UFC in Ireland ?

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

I am a HUGH fan of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Here in the States, there is a weekly TV show titled The Ultimate Fighter. Do they air either the UFC fights or The Ultimate Fighter TV series in Ireland ?
I know there recently was a LIVE UFC event from Ireland. I believe it was a successful event.
There is a BIG fight coming up on the 29th. of May. Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans. I will not watch the
"pay per view" event as it is just too expensive. I'll just have to wait until it air's free. Anyway...just wondering.

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom Patrick

[John]

Hi Tom,

The UFC Contests wouldn't be nearly as popular as say Boxing over here. If you try www.boards.ie I believe there is a forum dedicated to it though so it must certainly have at least a fledgling following!

All the best,
John.

[SixCats!]

Hi John,

Thanks for responding to my post. I guess the UFC isn't too popular in Ireland lol. I do like Boxing but, I haven't seen too many fights since it went to "pay per view" many years ago. I grew up watching some AWESOME
(free) fights on TV in the 70's, 80's especially. Thanks for the link you provided.

Regards,
Tom aka SixCats!

[brettie vedder]

Hi all,

I am a HUGH fan of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Here in the States, there is a weekly TV show titled The Ultimate Fighter. Do they air either the UFC fights or The Ultimate Fighter TV series in Ireland ?
I know there recently was a LIVE UFC event from Ireland. I believe it was a successful event.
There is a BIG fight coming up on the 29th. of May. Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans. I will not watch the
"pay per view" event as it is just too expensive. I'll just have to wait until it air's free. Anyway...just wondering.

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom Patrick

hey six cats, i am originally from america but have been living here for over 2 years. we have sky satellite television, and for a fiver a month we get ESPN. ESPN shows all the major UFC events live. so yes, ill be watching rampage v evans this weekend. and as for TUF, it has changed in the last few years. when i first moved over here, it was on Bravo a few days behind american. these days it is shown on setanta sports. i do not pay for that channel anymore, but i can access them online via yidio's website. this season so far is pretty bad, haha.

MMA in ireland is starting to really grow. and its already very big in the UK. hell, rampage now trains with the wolf's lair in liverpool with bisping. i went to the black box theater in galway last year to watch some MMA. it was ireland vs. the UK. good times, cheap beer and 10 feet away from the cage. gives you a whole new perspective on the fighting.

[SixCats!]

Hi Bret,

Thanks for responding to my post. I'm glad to hear that the UFC is becoming popular in Ireland.
Man, I wish I could watch tonights fight, I'm just too poor to pop for "pay per view'. I sure hope you enjoy the show!

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

It seems to be a much younger audience here in Ireland just like WWF.

Anyway do you not know whiskey and fighting mix a bit too well so we try to seperate them

[brettie vedder]

Hi Bret,

Thanks for responding to my post. I'm glad to hear that the UFC is becoming popular in Ireland.
Man, I wish I could watch tonights fight, I'm just too poor to pop for "pay per view'. I sure hope you enjoy the show!

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom

no problem six cats. i am moving back to american in a couple weeks, so i feel your pain. although, i never order the UFC's. i just download the torrents an hour after the fights are over. shhhhh

i am pulling for rampage myself. not a huge rashad fan. can't wait for lesnar/carwin. that will be a battle...probably a quick one too, HAHA

[brettie vedder]

It seems to be a much younger audience here in Ireland just like WWF.

Anyway do you not know whiskey and fighting mix a bit too well so we try to seperate them

i wish more people would give MMA a chance. i am a fan of boxing as well, but MMA is so much more in depth. think of comparing a tullamore dew to a redbreast 15yo, haha. MMA can seem boring at first, but you need to learn all the moves and you can appreciate it a lot more.

[John]

Hey brettie,
You raised an important point there in your post and I think it goes to the heart of the issue. I am a big boxing fan and I boxed from an early age as did my Dad (though he was FAR more successful ) When I watch it I get a lot more than I get from the MMA or UFC principally because I believe boxing is more regulated. I have a hard time trying to work out exactly what the rules are in the other two codes! Fair enough, certain moves are outlawed, but beyond that it is impossible to figure out what warrants a warning, dismissal, etc. So it looks more like a free-for- all. Even with the MMA, you get SO many different codes entering that it must be impossible to 'advance' the sport because everyone is performing from different backgrounds, unlike boxing.

[brettie vedder]

Hey brettie,
You raised an important point there in your post and I think it goes to the heart of the issue. I am a big boxing fan and I boxed from an early age as did my Dad (though he was FAR more successful ) When I watch it I get a lot more than I get from the MMA or UFC principally because I believe boxing is more regulated. I have a hard time trying to work out exactly what the rules are in the other two codes! Fair enough, certain moves are outlawed, but beyond that it is impossible to figure out what warrants a warning, dismissal, etc. So it looks more like a free-for- all. Even with the MMA, you get SO many different codes entering that it must be impossible to 'advance' the sport because everyone is performing from different backgrounds, unlike boxing.

yea, i see what you are saying. the most important background to have these days is wrestling. if you have a strong wrestling base, the rest (striking, jui jitsu) will come with time. a dominant wrestler can continually take you down and keep you there, and usually only good wrestlers can stop the take down, and/or get up from it. in my opinion, PRIDE had much better rules than UFC (or lack thereof really.) you could knee downed opponents in the head, soccer kick them on the mat. that frees up a lot more moves and gives some guys a chance when they normally wouldn't in UFC.

the big no no's in UFC are you can't knee a downed opponent in the head...side and legs are allowed. no north to south elbow strikes to a downed opponent, which is ridiculous because diagonal strikes inflict a LOT more damage. people saw karate competitions where people broke bricks with a north south elbow strike, so outlawed it. very stupid. the key to being successful in the UFC is to be ever evolving and know a lot of disciplines. if you are one dimensional, you can win, but your opponent will go right after your weakness. the ongoing question is who would win in a fight, a boxer or mixed martial artist. the answer is simple, if they boxed, the boxer would win. if they did MMA, the MMA guy would surely win if he took the boxer to the ground.

[brettie vedder]

also, the UFC is very regulated. it just takes time to fully understand whats going on. a fighter has never died in UFC and most fights are stopped quickly by the ref as to ensure no more unnecessary damage. boxing can be a lot more dangerous because guys can be knocked out on their feet and still get beat in the head for 10 rounds.

[John]

True, as completely counter-intuitive as it sounds, the most dangerous change that happened in boxing since it's inception as a formal martial art, was the introduction of boxing gloves!! Becasue of the 'cushioned' punches, the boxer now takes more shots than if there was no barrier. Strange but true. Golden rule - don't get hit
John.

[brettie vedder]

True, as completely counter-intuitive as it sounds, the most dangerous change that happened in boxing since it's inception as a formal martial art, was the introduction of boxing gloves!! Becasue of the 'cushioned' punches, the boxer now takes more shots than if there was no barrier. Strange but true. Golden rule - don't get hit
John.

i agree. it allows guys to not only withstand more than they can, it allows them to throw haymakers without fear of breaking their hand. james toney recently signed with the UFC. he is in his 40's but i am still interested to see him fight someone. like i said before, it someone is stupid enough to box with him, he will destroy them. there are good boxers and standup guys in the UFC, but nowhere near as close to the talent level of a professional boxer. maybe the lighter gloves would even it up a bit, but i doubt it, lol. i have seen some guys fight in MMA and it seems as if their jaws are made out of iron. literally it has taken some guys 3 rounds of getting punched in the head to go down. UFC over the weekend...saw a guy get kneed in the solar plexis. went down like a sack of bricks....awesome to see such a powerful strike. almost as good as bas rutten's liver shots, haha

its weird since i have been watching MMA so long. the last time i watched a boxing match, that seemed more barbaric to me. just nonstop punches to the head at full force...seemed so over the top to me. in MMA, most guys can't take that much damage before getting knocked out. nor will most of them stand and take it because of the lighter weight gloves.