MMA/UFC Questions for Newbies

scudzilla

Thought i'd start this thread as most other threads at the moment have all sorts of questions from newbies to the sport, and i guess it's only going to grow after the rise of Conor

Hopefully the more experienced and knowledgeable posters can help out, so if you're new and don't understand something, ask in here, sure someone will have an answer

Could we sticky this for a few weeks until people get the hang of it?

mailburner

great idea scud and perfect timing

hopefully this will encourage more folks to post and stop clowns telling newbies to fcuk off for asking a question to which the answer is obvious to a lot of us who've been watching for years
no place for that sh1t in any forum

Why are some fights 5 rounds?

What does full/half guard mean when they're on the ground?

scudzilla

Deleted User wrote: »

Why are some fights 5 rounds?

What does full/half guard mean when they're on the ground?

Championship fights are 5 rounds, if a main event of a card is not a championship fight then it is also 5 rounds (that's a relatively new thing)

mailburner

Deleted User wrote: »

Why are some fights 5 rounds?

What does full/half guard mean when they're on the ground?

all title fights are 5 rounds and all main events are five also e.g thompson/ellenberger tonight


some of the other lads will be able to explain the full/half better than me

Axwell

Deleted User wrote: »

Why are some fights 5 rounds?

What does full/half guard mean when they're on the ground?

Championship fights where a belt is on the line are 5 rounds, main events are also 5 round fights, the others are 3 rounds.

Full guard is the where the fighter on the bottom would have his legs wrapped around the waist of the fighter on top (who is positioned between his legs and facing him) trying to control his posture and stop him moving away. The fighter on top usually is trying to transition to to a better position, such as a side guard or full mount.

Half guard is the top fighter lying on the bottom fighter moved to the side from full guard, but one of his legs trapped or entangled by the bottom fighter to stop him fully moving to a side guard or full mount.

Mr. Manager

Probably easier to explain full guard and half guard with pictures imo or at least add pictures to the text for a visual

Full guard



Half guard

Shy Ted

There has been lots of talk about Mc Gregor cutting weight to 145lbs to compete for the interim featherweight title.
Some sites are saying he lost 27lbs in 8 days, but was Aldo not 145lbs anyway? (His UFC stats say so)

Why leave it so late to drop weight?
Apart from dehydration, how would you drop that kind of weight in such short notice?
Surely there would have been serious repercussions to his level of fitness...

Cereal Rapper

Cereal Rapper wrote: »

Probably easier to explain full guard and half guard with pictures imo or at least add pictures to the text for a visual

Full guard



Half guard

Which is advantageous for who?

What's full mount and side guard?

I really haven't a clue what they are doing once they are on the ground.

cletus

Shy Ted wrote: »

There has been lots of talk about Mc Gregor cutting weight to 145lbs to compete for the interim featherweight title.
Some sites are saying he lost 27lbs in 8 days, but was Aldo not 145lbs anyway? (His UFC stats say so)

Why leave it so late to drop weight?
Apart from dehydration, how would you drop that kind of weight in such short notice?
Surely there would have been serious repercussions to his level of fitness...

Aldo's listed weight refers to the weight class he fights in rather than his actual weight. He is known for having hard cuts

MacGregor is not losing weight in the traditional sense in the last days leading up to the weigh in. He's not trying to reduce his body fat or anything. It's more correctly known as a weight cut than weight loss or drop.

Dehydration and exercise would be two of the main methods, along with restricting calories to some degree.

He is probably only 145 for a very short amount of time, so although not a great thing to be doing in general, it's not long term dehydration. The main thing is that he rehydrates as quickly as possible after weighing in. By the time he steps in the cage at fight time he is probably 160-165 again.

Done badly, weight cuts can have a detrimental effect on performance

cletus

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Which is advantageous for who?

What's full mount and side guard?

I really haven't a clue what they are doing once they are on the ground.

Bjj, submission wrestling etc is extremely nuanced, so the following is very general.

Full guard. If you are on your back the best position to be in is the full guard. This allows for some control of your opponents posture and hips. It also allows you to possibly submit or sweep/reverse your position, meaning that you end up on top of posting on your feet.

Half guard. If you have a person in your full guard, that is you on your back, them between your legs, your opponent may try to' guard pass', get past or out of your guard. They may look for side control, where you have no legs around them, and they are lying perpendicular to your body, chest to chest. The may also look for full mount, where they sit straddled on your chest. Both of these positions are bad for the guy on the bottom, so often, during a guard pass, the guy on the bottom will end up retaining one of his opponents legs with both of his own. Again, sweeps and reversals are possible from this position

brevity

Does gassed mean winded?

IrishAlice

This might seem like a silly question but here goes.

In the Lawler McDonald fight both fighters were seriously busted up. McDonald broke his nose in the first round and Lawler was staggering around the ring after getting the knee in the head.

Why didn't the ref call a halt to this fight sooner? It seemed like both of them were a lot more injured than Mendes was so I'm just wondering what the difference is. Is it because Mendes stopped defending himself?

Hazys

brevity wrote: »

Does gassed mean winded?

It means the fighter is starting to feel the effects of their opponents flatulence offense.

Famously used by John Howard in UFC168

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrqA1DNGaVA

Yes gassed means winded

Hazys

IrishAlice wrote: »

This might seem like a silly question but here goes.

In the Lawler McDonald fight both fighters were seriously busted up. McDonald broke his nose in the first round and Lawler was staggering around the ring after getting the knee in the head.

Why didn't the ref call a halt to this fight sooner? It seemed like both of them were a lot more injured than Mendes was so I'm just wondering what the difference is. Is it because Mendes stopped defending himself?

You answered you're own question, Yes it was because Mendes stopped intelligently defending himself and didn't try to fight back. Mendes went into turtle mode where Conor would have just kept battering him the ref had to protect Mendes as he wasn't protecting himself well enough but while Lawler and McDonald were seriously hurt, they were still reacting to and defending their opponent's offense.

soundmangar

IrishAlice wrote: »

This might seem like a silly question but here goes.

In the Lawler McDonald fight both fighters were seriously busted up. McDonald broke his nose in the first round and Lawler was staggering around the ring after getting the knee in the head.

Why didn't the ref call a halt to this fight sooner? It seemed like both of them were a lot more injured than Mendes was so I'm just wondering what the difference is. Is it because Mendes stopped defending himself?

Yes. Once you stop intelligently defending yourself the fight is stopped. A fighter with a broken nose is very capable of winning a fight. Mendes turtled which is not intelligently defending, Lawler and Rory were still throwing bombs trying to win the fight.

IrishAlice

Hazys wrote: »

You answered you're own question, Yes it was because Mendes stopped intelligently defending himself and didn't try to fight back. Mendes went into turtle mode where Conor would have just kept battering him the ref had to protect Mendes as he wasn't protecting himself well enough but while Lawler and McDonald were seriously hurt, they were still reacting to and defending their opponent's offense.

Thanks, I wasn't sure if what Mendes did constituted defending himself or not so wasn't sure.

Does it generally happen that as soon as a fighter drops into this position the fight is stopped?

IrishAlice

soundmangar wrote: »

Yes. Once you stop intelligently defending yourself the fight is stopped. A fighter with a broken nose is very capable of winning a fight. Mendes turtled which is not intelligently defending, Lawler and Rory were still throwing bombs trying to win the fight.

Their fight was insane! Really enjoyed it once I got over all the blood

Connavar

Hazys wrote: »

Yes gassed means winded

When I hear winded, I think of a hit to the chest/back. But I would equate gassing more with being tired/out of breath(can also be caused by a hit)

ibrahimovic

Maybe not the right thread, but could any one link to some well regarded mma video training/tutorials for beginers to get the fundamentals to do at home, me and a mate want to try. I heard Mendes mentioning some Bas rutten ones in the conference.

Hazys

IrishAlice wrote: »

Thanks, I wasn't sure if what Mendes did constituted defending himself or not so wasn't sure.

Does it generally happen that as soon as a fighter drops into this position the fight is stopped?

No, not as soon as the assume that position but from what i remember was Conor threw two punches while Mendes was in the turtle position, the ref wasn't going to leave Conor have a third because Mendes didn't even move on the first two.

If Mendes had taken the first and maybe the second punch in the turtle position then scrambled into another position or tried to grapple with Conor (well basically if he did anything other than stay in the turtle position) the ref would have left the fight continue but he didnt. So going into turtle isn't an automatic stoppage or any other position where you don't try to intelligently defend yourself, the ref will give you a chance to comeback.

Herb Dean is the best UFC ref and he made the correct decision to stop the fight. Maybe another ref may have left it gone a few seconds later and Mendes would have been saved by the bell but i think that wouldn't have been the right decision and people are only talking about the stoppage because it was so close to the end of the round but for the Refs the clock plays no part in insuring a fighter's safety. If Mendes went into the turtle position with 30 seconds left we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Hazys

Connavar wrote: »

When I hear winded, I think of a hit to the chest/back. But I would equate gassing more with being tired/out of breath(can also be caused by a hit)

Yeah sorry you're right. Gasses would mean ran out of gas aka tired more than it would mean winded.

raze_them_all_

ibrahimovic wrote: »

Maybe not the right thread, but could any one link to some well regarded mma video training/tutorials for beginers to get the fundamentals to do at home, me and a mate want to try. I heard Mendes mentioning some Bas rutten ones in the conference.

go to a gym. They are all over the country and safe and you will actually learn technique. The learn from videos was when the sport was in it's infancy

IrishAlice

Hazys wrote: »

No, not as soon as the assume that position but from what i remember was Conor threw two punches while Mendes was in the turtle position, the ref wasn't going to leave Conor have a third because Mendes didn't even move on the first two.

If Mendes had taken the first and maybe the second punch in the turtle position then scrambled into another position or tried to grapple with Conor (well basically if he did anything other than stay in the turtle position) the ref would have left the fight continue but he didnt. So going into turtle isn't an automatic stoppage or any other position where you don't try to intelligently defend yourself, the ref will give you a chance to comeback.

Herb Dean is the best UFC ref and he made the correct decision to stop the fight. Maybe another ref may have left it gone a few seconds later and Mendes would have been saved by the bell but i think that wouldn't have been the right decision and people are only talking about the stoppage because it was so close to the end of the round but for the Refs the clock plays no part in insuring a fighter's safety. If Mendes went into the turtle position with 30 seconds left we wouldn't be having this conversation.

I heard everyone talking about how good the ref is so figured it was the right decision but just wasn't totally sure as to why the situation differed from Lawler v McDonald.

Thanks for the responses, it makes things a lot clearer!

Dtp1979

ibrahimovic wrote: »

Maybe not the right thread, but could any one link to some well regarded mma video training/tutorials for beginers to get the fundamentals to do at home, me and a mate want to try. I heard Mendes mentioning some Bas rutten ones in the conference.

You'd really be better off going to an MMA beginners class. Not being smart, but if your trying techniques or heaven forbid even submissions without the watchful eye of an experienced instructor , you or your friend will end up hurt if something goes wrong

BOHtox

Is there an age or physical condition that's too old or too unfit or too small (:o)to start? Living in south Dublin too, what would be the best gym to give a ring? I also have zero experience of any form of martial arts/self-defence etc.

I'm taking the McGregor train by storm and have been really watching enjoying UFC the last two years or so

MartyMcFly84

We have people in their 60s training with us and some people with lifelong physical disabilities.

There is no too old , or too weak. Don't think you will need "to get fit first" as this is often as an excuse to put things on the long finger. Only small % of people who attend MMA gyms actually fight and an even smaller % fight at a high level. In our gym 90% is made up of people who just want to exercise, learn some new skills and try something different than a regular gym.

You will get the fitness required by attending classes. Most gyms have dedicated beginners programs. Get on google and check out gyms that you can make it too easy enough, and decide how far you can realistically travel on a regular basis. No point picking a gym that will be pain to get to and a deterrent to going to class.

Try a few different gyms out and see what ones you like the most, and start going to classes.

cowzerp

IrishAlice wrote: »

I heard everyone talking about how good the ref is

In general if Joe Rogan says someone is the best people just run with it, Personally I think he'd ok and often times just awful

Like the other day 2 fighters had to walk away without him stopping the fight as he did not get in fast enough, That is not high class reffing by any standards.

But again if Joe Rogan says it, it must be true :rolleyes:

jcd5971

cowzerp wrote: »

In general if Joe Rogan says someone is the best people just run with it, Personally I think he'd ok and often times just awful

Like the other day 2 fighters had to walk away without him stopping the fight as he did not get in fast enough, That is not high class reffing by any standards.

But again if Joe Rogan says it, it must be true :rolleyes:

How dare you .... Plus rogan has often said big John mccarthy is best ref in mma.

Anyway it's all nonsense I think we all know Steve mazaggati is best ref in mma

MartyMcFly84

jcd5971 wrote: »

Steve mazaggati is best ref in mma

I think Cecil Peoples will have something to say about that, that was... until he was shot by an American dentist in Africa.

jcd5971

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I think Cecil Peoples will have something to say about that, that was... until he was shot by an American dentist in Africa.

I don't get the reference, what has Mazzagati got to do with some stupid lion... I'm sure I'm going to look stupid now if you point out an obvious link :-)

dave1982

Question for those who actually fight, just wondering bout nerves back stage in locker room.That hour or so when you just waiting to go out.What do ye do and be thinking?

Dtp1979

dave1982 wrote: »

Question for those who actually fight, just wondering bout nerves back stage in locker room.That hour or so when you just waiting to go out.What do ye do and be thinking?

Everyone is different. Some are calm and collected. Some are wound up and bursting to go. Some are ****ting a brick.

Clive

dave1982 wrote: »

Question for those who actually fight, just wondering bout nerves back stage in locker room.That hour or so when you just waiting to go out.What do ye do and be thinking?

Bored mostly, you've probably been hanging around for a few hours at that stage and just want to get you warm-up started.

MartyMcFly84

I don't get the reference, what has Mazzagati got to do with some stupid lion... I'm sure I'm going to look stupid now if you point out an obvious link :-)

A terrible joke admittedly. Cecil Peoples is a referee who many would say was worst ref in MMA. He makes Mazzagati look competent. The lion that was shot was also called Cecil.

Mellor

dave1982 wrote: »

Question for those who actually fight, just wondering bout nerves back stage in locker room.That hour or so when you just waiting to go out.What do ye do and be thinking?

As the lads said everyone was different.
I expected to be nervous (I was a bit antsy at the weigh-in). But on fight night I was very relaxed, almost bored. I had a little nap in the corner.

MartyMcFly84

Question for those who actually fight, just wondering bout nerves back stage in locker room.That hour or so when you just waiting to go out.What do ye do and be thinking?

It really depends on the person and how they deal with nerves.

I have seen guys sleeping right up until minutes before they go out to guys vomiting with nerves and pulling out of fights right before they go out.

I remember thinking "How the hell did I get myself into this situation?". Once you have entered a few competitions its generally all the same and you get used to it to a certain degree. Like driving. The nerves creep in again if you are moving up a level or have been out for a long time but, I found it helps to have chilled out people with you too, corner men, coach etc.

That_Guy

I've been watching MMA for years but I'm still confused regarding when they decide to call for a no contest or when they opt for a technical decision.

Anyone care to explain?

Devastator

That_Guy wrote: »

I've been watching MMA for years but I'm still confused regarding when they decide to call for a no contest or when they opt for a technical decision.

Anyone care to explain?

Im not sure anyone can actually call for a no contest. I think for it to happen on the night, the fight needs to be stopped(ie injury,eye poke) during the 1st round. I think if its stopped after rd1 then it goes to judges and they make a decision based on what they seen. Fights can be changed to a no contest after fight night, I think this is usually when 1 fighter fails a drugs test/

Mellor

That_Guy wrote: »

I've been watching MMA for years but I'm still confused regarding when they decide to call for a no contest or when they opt for a technical decision.

Anyone care to explain?

If a fight is stopped due to an intentional foul, regardless of when it happens, then it's a Disqualification.
If a fighter is unable to continue due to an accidental foul, and 2 rounds* are not yet complete. Then it's ruled a No-Contest.
If 2 rounds* are complete then it goes to the score cards (including the incomplete last round). The winner is awarded a Technical Decision, or a Technical Draw if scorecards are equal.



*3 rounds needed in 5 round fight, ie majority of rounds need to be complete

JoeK20

IrishAlice wrote: »

This might seem like a silly question but here goes.

In the Lawler McDonald fight both fighters were seriously busted up. McDonald broke his nose in the first round and Lawler was staggering around the ring after getting the knee in the head.

Why didn't the ref call a halt to this fight sooner? It seemed like both of them were a lot more injured than Mendes was so I'm just wondering what the difference is. Is it because Mendes stopped defending himself?

Well Mendes had only that 2 week camp so was pretty much gassed out. Conor pretty much tko'd him with that punch and he dint really defend himself on the ground.
With Lawler and MacDonald, it was more superficial injuries until the later rounds then MacDonald couldn't really go anymore.
If they're still standing there trading the referee can't really step in buit its pretty much putting it in the ref's hands if you turtle up (even if your blocking punches - a la Faber vs Barao)

srfc d16

I put this in the live thread but figured I'd have a better chance of getting a response in this thread so here goes.

I rarely watch weigh ins and am a relatively casual fan but can someone explain to me why so many fighters are coming in at what I assume is over the weight limit? Plenty of 155.5, 156 and so on weights already. Is it only strictly enforced on title fights?

ASOT

srfc d16 wrote: »

I put this in the live thread but figured I'd have a better chance of getting a response in this thread so here goes.

I rarely watch weigh ins and am a relatively casual fan but can someone explain to me why so many fighters are coming in at what I assume is over the weight limit? Plenty of 155.5, 156 and so on weights already. Is it only strictly enforced on title fights?

Title fights have to be bang on the money or under, there's a 1lb limit on non title fights.

srfc d16

ASOT wrote: »

Title fights have to be bang on the money or under, there's a 1lb limit on non title fights.

Thanks man

Brussels Sprout

Why are there no Women's Flyweight or Featherweight divisions in the UFC?

Wrongway1985

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

Why are there no Women's Flyweight or Featherweight divisions in the UFC?

Pretty much because the talent pool isn't that deep especially with the UFCs partnership with Invicta FC, sure there is decent fighters out there at flyweight like Barb Honchock and Vanessa Porto but Featherweight a different story I'm afraid unfortunately the women there if even halfway capable end up becoming punchbags for Cristine Cyborg.

Having 115 along with 135 allows the UFC some leverage to perhaps catch some female talent from other weight classes (including 105 atomweights such is the case with Jessica Penne,Michelle Waterson) to compete in the UFC while I suppose making sure Invicta FC doesn't get watered down.

Invicta FC if you're interested actually has an event on tonight it streams on UFC fight pass.

Call Me Jimmy

What is the best option to watch UFC (mainly)? I did the youtube pay per view for mgregor just because I didnt have time to look at options. Are there any Sky channels that carry all the ufc's?

ASOT

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

What is the best option to watch UFC (mainly)? I did the youtube pay per view for mgregor just because I didnt have time to look at options. Are there any Sky channels that carry all the ufc's?

Bt sports will have the majority of events bar one or two fight pass only cards, that would be the best package to go with until August when the rights are up for sale.

That_Guy

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

What is the best option to watch UFC (mainly)? I did the youtube pay per view for mgregor just because I didnt have time to look at options. Are there any Sky channels that carry all the ufc's?

Just on this, UFC Fight Pass is like Netflix for fights. If you've not signed up, they offer a free trial and it includes all past fights and they also stream live events from other promotions.

It's definitely worth it in my opinion and they're revamping the layout soon. They'll put up the PPV events about a month after they've been shown.

They also carry the exclusive Fight Pass prelims and Fox Sports prelims on there for every event as far as I know.

The sport has never been so accessible. You should definitely check out this this thread for a big list of legendary fights you may have missed out on.

That'll keep you busy for a while.

Call Me Jimmy

Nice one!

JustShon

This might be considered a stupid question but what exactly is an interim title in UFC?