What is a good fight, anyway?
What is a good fight, anyway? In my opinion, a good fight may not involve big names, title shots or rivalries. In fact, the “filler fights,” or fights that are aired due to time schedule shortfalls (in cases of an early submission or K.O.) could become some of MMA’s most epic and unforgettable battles. Leonard Garcia vs Jung Chan Sung (the “Korean Zombie”) comes to mind. This battle, dubbed “the craziest fight I’ve ever seen” by Joe Rogan, featured two warriors going 110% for 15 minutes, earning fight of the night honors for WEC 48.
When MMA fans pay to watch fighting events, they expect to see great fights like these. Especially when a main card has a couple of big star headliners going toe-to-toe, it’s a title fight, or if there is bad blood between the two warriors. However, sometimes the drama leading up to a fight builds up so much intense energy that the actual fight itself becomes a shadow of the hype. Of course a Knock Out or submission will have fans jumping out of their seats in excitement, but are fights that go to decision less exciting than fights that are finished?
One of my personal favorites was Nick Diaz vs Karo Parisyan in UFC 49. This match up featured two ground fighting geniuses trying to outwit each other through leverage, technique and skill. Some people hate to watch a ground match, but I challenge you to check this one out. It’s full of submission attempts, counters, and reversals. What makes this match superior is the constant struggle to apply submissions against an opponent who has just as much knowledge in the same areas.
While there may be different answers to what constitutes a good fight, two things are for certain about MMA in the 21 century that may add to the quality of fights in the future:
1.) The MMA athlete has evolved. It is almost certain that a fighter will have some form of BJJ and/or wrestling in their arsenal of experience. Because of this, fighters have more knowledge to get out of, or reverse submissions than in the past.
2.) The MMA athlete can be more informed than in the past. In the age of the internet, facts and fights can be found at the fingertips. Discussion boards and blogs are commonplace. Anyone can research an opponent now, not just the specialized scouts. This kind of information beforehand can give the fighter a tremendous advantage. In the words from the famous scripture The Art of War by Sun Tzu”…if you know yourself and know your opponent, then in 100 battles you will be victorious.” Great quote.
No one can predict when the next epic battle between two fighters will happen, but I’ll be watching and waiting.
~Ghetto