This is why Greg Jackson is killing commercial MMA.

Greg Jackson's value to his fighters is not his experience as a fighter, it is his ability to analyze and breakdown an opponent’s complete skill set and then devise a complete counter plan to that skill set. That counter plan is the basis for the months of training that lead up to the upcoming fight, total focus on the opponents skill set is critical for this training.

Another critical component of this training cycle is the complete focus on the game plan. This is why you see so much focus on calming, breathing and meditation between rounds when Jackson is in the ring. Sticking to the game plan, the counter to the opponents skill set is critical to the win.

As someone said earlier, this is what Jackson is doing to the sport he is removing what is the main attraction of the sport, two men battling not only physically but mentally and more importantly, emotionally and reducing this age old battle to a mathematical formula that removes variables and all risk.

This risk management is what led to Jackson's decision to refuse to take the Sonnen fight for 151. Months of training Jones to fight Henderson's skill set were tossed aside and from Jackson's point of view too many variables were inserted into the equation that increased the risk on paper and made the fight non-viable.

And THIS is what Jackson is killing in MMA. The heart and soul of a fighter is what the fans pay to see .... Bonner vs Griffin had nothing to do with the formulaic fighting style it had to do with blood, heart, and pain. All components which are antithetical to Jackson's coaching or fighting style.

Guida vs Maynard was a great example of this .... Jackson took a fighter (Guida) who people admire as a true fighter, gave him the formula for the least risk and greatest opportunity for victory against a specific opponent. And the result is what we saw... a defensive, thoughtful, fighter who perfectly executed the formula specific to neutralizing and reducing risk from Maynard's skill set. Result...? Most fans, and Dana, hated the result the entertainment was removed from one of the UFC's most entertaining fighters... Who did that? Jackson.

This whole model is why Jackson found it inconceivable to allow Jones to take the Sonnen fight. There was no time to adapt the formula for his fighter to put the numbers in his favour, to analyze the fight, to reduce risk factors and above all else to come up with a plan.

For all of Jackson's skill in training fighters to win he has failed utterly and completely to factor in one major component into any of his formulas, and that is the MMA fan. The one component that makes this whole thing possible. The fan who pays to be entertained by the chaos of the struggle between two men who thrive on the unpredictability of the struggle, the blood, the heart and soul,....

This chaos is why Griffin vs Bonnar saved the UFC and commercial MMA and why if Jackson had have been in control of that fight... the UFC and commercial MMA as we know it .... would have died.

Fans don't want to see Jackson MMA, fans want to see fighters .... fight.

Man I couldn't agree more. Jackson trains his guys to win, not to fight.

i would even take it one further.....he doesnt train them to win a fight but score points and not give any up......he should be a football coach!

Yeah no kidding

Agree with all.

I know this will never happen again, but the best fights to watch are ones where the fighters have no idea who their opponent is. This jus takes skillset against skillset in the rawest form, and the best fighter comes out the winner.

I think this is why the old school Pride or UFC tournament fights were so entertaining. Not to mention the majority of TUF fights to get inside the house. Fighters just training hard all around to be ready to fight any type of fighter just leads to the best fights.

Just hate greg jackson. Unfortunately, he is a trailblazer in MMA. This is the way the entire sport is going. Unless Dana and co. can figure out a way to give huge incentives for every fight to avoid the judges, it's just giong to keep getting worse and worse.

Yeah, the problem is that it works.
Greg Jackson fighters are and have been very successful as a whole, so there really is no reason for him to change anything, or for fighters to discontinue training with him.

It sucks because he's turned MMA almost literally into a chess match, and Greg Jackson fighters are just about as entertaining as one from a spectator standpoint.

I think putting in a "fight named replacement" into the contract would get rid of a fiasco like 151. Maybe shortening training time between fights. How much time does a fighter really need between fights? Maybe bonus money for short training camps.

Ban Jackson fighters,? Ban lay and pray, Fine fighters for lack of aggression, double purses for finishes?

I like your last two ideas.

Yeah, I used to really like the "yellow card" system they used in pride, where a guy would lose 10% of his purse for stalling every time he got a yellow card.
I've been pumping the extra large bonuses for finishes since 2000.

stock wrote:

Yeah, I used to really like the "yellow card" system they used in pride, where a guy would lose 10% of his purse for stalling every time he got a yellow card.
I've been pumping the extra large bonuses for finishes since 2000.

This.

I totally agree, although I am not sure you can get away with that in the US, I still wish it could be implemented.