Mixed martial arts is one of the most fun sports you could ever watch, with its unpredictability being one of the core reasons behind that fact. It's a game of chance as much as it is a game of skill, and because of that, many fighters live by the idea that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
When you think about it, that actually makes a lot of sense.
But putting that aside for a moment, we're here to talk about ways to improve MMA on a competition-level basis. Obviously, it's great and we all love watching it, but like any other form of entertainment around the world, it has issues that need fixing.
If you don't believe us, then just read through this list and at the end ask yourself if you'd enjoy watching a fight featuring some of these alterations.
We aren't suggesting that all five of these choices would work well together, but implementing them one at a time in different settings and scenarios would certainly make for some fascinating viewing. Dana White and the people behind the scenes at the UFC may not necessarily concur with our hypothesis here, but perhaps fan power can change their outlook.
With that being said, here are five rules that would make MMA even more brilliant.
#1 Cage climbing
No, we don't mean after the fight like Conor McGregor loves to do - we mean during. Yes it might seem a little bit too "pro wrestling" for your liking, and if that's the case you should probably stop reading now, but it'd be a lot of fun. It would open the door for fighters to escape holds more easily, in addition to adding high-risk moves into the fray.
There would likely be an additional rule that you could only actually be on top of the cage for a maximum of three to five seconds, which would detract from the possibility of time wasting. It would extend the fight for the fans, prevent some early stoppages and generally get a big reaction out of the crowd whenever anyone risks going "up to the top", so to speak.
Now let's get onto the stuff that people really love.
#2 Stand up war
If there's one thing that people hate more than anything else in the world of MMA it's ground wars. Oh, and by people - we mean fans who don't really enjoy educating themselves in the gritty details behind mixed martial arts.
As such, this rule would see to it that there's a two to three minute period during either every round or every other round in which you cannot engage in any takedowns.
This would allow for stand up wars with two guys just going at each other for a certain portion of the fight. It would be extremely useful when it comes to stretching the abilities of fighters, with people like Daniel Cormier relying heavily on their wrestling and grappling in order to find success.
If you want drama and the added possibility of a knockout, then this is the way to go. Shall we narrow the playing field even further?
#3 Cut off the canvas
You often hear the term centre control used a lot by pundits and analysts, as it's one of the ways judges can score fights. People like Stephen Thompson like to use this tactic in order to gain an edge, and we thought it'd be fun to add in a 15-20 second period per round where you literally cannot leave the centre of the Octagon. Yes, we're being serious.
If one person leaves on their own accord or is forced out in that period of time, they either lose a point or the other person gains one. It's a simple idea and it's one that would promote the scrappy nature of MMA that draws in so many casual fans which, let's face it - is where the money is at for the UFC when it comes to the big money fights with people like Conor McGregor.
Teddy Long would be proud of this next entry.
#4 Tag team fights
We've said it before and we'll say it again - tag team MMA fights would be fun and they could actually work out under the right circumstances. If one member of the partnership is about to be knocked out, they could extend their arm and tag in the other person.
It would be chaos and it would certainly be hectic, but isn't that one of the things that people love about MMA?
Getting it sanctioned could be a bit tricky, but assembling actual teams wouldn't be too difficult as different gyms would likely partner guys up who are within the same weight class. It makes a lot of sense as it gives them something to do if they aren't currently involved in singles competition, and it gives MMA a fresh new idea that makes it feel a bit more unique.
We conclude with something that may be frowned upon by some.
#5 Judge revelation
This one makes a tonne of sense, and if you don't believe me then just ask Joe Rogan as he has a lot of faith in this idea. Essentially what would happen is that the judge’s scorecards would be revealed just before the final round of the fight, with both fighters, therefore, knowing what they need to do in order to win.
For example, if one guy is down 0-2 in rounds he's fully aware of the fact that he needs to knock his opponent out to come out victorious.
Sure it might take away from Bruce Buffer's announcement after the fight somewhat, but in all likelihood, it would excite everyone watching because they know that the fighters are just going to do everything they can in order to secure the victory. Obviously there's a right and a wrong way to go about it, but all in all, this would benefit the sport in the long run.
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