Most sports have their fair share of “haters” but most of them are simply based on support for the home team and hate for the opposition. The “hate” only comes from their desire to see their home team win and their desire for the competition to lose.

Of course, there will always be those that hate certain teams just because those teams are on top. Many polls show that that the most hated teams are often also among the most liked teams (see NY Yankees, Dallas Cowboys).

In MMA, it seems like every fighter has their share of haters. Even the most seemingly “good guy” fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Forrest Griffin have their haters. For the haters, there is always something for them to hate about the fighters they so despise. Everything from the fighter’s record, previous opponents, fighting style, or just the fighter’s demeanor seem to result in hate.

Often times the hate is based on nothing in reality. For example, Nick Diaz is one of the fighters with the most haters. You will often see the haters state things like “he has no skills” or “he doesn’t deserve a shot at the title” despite his impressive striking and Jiu-Jitsu skills and his record of achievements in the cage.

Of course, much of the hate for Diaz comes from the fighter’s antics outside the cage. Many fans find these antics entertaining while others use the fighter’s antics as the sole basis of their hate.

Most haters are easily recognized for what they are. Their arguments against a fighter they hate often lack any credibility but they refuse to be convinced otherwise. They can sit behind their keyboards and anonymously spew their hate without any fear of retribution.

The worst that can happen to them is that someone on a message board will recognize them for what they are and publicly identify them as a hater and their obsession for hate for a certain fighter.

Fortunately, most fans are not haters. They may dislike certain fighters for whatever reasons but they don’t feel obligated to voice their dislike on MMA forums and elsewhere. They simply respect fighters for their willingness to put it all on the line as they step into the cage.

Hopefully, those that show this respect for fighters will remain the majority as the sport of mixed martial arts moves forward as the world’s fastest growing sport.

Many fans of MMA feel that the seeming monopoly the UFC has is bad for the sport. The thinking is that competition to the UFC will force the organization to pay their fighters better, offer the fighters more benefits, and make them put on better fights in order to maintain their number one position. But, is this actually the case?

Prior self-proclaimed competitors to the UFC have not been very successful. Actually, saying you plan on being a competitor to the UFC actually seems like it might be a kiss of death. Previous organizations like Pride and Elite XC that made such statements about competing with the UFC didn’t end well.

The UFC deserves most of the credit for making MMA the fastest growing sport that it is today. From the early days of the first few UFC events, it was apparent that there were many fans wanting to see these sorts of competition. Prior to the UFC, there were very few options that would allow you to see martial artists of various disciplines compete against each other.

There was Vale Tudo in Brazil and Shooto and Pancrase in Japan, and not much else. In the U.S. about the only thing that came close were “tough man” competitions and “no holds barred” events that were actually outlawed in many states.

From the earliest days of their first events, the UFC was able to draw the interest of what would become MMA fans. And by tweaking the rules of the sport to disallow things like head butts and low blows, the UFC was able to get their events approved in a growing number of states.

Early on, the Pride organization in Japan appeared to be successful at providing their countries version of the UFC. Some major events were produced by that organization and they helped establish a large base of Japanese MMA fans. Pride was also able to showcase some of the sports best fighters from around the world. However, like the early UFC, Pride had financial difficulties despite their popularity with the fans.

They were unsuccessful with their attempts to go international by having events in the United States. It was also suspected that the organization had ties to organized crime in Japan. The Pride organization was on the verge of collapse when they were purchased by the UFC.

Elite XC burst onto the scene and seemed like they were willing to do whatever it took to take a major market share from the UFC. Aided by a deal with Showtime to show their events on the cable network and their willingness to spend large amounts of money to sign big stars to the organization, they seemed to be a legitimate contender to the UFC.

They were able to strike a deal with CBS to present the first MMA competitions on network television. While Elite XC seemed to be doing many things right, there were many major things that almost everyone (except Elite XC execs) saw that they were doing wrong. They had a tendency to overpay fighters in order to sign them to their company instead of the UFC.

Their biggest mistake may have been putting all their eggs in the basket of Kimbo Slice. They proclaimed Kimbo to be the “next big thing” based on his fighting in backyards on You Tube videos and not on any martial arts skills. There were very few knowledgeable fans of MMA that thought Kimbo would have anything more than a punchers chance in the sport. When Kimbo was knocked out by Seth Petruzelli 14 seconds into the first round of their fight, it spelled the end of Elite XC.

It seems now that MMA organizations are hesitant to say they seek to be a major competitor to the UFC. Strikeforce was widely considered as the number two organization until their purchase by Zuffa. So Strikeforce along with Pride were eliminated as competition to the UFC by Zuffa buying out the competition.

Fighter pay is often cited as a reason the UFC needs competitors. However, the UFC has consistently increased fighter’s paychecks and the popularity of the UFC has enabled fighters to gain lucrative deals from sponsors. Also, the UFC has begun to offer insurance to fighters under their umbrella thus eliminating many of the prior complaints about the UFC not taking care of their fighters.

In order to see better fights, co-promotion with other organizations is the main method often expressed by fans to accomplish this. While there are possibly some fights that could attract major interest among fans if the UFC were willing to co-promote, it’s probably not in the best interest of the UFC to do so.

Already, the vast majority of the best fighters in the world are in the UFC. By co-promoting with another organization, the UFC would essentially be promoting a competitors fighter on the back of all the hard work the UFC has put into building the UFC brand for all these years.

Meanwhile, the UFC has continued to work tirelessly to get MMA approved in all 50 states and has been working feverishly to get MMA approved in the one big remaining prize, New York state. Other “competitors” have contributed little to this effort.

So, it appears that any major competition for the UFC is still far from a reality. The best bet to create a competitor would be for an organization to establish a framework where they can create and promote their own fighters and pay them near UFC levels without over paying. If an organization can consistently accomplish this for several years, then perhaps we can eventually see a true competitor to the UFC.

Fans of MMA are a diverse group of individuals. However, many of the fans of the sport fall into one or more categories that describe their view of the sport. The following analysis will describe the different categories and try to explain their motivations.

The Haters

The Haters are among the most easily recognized group of fans. They are adamant in their views and cannot be reasoned with. They can hate both fighters and organizations. When encountered on forums, they are often seen calling those they disagree with by some very unflattering names. If you dare disagree with them, they will often call you a “fanboy” (see below) of the subject of their hate.

They also tend to type in all capital letters, which is the equivalent of screaming on the internet. They are the epitome of the “keyboard warrior” as they hide behind their anonymity and have no fear of retribution from those they spew their hate against. If by chance you meet a Hater in person, you should be careful as this sort of fan would be the most likely to become “unhinged”.

The Fanboys

Fanboys are the polar opposites of haters. They like to use similar tactics to the Haters and can be Fanboys of either a fighter or an organization. Likewise, if you disagree with a Fanboy, they will often label you as a Hater. They differ from the Haters in that they can actually support their view with facts. Probably the largest group of Fanboys are the Fedor Fanboys. While Fanboys are normally harmless, never let a Fedor Fanboy come face-to-face with a Fedor Hater.

The Lay-N-Pray Complainers

There is a group of fans that like to complain about fighters that take the fight to the mat and are unable quickly finish their opponent. This is called lay-n-pray (LNP) since the fighter is accused of laying on his opponent and praying that he will get the decision. These are usually the fans you hear booing in the arena once the fight goes to the ground and remains there for more than a few seconds.

The fighter on the bottom that is doing a good job of keeping from being submitted or pounded out gets none of the credit for a job well done. Instead, they like to blame the guy on top for not being able to finish from the dominant position.

There are many times they have a valid complaint for a fighter using a LNP tactic. However, they often accuse a fighter of LNP even though the fighter is constantly working for submissions and mixing in some ground-n-pound (see Georges St-Pierre). This is mainly due to these fans having a lack of appreciation for a fighter’s ground game or appreciation of the opponent’s defence from their back.

The “True” MMA Fan

The “True MMA Fan” generally consists of fans that don’t fall into any of the above categories. They don’t hate fighters and they’re not fanboys since they admire anyone that’s willing to put it all on the line and step into the cage. They don’t complain when a fight goes to the ground since they appreciate all aspects of Mixed Martial Arts.

On MMA forums one of the biggest insults you can give is, “you’re not a true MMA fan”. I’m sure all the fans from any of the categories above consider themselves as True MMA Fans. However, in my opinion, if you fall into any of the categories above, you’re not a True MMA Fan.

There are probably other categories of MMA fans not mentioned here but these are the major ones you see if you frequent MMA forums. Now you can identify who they are and who you are. Here’s to hoping you’re True MMA Fan.

However, in today’s MMA it is unlikely that such basically one-dimensional fighters will be among the top ranked fighters in the sport. The current champions of MMA are almost all true mixed martial artist.

One of the best current examples of this is UFC Welterweight Title holder Georges St-Pierre. With his superb striking skills, outstanding wrestling, and top notch Jiu Jitsu, St-Pierre offers a balanced attack to his opponents. This allows him to hold his own or dominate no matter where the course of the match takes him.

It seems nowadays that the number one skill a champion calibre fighter needs is excellent wrestling. The ability to take your opponent to the mat when needed is very important. Since takedowns are such a large part of wrestling, most top-notch wrestlers are able to take their opponents to the mat whenever necessary.

Defensively, wrestling provides a fighter with the skills needed to prevent being taken down. If a wrestler is taken to the ground, they are often able to sweep their opponent and get back on top or back to their feet. Wrestlers are also usually able to neutralize the grappling skills of an equally skilled Jiu Jitsu fighter.

Striking is the part of MMA many fans want to see most. It can be exciting to think that a fighter could end a fight at any time if they’re able to land that one punch. However, modern day MMA has evolved to the point that a fighter that relies solely on their striking will likely not be very successful. Many fighters with boxing and kickboxing experience have competed in MMA with limited success.

Bouts against these fighters usually end when the fighter gets taken down. Once on the mat, they don’t have the skills to defend against submissions or a ground and pound attack. Training in Muay Thai is a common choice for today’s fighters since it involves both striking with fists and kicking along with clinching skills.

The other skill it seems is a “must have” for a top-level fighter is Jiu Jitsu or some type of submission skill. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a popular choice to learn this needed skill but other martial arts such as Judo and Sambo can be a reasonable substitute. The need for submissions knowledge is often seen when a fighter that may have excellent striking and wrestling takes their opponent down but then is unable to make any moves to finish the fight.

This often results in the lay and pray tactic that so many fans hate. A submission specialist will not only be able to finish with a submission when they’re on top of their opponent, but also represent a legitimate threat of a submission when defending from the bottom.

It is no longer necessary for a fighter to learn these separate disciplines by training at different facilities to obtain the needed skills. More and more gyms are offering training in mixed martial arts where they offer all the training needed for a complete MMA fighter. I suspect in the future we will see more and more fighters trained in these type facilities as we begin to see fewer fighters that claim only one martial art as their specialty.

Salt Lake City was where the competition was originally scheduled to occur, but it was relocated to San Diego. Jones is a -600 favorite in UFC odds at the online sportsbook to win the headline competition.

There are 4 competitions on the main card. The other fights have Yushin Okami against Mark Munoz, Jake Ellenberger against John Howard and Tyson Griffin against Takanori Gomi, in addition to the headline competition showcasing Jones.

The headliner should be a win for Jones but you can’t say for sure in the UFC. Matyushenko is 24-4 in his career and has won his last three fights. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was responsible for his previous loss. He encounters a difficult battle in this bout vs the very skilled Jones.

In an outstanding win in his last competition, Jones broke Brandon Vera’s cheekbone. He has only lost once and that was a disqualification vs Matt Hamill. If not for being disqualified, he would have won that fight.

The other three bouts on the main card should be more competitive. Jake Ellenberger is -170 against John Howard, Yushin Okami is -210 versus Mark Munoz, and Tyson Griffin is 3-1 in UFC probabilities at the online sportsbook versus Takanori Gomi. That last fight between Griffin and Gomi should be compelling.

Griffin is always fun to watch while Gomi is a Japanese celeb who’s seeking to get some notoriety in the United States. Griffin was a substitution in this fight as it was supposed to be Joe Stevenson but he wounded his knee in training.

Matthew Riddle versus DaMarques Johnson, James Irvin against Igor Pokrajac, Paul Kelly versus Jacob Volkmann, Brian Stann against Mike Massenzio, Williamy Freire vs Thiago Tavares, Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira and Rob Kimmons against Steve Steinbeiss round out the preliminary card.

1. Don’t concentrate on just power training! Many MMA fighters have a training routine which is composed of nothing but strength training. Yes it’s nice to be able to have enough upper body strength for a major knockout punch, but what if the fight goes to the ground? You will need to count on more than merely upper body strength. Train EVERY part of you. Develop your lower body strength, increase your running speed, your hand eye coordination, etc. This could appear like an obvious tip, but you would be surprised how many people don’t follow this tip and spend all of their training time focusing just on acquiring a better punch.

2. Concentrate on training in more than merely one style. This kind of goes with the very first tip. This isn’t boxing, this is Mixed martial arts. Truth be told there are all varied styles and you need to be well prepared for them. If you rely largely on boxing skills and you face somebody who is experienced in submission moves, you’re likely to be in big trouble. Attempt to have an comprehension of wrestling, judo, leg kicks, etc.

3. Train for ground fighting. This is so essential. Like I’ve said, you will need to train in many different styles and parts of your body. But if there is one area to concentrate the majority of the time on, it would likely be ground fighting. Seriously, watch an MMA event. You’ll notice just how many fights go to the ground. You will need to be prepared for this. You will want to know how to escape if a person has the mount position on you. You also really want to fully understand the way to force a submission if you get the mount plus you are losing strength after throwing numerous punches. DON’T skip ground training!

4. Don’t take the trouble spending too much of your time with punching bags. Use your time to train with a live partner and concentrate on take downs. If you could master the art of the take down, you can easily take your challenger down and finish the fight. Remember, when it comes to ground fighting, the individual who finishes up in the mount position is usually the one who went for the take down. Don’t wait for these individuals to take you down. Make the move.

5. Recognize your weaknesses and do not fret about these. If you have got a weakness for kicks, don’t obsess over attempting to fix your weakness. Every fighter has got a weakness in some part of their fighting style. Sure, it’s great to train and try to boost your skills in your weak area. But, you can also make up that lack of skill with skill in speed and take downs.

Ideally you have learned something from these 5 tips. If you didn’t notice, these points generally have the very same theme of skill over power. If you don’t believe this is true, just take a glance at a few of Royce Gracie’s older fights. Back when there weren’t weight limits, Royce Gracie sometimes fought against fighters that were 200  lbs heavier than him, but Royce Gracie would still get the win. Royce knew how to take them down and he knew how to make them submit. Follow his example.

When you train in MMA make sure you have quality MMA Shorts and also MMA Glove as well. The most important one to have is the MMA Shorts to protect your hands and you sparring partners face.

One of the more well-liked weapons is the Suntetsu. It is held in your hand and can be utilized as a personal self-defense tool that has a 6-inch spike or rod together with an attached ring. They’re considered fairly easy to use, and they are the proper over all size to conceal without too many problems. It functions by sitting in your hand while the center finger is placed into the connected ring.

It could be gripped in several different ways. They can both be used by themselves or even in pairs. They’re primarily employed for stabbing, pinching, throwing, scraping, hitting, smashing, and also poking. They are extremely strong and resilient.

Additionally, there are many various throwing weapons you can use in martial arts self defense too.  There are throwing knives which can be obtained in addition to throwing stars. They might require practice and time for you to master, but tend to be great forms of self-defense.

In the event that you decide to get throwing stars, you can get ones that are created simply for practice before you get the hang of how you can use them. There are throwing stars that are made that are not sharpened, and also types which have rubber on the ends for safety reasons.

When you are beginning to learn how to throw these are the absolute best kinds to train with. Once you’ve perfected the art of throwing, then you’re able to move to expert level of quality throwing stars.

There are different self-defense martial arts key chains that may be purchased as well. They can be used for various defenses such as grappling, entrapment, striking, as well as flailing. They were designed along with the right martial arts practicing self-defense. There are also mini knives that may be connected right to the keychain which are available for almost any self-defense need.

The Nunchakus are another well-known kind of self-defense tool that has the ability to deliver extreme force to your opponent, as well as stop somebody from attacking you. You will find Nunchakus that are made from various supplies and include ball bearings too. Just like just about all martial arts self-defense items, the right training is important to utilize the weapon just how it was meant to be used.

The Karambit knife weapon is an additional great self-defense weapon which has a double-edged blade which is extremely sharp. It could be held in the fist or used as a possible extension of the top of the hand. There’s also twin push daggers which include double edges, and were made from stainless steel and very sharp blades.

The wooden Tanto is a superb practice dagger when you’re beginning to study self-defense using knives. It is constructed of hardwood and it is designed into a small curve.

It doesn’t matter what form of self-defense weapons you choose when learning martial arts, be sure that you are taught very well just before starting to use them, and make certain that you follow all of the recommended guidelines that accompany each tool.

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One of the more common martial arts employed for self defense purposes is Krav Maga. As it is a hand-to-hand fight technique firstly employed by Israeli military, it has been established to be extremely successful for self defense. It is much faster and simpler to understand when compared to a lot of other martial arts styles, and shows you numerous approaches that make it a lot more useful to be used as self defense. It is also an excellent technique to become in shape, and more fit. In addition, the students are taught how they should react while confronting violence, and steer clear of going into shock and freezing up. They’re trained how they can deal with various circumstances, and also great ways to neutralize threats as quickly and effectively as possible.

Tae Kwon Do is another martial art many count on for self-defense. It is excellent to have a course that really shows techniques for self-defense, in addition to traditional Tae Kwon Do moves. That teaches how you can hit your assailant in the vital spots of the body, inducing the greatest injury, enabling you to break free with your life still intact. Exactly like virtually any martial art, it takes consistent practice in order to master, and needs to be combined with other martial arts to gain the complete benefits for self defense.

Brazilian Jui Jitsu makes use of Judo as well as ground combat as its focus, and it is a common martial art form used for self defense. It is in particular ideal for individuals who are smaller, and desire to be able to overcome attackers much larger than them. The self-defense method furthermore teaches spiritual as well as physical fitness as well. When selecting a Brazilian Jui Jitsu course, check to be certain the instructor is well versed, and that they will contain specific lessons for self defense purposes.

People who wish to understand good self defense approaches regularily make use of Kung Fu. Kung Fu as well provides its students a better outlook on life, much more self-confidence, techniques that will save your valuable life when faced with a self-defense circumstance, as well as provides you with a lot more energy and strength. Everything you study is going to make defending yourself second nature when involved with the kind of scenario that will need you to defend your own life.

Since physical violence will come in a wide array of types, it is best to master many different martial arts moves to let you contain the knowledge necessary to protect yourself in a violent attack. When you’ve got the abilities in numerous types of martial arts, you will stand a much better potential for preserving your life, or the life of somebody you care about. There’s no particular martial art that is preferable to another for self defense, therefore combining variations collectively is the smartest choice for a complete self-defense solution.

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Although every martial art can be used successfully to protect oneself against enemies, knowing various sorts of martial arts can allow you to have the right technique for virtually any scenario you may find yourself having to deal with. Every situation will vary, so it would make the most sense to learn as many various styles as you possibly can to thwart any enemy.

Brazilian Ju jitsu is a style of martial arts which mixes Judo with ground fighting, and its primary concepts show smaller opponents how they can take control of enemies who are of a much larger size. Techniques which are employed are chokeholds, joint locks, as well as grappling. It doesn’t only teach these techniques, it also shows self-defense with the application of physical and spiritual wellness. If you take lessons like these, you can learn what is necessary to protect yourself during a violent attack.

Aikido is another type of the martial arts you can use for self defense with a lot success. Similar to Judo, Aikido makes use of the attacker’s power against them, allowing a much smaller person to overpower a sizable opponent by using flexibility and agility, instead of raw strength. It is advisable to locate a class with an instructor that is well versed in this martial art, to get the ideal benefit from instruction.

Kung Fu is another martial art class that one could take for self defense. There are various kinds which are trained using various animal styles. The various styles are hard, soft, kicks, grappling, strikes, low, high, among others. Taking classes with an above average teacher is the ultimate method to learn how to use this martial art for self defense the correct way.

Krav Manga is another style of martial arts that may be taught to those who want to study self-defense. It is the style the Israeli Defense Forces utilize, as well as the U.S. military and also law enforcement. It is not a traditional martial arts style; however, it uses instinct to show a lot more reality based self-defense rapidly. It shows its students to protect themselves against bear hugs, chokes, grabs, and various weapons. Additionally, it demonstrates to men and women how to overcome shock in different situations, as well as use stress for their benefit. All of the techniques shown use instinct, causing them to be easier to use than some other types of martial arts for self defense.

Learning a variety of martial art styles could be the best method to be prepared whatever scenario you may wind up in. You will never know what the individual attacking you has, thus learning several different strategies is the best choice to being able to defend yourself effectively in any circumstance.

Martial arts self-defense courses are best for those that need to protect themselves against threats in the world. When they are taught appropriately, they offer the pupils the primary protection against competitors.

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