acceptable, you end up with a sport like this. Sure, back in the day, people could organize real fights—no refs, no rules, even to the death—but in a modern legal framework, that's impossible. That’s where the UFC comes in.

not every fight ended in death 😁 and you don't have to prove reality by breaking someone's arm or killing them... there are three levels of sparring in martial arts, leading up to full contact... and why do you think illegal fights still exist today? 😉

Eric Jackson43 said:If I'm not mistaken:
1. Jeet Kune Do isn't a finished system, though that doesn't mean its principles can't be used.
2. The question is whether any true master of Jeet Kune Do exists today—and if one ever did, besides Bruce Lee (though he probably didn't even consider himself a master since he didn't have the chance to finish the system).

1. they aren't being applied in the UFC, regardless.
2. Of course masters existed—take Dan Inosanto or Glover Teixeira, for example—but again, you're confusing things... Jeet Kune Do is a skill, not a sport... and that's the fundamental reason why you don't see it in the ring.🙂

neantmachine said:I’ll ask again—why does so many people hate on BJJ? Is there something about it that bugs you? I don't get what's so polarizing about it. People bring up Helio and how he failed... so what? UFC is just the natural evolution of combining different martial arts. It's about what works and what doesn't. BJJ is here to stay—whether you consider it part of Judo or something else isn't really the point. BJJ works, and if people can't handle that, well, that's their problem. Grappling is absolutely essential.

Give me names then—which people on this forum actually dislike BJJ? I've been around this place forever... but apparently, I'm clearly missing something.😕

Eric Jackson43 said:Well said, though I don't think it's entirely accurate... 👍
I honestly believe a lot of techniques have been lost to history, and what we learn today is just a shadow of what those arts were in their prime. Modern life doesn't really allow for true testing—since most "real" confrontations nowadays involve firearms—so traditional arts are essentially dying out. Without actual testing, the skills degrade because they get tuned specifically for sparring, and today's masters rarely get to experience a real fight. That’s why systems like Krav Maga emerge to suit the modern era, but in that process, you lose the connection to the original art and the soul of the fight itself..

Traditional skills don't degrade just because of sparring... I have no idea where you got that idea from... 😕 The way Krav Maga adapts to the modern world is strictly about how it's taught...

Eric Jackson43 said:UFC comes into play here as the closest thing possible to what real fighting should look like. And while there are definitely "holes" since it takes place in a ring—you're focused on one opponent who won't suddenly jump out from behind you, plus there are no weapons involved—for many, it's much closer to a real fight. It's more effective than styles that might cover more ground but never actually get the chance to be tested in reality. Actually, like I mentioned in another thread, UFC follows Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do philosophy quite closely: stripping away what doesn't work and incorporating what does. Even if UFC only does this within the context of a ring, that openness is a key part of its effectiveness. UFC isn't a finished system—it probably never will be—new things are always being added, and if something like Aikido or Kung Fu ever proved itself, they'd integrate it immediately.

UFC isn't the closest thing to how a real fight looks (like street survival)... UFC is just the closest thing to a complete competitive sport/contest governed by specific rules with a third party (the referee) overseeing the ring... No, UFC doesn't follow Bruce Lee's system or approach to fighting... By the way, if that were true, Jeet Kune Do masters would be dominating UFC cages everywhere. 😉 It's highly unlikely that anything from Aikido or similar styles could ever be integrated into the cage... if they did, it wouldn't be a sport anymore. 🙂

swiftsurfer80 said:The question of how MMA came to be—and its pros and cons compared to traditional, closed systems like Judo, Aikido, or Karate—actually popped up on a forum where it wasn't even the main topic.

Take Judo, for instance. There hasn't been anything truly groundbreaking there in fifty years. If there was, it was just shuffling the order of combinations or playing with which techniques were popular during different eras of Olympic Judo. Honestly, the Olympics are the reason Judo is what it is today; most modern Judokas are strictly athletes, and they barely have a clue about actual Judo skill. If they did, they’d be using strikes too and would be much more well-rounded fighters.

BJJ exploited that gap by branding itself through massive commercialization as something entirely "new." In reality, they’re just marketing the exact same Judo techniques under exotic names like "lion's claw" or "anaconda choke"... It turned out to be a goldmine for sports equipment manufacturers, who launched new brands that are everywhere now. Competition fighters look as flashy as Formula 1 drivers. Regardless, BJJ isn't headed for the Olympics anytime soon—nor does it need to be.

Aikido was never meant to be a sport. They don't compete because their goal is different. Often, that "different goal" is just a convenient excuse to mask how ineffective the techniques are when a real fight breaks out. Aikido thrives on being peaceful; avoiding a fight can almost be seen as a success. But let's not forget that M. Ueshiba created Aikido techniques that were a direct Odgvor to Judo attacks back in the day. Kano and Ueshiba used to swap students and even spar with each other!!! You can take the word for it from the rare living masters who trained under M. U. Training sessions under Ueshiba were intense!!! Can you even imagine that compared to modern Aikido?

Believe it or not, Jujutsu is a relatively young art!!! I’m talking about the Jujutsu practiced today, not the stuff used by police and military in the past. Since it’s become a sport, it faces the same threat of being hollowed out, just like other martial arts that went commercial. People will only practice the moves that score points in competition, which means it's heading toward the same fate as Karate.

Karate is a perfect example of how you can kill a martial art by turning it into a sport. And then, predictably, the Korean lobby swoops in and pushes taekwondo (!!!) into the Olympics.🙂

It was inevitable that something would emerge to address the flaws in those older systems. That response arrived lightning-fast in the form of UFC, followed by MMA and similar concepts. MMA is presented as a "learning system"—an evolution in training methods. It doesn't need the constraints of closed, "old school" systems. Then came the era of mixing, since all information is easily accessible to everyone via the internet.

So now, you can train something that isn't really a concrete discipline, but rather a mix of 40% kickboxing, 40% BJJ, and 20% whatever the master feels like creating (usually someone with a background in something like Wing Tsun or Judo). Those percentages shift depending on the "style."

On this and other forums, I’ve had various practitioners try to convince me that BJJ has nothing to do with Judo, or that striking in the UFC has no connection to Karate. I don't think there's any malice in it; it's just a defensive reaction. I'm just protecting what I love!

But, for the sake of martial arts culture, you really have to know where everything comes from. For instance, a Judoka broke Helio Gracie's arm in their very first match...

There’s also this misconception regarding the clash between these two worlds—that MMA fighters are uneducated, wild, or problematic... My experience with them has been the complete opposite. Problematic people don't have a place in MMA any more than they do in any other sport. And at the end of the day, MMA is still a sport...

Love your own, respect others.

Best regards,

really solid post 👍

I don't know about you guys, but I can't stand listening to music while I'm working out 😢 It’s not that I’m not a huge music fan—far from it... it’s just that when I'm training, I crave total silence 🙂

As for Peter Myers29, I’ll just say this: still waters run deep...😲

Peter Myers29 said:I mean, are you going to practice to listen to music, or to actually learn the skill?

🤣 👍 🤣 🤣 🤣

banana6666 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn1hgpySMCM

Kickboxing vs Muay Thai

That guy's fighting style actually gave me a good laugh...😁

wanderingridge said:that's not really my point...

Look, everyone's known what your angle is since day one, so there's really no need to worry about it...🙂 🙏

wanderingridge said:Well, it happened. Luck was on his side—turns out Sudo is actually a Wing Chun fighter... 🤣

🙂 Afro, what's got you all worked up? 😁 Who even mentioned Wing Chun or any other martial art...? 😕 We were just having a little laugh at your expense regarding Gracia... honestly, you seem to be one of those rare types who can only feel good about themselves by dragging other disciplines down—calling Taekwondo soft or dismissing Karate as junk and all that. Look, you’re still young... maybe eventually you'll find enough genuine fulfillment in your own sport that you won't feel the need to get so worked up over what everyone else is doing. But until then, feel free to keep these threads coming... they're pretty entertaining. 😁 👍

David Lewis7 said:Let's all join in on roasting Afro and his obsession with BJJ.com—let's kick off a season of "BJJ legends getting absolutely wrecked" links. I'll get us started since ruggedfalcon2 already set the tone... just following his lead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6XNg...ki%20sudo%20vs

👍

Man, there was some serious action in this one too... Afro 🙄 😁was really going at it

banana6666 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yPfukurJdw

I had to post this even if it isn't technically a challenge...

this is solid 👍 that last knockout is my favorite—now that's how you do it 🙏

wanderingridge said:well, it wasn't exactly a challenge match. 😛

Every single fight is a challenge match—but hey, if that makes you feel better about it... 🙄 nah, it wasn't a challenge, but regardless, Royce absolutely dismantled him... 👍 Matt was handling him like it was nothing. 😁

ps. The whole point is the massive difference between "sparring" with some instructor or anyone who’s never stepped foot in an octagon versus facing someone who actually lives for the grind. 😛