omoplater wrote:
His performances against Miller and Hendo were definitely not impressive and he did not gas in either of those fights, so you're right about him to a point. But the flash of grappling ability over a guy like Kampmann shows Shields has the potential to be exciting.
I guess we have different definitions of "grappling." To me, "grappling" involves more than just controlling another man's body. Grappling, to me, means utilizing position and technique to execute chokes, breaks, hyperextensions, etc. And not just a rear naked choke or arm triangle that any super-douche can learn from me in my backyard in 20 minutes.
Jake Shields is a wrestler. Just like Ben Askren is a wrestler. If you wait four years to watch olympic wrestling, or check the guide ever year and wait up until 2am to watch the college wrestling finals on CBS college sports or ESPN U, then those are your guys.
Unfortunately, there's a reason why that sport doesn't draw any fans (that aren't queers from Iowa) and have little to no professional marketability. It sucks. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line of santioning bodies, rounds, gloves, etc., a takedown became worth something...and the sport has suffered ever since.
I've written it before, but it's been maybe a year or so....I'll say it again....god damnit I wish that guys like Dryhump Shields or Askren would have to finish their opponent...because you know what...they can't do it 90% of the time. They're just a new breed of Dan Severn fighting against Royce Gracie. Only this time, instead of Gracie being given as much time as necessary to figure out a way to GRAPPLE his opponent and SUBMIT him, the fight ends after 15 minutes and Severn is given the victory. And the irony of it all, is that if there were rounds back then, and Severn was given the victory, the UFC would probably not exist today. I'm not saying that MMA wouldn't have spawned itself in some way, but some of the biggest victories and famous fights that laid the foundation of the sport would not have happened under today's rules. And it was those types of victories that propelled the sport forward.
Is there any question that Kampmann wins the fight if it goes 10 more minutes? 20 minutes? My draw to MMA from UFC 1 on, and the reason I started training in Jiu-Jitsu back in the early 90's, was that I viewed it as a pure fight to the death. That when the fight ended, in essence the victor was in a position to kill his opponent. One fighter or one style was clearly dominant over another.
This isn't true with wrestling. Wrestling advocates for years before MMA claimed that wrestling matches showed one man's dominance over another. They scoffed at the notion that being on your back was a safer position then your stomach. Until after 3 months in the gym and I was submitting collegiate wrestlers with moves they'd never seen before.
Wrestlers were like oil and water...they just didn't mix in MMA...so something had to give....and you think it would have been the athletes...that the wrestlers would have to learn finishing techniques other than simple chokes or pinning an arm under a leg like my sister used to tickle me when I was a kid. Unfortunately it was the sport. The sport actually evolved to benefit of the wrestler, rather than wrestler being forced to admit his sport was insufficient in its ability to purely finish an opponent. And now look at us....15 years later, actually calling wrestlers "grapplers." That's hilarious.
I guess I'm old school. It's a sport now. I have to move on and realize that the fight to the death I so much enjoyed watching and training in is dead now. Jake Shields...potential to be exciting...with all due respect...that's a load of rat shit.
just kidding, it doesnt matter. Some like wrestling and some KO's etc.
