Women's MMA and 5 minute rounds
Time to clear the air.
Just because someone watches the Superbowl doesn't make them a football fan. Just because someone watches a World Series game doesn't make them a true baseball fan. I watched a few World Cup Soccer matches last go around and that hardly makes me a soccer fan.
So when I say that I am not a fan of WMMA, I'm just being honest and not a woman hater. I will await Gina Carano vs Cris Santos with great anticipation but most any other contest that doesn't include one of those two athletes hardly piques my interest.
A true fan is someone who follows the sport (not just marquee match ups and championships) with regularity and genuine interest not for sexual gratification.
Most of the comments regarding WMMA have to do with physical appearance or sexual innuendo not talent level...these are true fans? Remember when Gina had to strip to weigh in?
I am not a fan of 5 minute rounds for WMMA because studies have suggested that the likelihood for injury significantly increases as athletes tire (especially contact and combat athletes). In most of the WMMA contest that I have watched, fatigue becomes a major factor with 3 minute rounds.
5 minute rounds may be acceptable for the elite competitors. But to increase the potential duration of 3 round fights by 67% and 5 round fights by 178% across the board may be jeopardizing fighter safety.
In smaller local and regional promotions where cash is always tight and fighters have limited experience, significantly increasing the duration of WMMA contest may create the potential for increased fatigue and subsequent injury. Society's tolerance of MMA is always a sensitive matter but women getting injured and significantly bloodied due to excessive fatigue may be a spectacle that crosses the line for many.
Not to mention gassed out fighters are not much fun to watch.
Just because someone watches the Superbowl doesn't make them a football fan. Just because someone watches a World Series game doesn't make them a true baseball fan. I watched a few World Cup Soccer matches last go around and that hardly makes me a soccer fan.
So when I say that I am not a fan of WMMA, I'm just being honest and not a woman hater. I will await Gina Carano vs Cris Santos with great anticipation but most any other contest that doesn't include one of those two athletes hardly piques my interest.
A true fan is someone who follows the sport (not just marquee match ups and championships) with regularity and genuine interest not for sexual gratification.
Most of the comments regarding WMMA have to do with physical appearance or sexual innuendo not talent level...these are true fans? Remember when Gina had to strip to weigh in?
I am not a fan of 5 minute rounds for WMMA because studies have suggested that the likelihood for injury significantly increases as athletes tire (especially contact and combat athletes). In most of the WMMA contest that I have watched, fatigue becomes a major factor with 3 minute rounds.
5 minute rounds may be acceptable for the elite competitors. But to increase the potential duration of 3 round fights by 67% and 5 round fights by 178% across the board may be jeopardizing fighter safety.
In smaller local and regional promotions where cash is always tight and fighters have limited experience, significantly increasing the duration of WMMA contest may create the potential for increased fatigue and subsequent injury. Society's tolerance of MMA is always a sensitive matter but women getting injured and significantly bloodied due to excessive fatigue may be a spectacle that crosses the line for many.
Not to mention gassed out fighters are not much fun to watch.
Dr. Benjamin:
There is no definitive literature demonstrating that male mixed martial artists (MMAs) perform better than female MMAs after a specific set time frame.
The athlete gender is secondary to the physiology resulting from prior training. This includes each individual's anaerobic and aerobic systemic capacity, nutrition, hydration state, past medical and injury history, etc.
It's not fun to watch "gassed out athletes". It is a big concern when the fatigue results in poor technique and increased exposure for injury. However, the data does not exist to warrant a time limitation for female MMA rounds versus male MMA rounds.
Dr. Stecco
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