Ok theres shit loads of martial arts talk here but i got a question for people in the know about UFC/Pride championships. I TELL YOU, ITS THE BEST FIGHTING I’VE SEEN IN MY LIFE!!! My mate gave me his UFC videos before he left for Japan and told me there was all this crazy shit on them. AND HE WAS RIGHT!!! I have UFC 1 to 6 and thats all i know about this tournament. I now have heard the tournaments are up to the 30’s and theres something call “Pride” aswell. Can someone tell me what is happening now with UFC and why i havent heard of Hoyce Gracie in a while??? Is he still the best fighter in the world or what??? And where can i get more videos without a credit card??
The Gracie’s brought martial arts and the way we train to the next level. But they are not the supreme fighters they once were. Fighters with much greater natural talent and althleticism have borrowed/stolen/incorporated/learned their techniques and have surpassed them. The gracies brought submission fighting to America, but they arent the inventors. Regardless, they are still Hall of Famers to me.
Royce Gracie, recently competed in Pride I think. He lost to a Japanese fighter. He is still good, but age and the fact that now everybody has good grappling skills makes him less dominant in the fight game.
Yeah, UFC is addictive, the only thing that could make it any better is a little less respect between fighters leading to some sick, teeth-spilling grudge matches. Still, the competitive level of these invdividuals is acres beyond psychotically impressive. Check out Jens Pulver, the current UFC lightweight champion, 154 lbs. of pure balls. Lata.
"MB Eric: Advanced Protein stocked up means he's gettin' his drink on since 1603."
-Eric
Gracie didn’t cross-train in a striking art while other guys were, that’s why he started losing. Revolutionized full contact fighting though. Pride, in japan, has different fighters, slightly different (better) rules, and is done in a ring, not a cage. Go to www.sherdog.com for lots of pics and videos of this stuff.
Hell yeah, it rocks! 1 through 6 are some of the best ones imo. i think the Gracies are still the best familly or group of fighters but they are letting themselfs down by saying that the gracie style is better then all others, so they they dont cross train much. now their are fighters who are unbeleivable ground fighters and can at leats hold their own with them and even better stand up fighters. they train in several ways and are eleit in each one on their own and then have the benifete of putting everything together. i wish Rocie and Shamrock fight just once more before they retire, i thought that fight was suited to shamrock, what do you guys think? the absolute best fight without a dought for me is a fight betweeen Gracie and a guy called Zulu, it wasnt a ufc type no rules fight but a reall no rules fight, zulu was pissing blood for 2 weeks! but i think ufc is slowly being overtaken by Pride. but still when those first ufc’ s were on there was such a fresh fealling to it all. i really like Jen to Monkey, as athletes they have it all.
Chin, Where did you see the Rickson - Zulu fight? One of my professors is childhood friends with Rickson and I haven’t seen it yet! Believe it or not most Gracie’s are cross-training. The propoganda coming out of Rorion’s camp makes it out like jiujitsu is all you need but every bjj guy I know pushes cross-training. What is really happening is that we are starting to see world class atheletes arrive on the scene with comparable skill sets. Take Dan Henderson - world class wrestlers, trained in submissions (by a bjj bb) and boxes well enough to stand up with most strikers. The problem with a guy like Royce is that he simply isn’t physically gifted enough to take out a physical freak of nature who has well rounded skills. Toss Royce a big strong NFL player and he’ll chew him up. Give the NFL player real mma skills and Royce would be a chew toy.
Was in a seminar with Rolier (Royler??) once. The man knows his stuff.
My personal favorite is Vitor Belfort, talk about fast hands, he’s Gracie trained but also does boxing. Check out sherdog.com, and get Vitor Belforts video, absolutely brilliant.
I just wanted to add a comment, guys. While UFC, Pride, and K3 are much closer to “real fighting” than boxing, tournament Karate and the like, they are still not “real” fights. There are still rules (no biting, eye gouging, etc.) that combatants must follow, unlike real honest-to-goodness street fights. And truthfully, I’d place NHB fighting lower on the “brutality scale” than a sport like pro football or boxing. Those guys absorb a lot more punishment than cage fighters. Actually, I consider NHB fighting a lot more “civilized” for that very reason. Be advised, I’ve done combined MA grappling and striking myself, and I have TREMENDOUS respect for these guys, but it always irks me when someone says that these are real fights. They are a game, plain and simple. A very dangerous, very brutal game, but a game nonetheless. Combatants can tap out at any time with no shame. No one goes to the hospital (or the pokey) spitting teeth and bits of broken glass, or nursing stab wounds afterwards. Real street fighters do.
Really, what does your profesor say about his childhood? i heard all the stories of the Gracies fighting on the beach back in Brazil and stuff, i think that would of been cool growing up with him. i got the video dubbed off a friend, it had changed hands 3 or 4 times that way and was originally picked up at a seminar here in Australia, when i first got it i watched it about 5 times in a row! have you got any stories from your profeser about growing up with Rickson? whats he like away from the ring so to speek?
You are wrong, Daniel-son. It is not the best system. Go up a few questions (to knuckledragger). His Master is able to beat $825 out of a student that is not within an arms reach. Now, that is effective.
Oooops. That question moved on me. It is directly below now.