animal guy, I agree with some things you said about bruce lee and bjj, but I totally disagree with others
like, we don't know if bruce lee would've competed in mma. by the time mma came around, he'd be too old for it if he didn't die. but if he was around and younger when mma came around, we don't know how he'd feel about it. we really don't even know how he'd do in mma. bruce lee didn't compete in any kind of combat sports. sure he had street fights, some accounts are probably rumors or exaggerated but a street fight is different than an mma competition. one that does well in a street fight doesn't necessarily mean he'll do well in mma or vice versa
and I don't agree about mma being a dirty sport. it was in the beginning but I think it's legit now. having weight classes, rules, time limits, gloves, ran by athletic commission, etc it doesn't get any more legit than that. yes it has flaws, yes it can use some change, but mma as a sport is still in it's infancy. we're talking about early 90's compared to something like boxing or thai boxing or judo which has been around for centuries.
people choosing who they fight and dodging other fighters isn't just something that happens in mma. it happens all the time in combat sports. especially boxing. that doesn't make the sport itself dirty. blame that on the combatants and their managers.
and about your comment about a guy who's taking blows even after he's already been knocked out, well, in the rough 20 years mma has been around, to my knowledge, there has only been one death in a sanctioned event. there have been plenty of deaths in boxing and thai boxing. so to insinuate that one sport is safer than the other is inaccurate. i'm sure there will be more deaths in mma as time goes on but it's a combat sport where people are taking full kicks and punches to the head, it will happen eventually.
as for the pay in the ufc, it's $5k to show, $5k to win. and fighters also have the chance to win $50k if they earn submission of the night, ko of the night or fight of the night. The 5K you speak of is only for guys who are fresh signed on. if they perform well, their pay will increase in time and they can get endorsements that pay them. if you are getting new contracts and still making $5k to show, then you are only worth that. bottom line is, if you don't like the pay, don't sign the contract and try to find better pay somewhere else. if you are struggling as a fighter for years then in the end, you need to ask yourself if you are in the right line of work. but I generally don't agree with blaming the organization for crappy pay.
