What to show a complete newbie.

[Kashagi]

Hey there, I think this may be my first post in this section, I have been semi following MMA this year, following the LD's and upcoming matchups, as well as the forums on here and Sherdog. The only UFC event I have seen in full was 110 (was not dissapointed).

My older brother is ten years older then me and grew up in a time when boxing was much more popular and full of star names. For a while he has been holding onto boxing over MMA, but after getting front row tickets to the bullshit that was Danny Green vs Roy Jones Jr, he is ready to give MMA a shot.

Whilst I have been a fan for a little while, I still would say I dont know very much other then the huge names, I have only seen one event. I am going to sit through a card with my brother sometime the next few days, but I am not sure what to obtain. If you were to show one card to someone completely new to MMA what are some cards you think would really show off the sport?

 

[jmt225]

I would definitely go with UFC 116, man.

It's easily the show of the year thus far, and it's the perfect way to grab a new fan.

The show is only a couple of months old, so it's still relevant to today, which I feel is important when trying to convert a new fan. But other than that... it has everything you could want on an MMA event. Big names (Brock Lesnar), two unbelievable comeback fights (which both were the main event), and solid/very fun fights leading up to it in Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown, George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino, and Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar.

If you want something a little older for some reason, then I would show The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Finale, which is one of the greatest main card events the UFC ever put on, in my opinion. It's only 4 fights, but holy shit are they 4 of the funnest fights ever.

If you want something outside of the UFC, then Pride 33, all the way. My favorite MMA show of all time right there. I don't know how anyone could watch it and not fall in love with the sport.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Steve Hennig, I seen you lurking around the LD's a few times.

I've only been watching MMA hardcore for a little over 2 years, but I'm hooked. Another thing you can always watch is the Unleashed shows on Spike, or the Best of Pride also on Spike. Both air pretty regularly, they always show the best fights. It's a great way to see some of the top guys in the sport, at their best. So if you have TiVo or DVR type cable I suggest setting it to record these shows.

I would suggest checking out this individual fight, that was a war for 3 rounds, it was during The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida.

Another individual fight that most people are told to watch and seems to be the catalyst for newcomers is the Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar fight from The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale. I know you said you wanted a card but these two fights would help the cause of getting you guys into MMA.

For a card I'd say UFC 100, Has the rematch of Brock/Mir for undisputed Heavyweight Champ, Welterweight title fight GSP/Alves (shows how dominant GSP is), end of a feud between TUF 9 coaches Henderson/Bisping, and a good fight between Akiyama/Belcher.

 

[JohnnyDrama]

I would definitely show him UFC 116 so far my favorite card of the year stacked from top to bottom great fights all night.

if you want to show him great wars show him Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar, Deigo Sanchez vs Clay Guida, and you have to show him Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sun Jung theres probably more im forgetting but those are the ones that pop into my mind first and this is one of my favorite fights to watch BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson < everyone likes to see a little blood

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Im going to go with either UFC58: USA vs Canada, every fight on that card was an american vs a canadian, it was the first time BJ Penn and GSP went toe to toe, and the greasing controversy. Rich Franklin was on thta card, it had the return of the lightweights i believe after being suspended ofr around 4 years. It was a strong entertainng card with most of the fighters still involved in the UFC. Yeah i'd probably show that card to a newbie. Good back and forth card with interesting and edge of your seat action.

 

[INDYjon22]

Well if you're a casual fan then fights between Lesnar/Mir, Rampage/Liddell, Griffin/Bonnar and Liddell/Ortiz are definitely a good starting point. All of the fights between the men I listed, and even in any of their other fights usually include some awesome knock outs which are really fun to watch. Personally speaking, I prefer the fight between Yves Edwards and Josh Thompson, Forrest Griffin and Keith Jardine and either of the Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell fights. Definitely some fights worth watching.

If you want to see some more technical stuff, which would include submission I would have to recommend Demian Maia, Big Nog, Fedor or Kendall Grove. Those guys are all very slick when the fight gets to the mat and know how to get some badass submissions. Maia vs. Jason MacDonald is a very entertaining fight that included some of the best submission fighting I have ever seen, also Big Nog vs. Tim Sylvia is another very entertaining fight and one of the best comebacks in UFC history.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

I just remembered and i can't believe i forgot this. If you want to show one fight that will guarantee to captivate you, i suggest watching Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva man does not dissappoint. This is hands down a slugfest.

 

[Rayne]

It's a cliche answer, I know, but you want to have him watch Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar from the TUF1 finale. This was the fight that single handedly popularized MMA to a mainstream audience in America; I know it's what got me caring about it.

We've all seen the fight, but let's recap; for 15 minutes, two guys beat the paste out of each other; each one refusing to quit because he was sure the other guy was about to go down. It has the perfect backstory of each man fighting to secure his dream; a contract in the biggest MMA organization in America (and now, the world). As well as the perfect fairy-tale ending of both men getting said contracts. Both men still fight for the UFC, and with the exception of Silva vs. Griffin, I've never seen either man in a fight where he didn't leave it all in the cage. (Griffin flopped; he knows it and has said it.)

If you're looking for a full card, as was said earlier, UFC116 was a doozy. Don't be turned off by cards that lack a huge headliner and have a weak card; Mir vs. Cro Cop looks to lack starpower, but those tend to be the cards where, in my ever so humble opinion, you see the best fights because most fighters aren't fighting to secure the win, they're fighting to deliver a performance the fans will remember them for.