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Well, I recently discovered this forum, and this is my first post, so why not jump in the deep end. I think TUF is good for MMA in the States. It's obviously good for UFC, but I do not think those go hand in hand. TUF will likely make Spike a huge hit (much like The WPT did for the Travel Channel, as I think Spike is hitching it's wagon to the UFC...which I think is great).
As for me, I saw Royce speaking about UFC years ago (just before UFC 3) on a daytime talk show. They showed a couple of vicious knock outs, a couple of submissions, asked if it was too brutal, so I was hooked.
Well, I probably did the next 5 or 6 UFC PPVs (rented the first two first) and the last PPV I had (before the one last week) was the one where Marco Ruas ended up beating the "Polar Bear" (Varlens, I think). It was TUF 1 that got me back into the UFC full throttle. I had seen some stuff here and there, saw a Tito fight, a couple of Abbott fights, et cetera, but it wasn't until TUF that my interest really got (re)piqued. I love that they're showing some past UFC fights on Fox Sports Net and Spike, and I'm currently renting the old UFCs one by one.
Back to the subject, I appreciated the ground game from the beginning and thought Royce was a beast, especially since he was outweighed always, sometimes by a good deal. How can you not respect a discipline (any of the grapplings, really) when a guy with Royce's body frame can handle Kimo, Severn, and the like?
While I agree that a large part of the audience appreciates the stand-up game waaaay more than the grappling (and, hence, UFC will likely promote it more and push those types of fighters), I also think perhaps many fighters may work on that part of the game precisely because of the fan fare and, more importantly, the marketability that will come with it.
Anyway, long story short, I think TUF and UFC can only help MMA. Why? Because people like me (getting back into it) and others new to MMA will also wonder what else is out there, who else is out there, and are these guys really the best. Then they'll come across pride. They'll see the replay (like I did this week) of Rampage beating Chuck at his own game (though I think Chuck may well win a rematch as he seems to make very nice adjustments...plus he's learned he doesn't have to go forward, the other fighter will come to him, he can counter and defend the take down, and it hardly seems anyone notices he just isn't being that aggressive until he stuns a guy...but I digress).
So I think the fan that really wants to get to the bottom of MMA, the disciplines, who's the best will research enough to force the UFC to try to have the best fighters in their shows. The public, while perhaps blood thirsty or knockout drunk, also wants to see the best fighters (or will over time). Sorry about the long first post. I've got more to say, but I'd better shut it down right now if I want anyone to get through this thing.
BTW, if you're still with me, I'm considering getting the Pride PPV tomorrow night. I'd imagine it's a must see (seeing as how it's $5 cheaper and "may" have better fighters fighting?), in the forums' general opinion?
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