There’s no question that the rules in PRIDE favored strikers more than the unified rules the UFC uses.
The worst thing that can happen in the UFC if a fighter attempts a bad takedown is it gets stuffed and maybe, maybe, they get their back taken, every once in awhile a guillotine. But really, the reason wrestlers are so dominant under those rules, is the cost/benefit ratio when going for take-downs in the UFC favors the guy doing the takedown.
If everytime a fighter shot, there was a very real chance of them taking knee to the head, or getting a soccer-kick, if they got stuffed, we’d see much more cautious wrestlers and standup guys looser with strikers, especially kicks… like they were in PRIDE.
PRIDE had some guys who did okay with very little ground game under their belts. In contrast, the UFC and Strikeforce (unified rules) have had, and still have guys doing VERY well(I’m looking at you Jake Shields with his title shot, and total domination of the SF WW and MW divisions)who have NO striking ability to speak of.
Pride didn’t favored more strikers, they allowed more time on the ground, the Japanese really appreciated the ground game even without much action, to Americans if you are on your back even if you are actively attacking and going for submissions they still think that the one on top is at advantage.
Frank Mir has an excellent opinion about this.
Can’t watch the vid at work but:
I can’t say the standup is much of a problem in Unified rules. There are referees that are HORRIBLE at this, but it’s rare to see them in the big shows. All the prominent refs I know allow action on the ground, in fact, Big John would probably be the most prone to standup the action (Dan Mirg is hit/miss).
Crowds booing are a completely different matter though, in some cases, it’s justified.
@Spartiates: yeah, the “no kicks to head of a downed opponent” rule is a retarded, and it gets more and more obvious to me with every event I watch, how much it stifles the game.
and i do agree with wand that they should allow knees on the grounded opponent.
