Rather than saying 'oh, these guys can't wrestle', I think the problem is there's beginning to be too much wrestling in UFC Octagon, not too little of it in the gym. There are a lot of people out there calling themselves 'UFC fighters' who are nothing of the kind. In the UFC, you should go for finishes.
You should work for 15 minutes to knock your opponent out, submit him, or improve your position to give yourself the best chance of doing either.
But there's guys out there who just want to use wrestling to hold a stalemate for 15 minutes, without ever risking going for ground and pounds or attempting submissions.
This isn't 'cheating within the rules' – it is actually against the rules. 'Timidity' is outlawed in the Unified MMA rules and what better describes the act of holding on to an opponent and waiting for the clock to tick down with no attempt or inclination to do any damage?
And that's not the same as saying all UFC bouts have to be kickboxing or Thai boxing matches in order to be entertaining. That's not what I am saying.
One of the best fights of the year was George SotXX – who is a friend of mine and a guy I am tipping to win the Lightweight Title next year – beating Joe Stevenson at UFC 110.
About 13 of the 15 minute war was on the ground, but both guys were going for submissions, ground strikes, sweeps or trying to improve their positions constantly.
Neither of them secured top position so they could essentially stop fighting, which, quite honestly, is what is beginning to happen in the UFC.
The Athletic Commissions need to look at the scoring and refereeing to stop this from becoming a problem. If a guy is in a dominant position, but not actually doing anything offensive – stand 'em back up.
If he is consistently trying to tie the other guy up to avoid actual fighting – warn him and then start taking points. It is supposed to be a fight.
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