The Warmaster’s Take on the Current State of MMA

Josh Barnett, former UFC heavyweight champion and veteran of Pancrase, Pride, and Strikeforce, has some strong opinions on the current state of MMA. In an interview with Kosport Magazine, Barnett shared his thoughts on the rule structure of the sport, the recent trend towards kickboxing, and the issue of weight cutting.

Barnett believes that the current rule structure of MMA has been “gamed” and that fighters have figured out how to work the five-minute rounds to their advantage. He argues that this has led to a lack of emphasis on takedowns and ground control, with most submissions coming from dazed opponents rather than strategic grappling. As a grappler himself, Barnett sees this as a departure from the roots of the sport.

He points to recent UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira as examples of this trend towards kickboxing in MMA. While acknowledging their skill and toughness, Barnett believes that they are primarily kickboxers and not well-rounded MMA fighters.

In order to bring back a more mixed approach to the sport, Barnett proposes a few rule changes. He suggests longer rounds, at least 10 minutes, to allow for more time to establish control and work for submissions. He also advocates for the use of knees to the head of a grounded opponent, a rule that was allowed in Pride but not in the UFC. This would benefit both strikers and grapplers, according to Barnett.

Additionally, Barnett argues for a return to Pride-style total fight scoring, where the entire fight is scored as a whole rather than round by round. He believes this would discourage fighters from simply trying to win rounds and instead focus on finishing the fight.

But perhaps the most controversial of Barnett’s proposals is the complete elimination of weight cutting. He argues that the practice has been “gamed” and that it leads to more injuries and health risks for fighters. He suggests same-day weigh-ins and believes that this would result in a decrease in CTE and other injuries.

While it’s unlikely that any of these changes will be implemented in the near future, it’s clear that Barnett is passionate about improving the sport of MMA. Whether or not his ideas are feasible, it’s refreshing to see a veteran fighter thinking critically about the state of the sport and offering potential solutions.

Summary:

In an interview with Kosport Magazine, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett shared his thoughts on the current state of MMA. He believes that the rule structure of the sport has been “gamed” and that there is a lack of emphasis on takedowns and ground control. He also argues that the recent trend towards kickboxing in MMA is moving the sport away from its roots. To bring back a more mixed approach, Barnett proposes longer rounds, the use of knees to the head of a grounded opponent, and a return to Pride-style total fight scoring. He also advocates for the elimination of weight cutting, which he believes has been “gamed” and leads to more injuries and health risks for fighters. While it’s unlikely that these changes will be implemented, it’s refreshing to see a veteran fighter thinking critically about the state of the sport and offering potential solutions.