Post by Kliquid on Feb 10, 2011 4:08:52 GMT -5
UFC President Dana White: Five Round Non-Title Fights Likely in the Near Future
It has been speculated about and suggested for a long time but UFC President Dana White finally confirmed this week what many of us had been hoping to see for years—five round non-title fights.
White was asked by a fan about the potential for five round non-title fights during a fan Q&A session for UFC 129, video recorded by MMA Digest.
"That's a great question," White responded to the fan. “We've talked about that before, too. There have been fights that we've been watching that were three round fights and we were like, 'Damn, that should've been a five round fight. It's the main event, and it should've been five.' I agree with you and yes, we can do it. We could make a main event a five round fight, and we're probably gonna start doing that."
The fans erupted into cheers as many of us have been eagerly pushing for this for a long time. As White explained, there are many fights that seem to be cut short at only three rounds, particularly main event fights on pay-per-view that seem to be less dramatic given the 15-minute limit they are given.
Of course, making non-title fights into five round bouts is certainly a hot-button issue with many fans on both sides of the fence.
One major concern that critics have is that making non-title fights into five round contests will somehow lessen the unique, important feel that the five round title fights currently have. Even if only the occasional main event bout is made into a five round fight, there is certainly the possibility that fans will seem less impressed by the length of title fights.
Another factor to consider is that the five round title fight system currently gives the champion a slight advantage over the competition. Under the current system, the champion will have potentially competed in five round title fights before, whereas the challengers (if they have not too been a champion) have not. This is particularly important for conditioning and pacing. If other fights are made into five round contests, the slight competitive advantage for the champion may be nullified. This could be debated as a good thing or a bad thing depending on your stance but it is certainly something to consider.
Last, the question has to be brought up on how often and when these five round non-title fights would be used. If the UFC wants to make the occasional big-money non-title fight into a five round fight, that’s one thing—but if they start making one or more non-title fight on every card into five rounds, then that may be a real concern.
Certainly the UFC will be looking at this from all angles in an effort to create an environment that is both entertaining to watch and fair to the fighters. From the sound of Dana's voice, though, it does look like this new five round non-title fight system is going to happen at some point, and likely in the near future.
It has been speculated about and suggested for a long time but UFC President Dana White finally confirmed this week what many of us had been hoping to see for years—five round non-title fights.
White was asked by a fan about the potential for five round non-title fights during a fan Q&A session for UFC 129, video recorded by MMA Digest.
"That's a great question," White responded to the fan. “We've talked about that before, too. There have been fights that we've been watching that were three round fights and we were like, 'Damn, that should've been a five round fight. It's the main event, and it should've been five.' I agree with you and yes, we can do it. We could make a main event a five round fight, and we're probably gonna start doing that."
The fans erupted into cheers as many of us have been eagerly pushing for this for a long time. As White explained, there are many fights that seem to be cut short at only three rounds, particularly main event fights on pay-per-view that seem to be less dramatic given the 15-minute limit they are given.
Of course, making non-title fights into five round bouts is certainly a hot-button issue with many fans on both sides of the fence.
One major concern that critics have is that making non-title fights into five round contests will somehow lessen the unique, important feel that the five round title fights currently have. Even if only the occasional main event bout is made into a five round fight, there is certainly the possibility that fans will seem less impressed by the length of title fights.
Another factor to consider is that the five round title fight system currently gives the champion a slight advantage over the competition. Under the current system, the champion will have potentially competed in five round title fights before, whereas the challengers (if they have not too been a champion) have not. This is particularly important for conditioning and pacing. If other fights are made into five round contests, the slight competitive advantage for the champion may be nullified. This could be debated as a good thing or a bad thing depending on your stance but it is certainly something to consider.
Last, the question has to be brought up on how often and when these five round non-title fights would be used. If the UFC wants to make the occasional big-money non-title fight into a five round fight, that’s one thing—but if they start making one or more non-title fight on every card into five rounds, then that may be a real concern.
Certainly the UFC will be looking at this from all angles in an effort to create an environment that is both entertaining to watch and fair to the fighters. From the sound of Dana's voice, though, it does look like this new five round non-title fight system is going to happen at some point, and likely in the near future.
