I finally had the opportunity to go to my first MMA event and it was very, very disappointing with all the rules in place. Out of 32 fighters there were not any Karate fighters, Japanese, Korean, Okinawa, American or any style of karate fighter in there. They consist of 1 no show, 1 shoot fighter, 1 free style fighter, who during his match was taken out very quick. What did he expect coming dress fresh off the tennis court and into the cage. He approach the ring, with the look on his face this is going to be quick and why am I here, bored to death look it was. It showed once the bell ring and for him to come out and fight, slow and with out cause. He needs to get out of the fight business and to quote a Fraze "He needs to take up basket weaving"! The remaining group were wrestler, Maui Thai, jujitsu and Brazilian Jujitsu.
One wrestler stands out though and I think he may had been sand bagging about his credentials. His follow ups with punches and kicks were pretty damn good. In fact his opponent tried a stand up chock on him but the man (wrestler) was a little taller and his neck was nothing but solid muscle, two strikes. Well they stood there for a while until the bell rang; in the next round, the wrestler went to work quickly and knocking out the wanna be chock artist with a spinning back fist.
What I see is that the people who set up the rules ( not so good fighters) to what they seem fit to show to the public. Fighters going to the ground, 80 % of them were lost, some where their training was left at the door because of rules; Chock holds with the opponent neck in the corner of your fore arm and his chin gently resting, you are going to be there for a while especially when you have nothing actually locked up. Sure it hurts, but then again the rules take effect and what can the fighter do to get them off with out breaking the fight game rules designed? One fight stands to mind the one man was getting the best of the other, the other threw a very accurate punch (apparently it was against the rules) down the man went and for a good while. I saw an excellent elbow to the side of the jaw and it was a solid connection, this apparently is against the rules ( the area or point of contact in which the elbow was used; how the elbow was used as a striking tool).
So why do these worriers want to go into this type fighting game when they are limited by rules; sure there should be some rules so people may walk out instead of being carried out or maybe not. Most of the fighters have some great talents, but they seemed to have to put their arsenal of techniques in the closet in order to stay into this type field of fighting? Sure their were some great striking skills, it seems to me most of them train to time the strikes and attack the legs to take you down to the mat. They had done their home work.
What and how we train in San Soo would be disqualified prior to stepping pass through the gate, everything we do is against the rules. From my days in Tang Soo Do, it would be the same. In fact there are several arts who use some of the same tactics in techniques and they would also be in the same boat. Maybe this is why they do not compete in these type matches (except for the CML), I surely would be interested in the way this was set up and why certain arts do not participate. So we, as practitioners of some of these other arts and San Soo we would have to cross train to work in the cage probably just to keep in the guide lines of the cage rules. My hats off to these fighters for they put up with a lot of *** from the rule makers.
There was one semi serious injury due to a hyper extension of the inside quad and knee, the young fighter was taken out on a stretcher so I do hope it was nothing major.
The suite we were in was pretty cool to include a rest room. Now if you happen to go to the suites (the company I work for had given me four tickets for there was no way I could afford one ticket much less four, over $800.00 plus a parking pass in the vip suite parking), the tickets cost enough, do not order anything from the menu inside unless you are starving have the extra extra cash to throw away or filthy freaking rich and would not hesitate to order a chicken Cesar salad for $62.00; 6 PAC to wash it down, $22.00 or if you prefer liquor, $49 a fifth or it goes up depends what you crave. Oh yea rules again; now the tickets for a suite is $200.00 and you have set rules. Turn the lights off and use the little night lights; close the curtains or turn the plasma TV off; had to speak with the little woman who held the keys who also had rules; the server could enter your suite at any given time, saying hey who is paying the tab.
Now if you go downstairs to the poor boys area you find prices a little more practical and for $17.00 my grandson and I eat like kings. It was great to spend time with my son Jeff, Damien my grandson, Howard the Instructor of SAMA and friend, Adam my student and his dad who was celebrating his 56Th birthday So Happy Birthday out to Jim Hill pretty cool and nice guy. We all had a great time and as usual Howard was pretty entertaining, even the surrounding suites were laughing at some of the things that just pop right out there and no slip of the tongue.
The best fight was in the grandstands over spilled beer and a rude comment to a lady, these guys were doing it, in fact the crowd was getting into the squabble when the match was going on in the cage.
Jeffrey P. Cornelius SR.
San Soo Michigan
5th degree black