KAIN
Which MMA fighting environment is better suited for more exciting, less inhibitive MMA fights? Is it a ring or a cage? The difference between the two is undeniable, the arguments controversial, and the ire of the fans who hate one or the other, insatiable. I write this article knowing, the possibility is high that I am going to take a caning that would make Thailanders proud, from those who will see this article as a comparison between the two MMA powers, the UFC and PRIDE. I realize that No matter how much I explain that this is an editorial about The Ring Vs The Cage, I will undoubtedly and unjustly will be accused of using it as a cheap cover up to compare Pride Vs The UFC. I will reiterate once again, I am merely comparing the two types of fighting environments and nothing more. This editorial is in no way a metaphor for comparing the two Fighting organizations. I do not favor one organization over the other. I must sternly echo myself again and repeat that this is in no way shape of form an assessment of superior or inferior organizations. It is merely an in depth look at the differences and similarities of two very common and undeniably different fighting environments. The questions are common, and valid only to those who look closely enough to see that there is a clear and profound difference between the two, that can change the tide of a fight to the advantage of one, or sway it to the favor of another. The advantages and disadvantages of each environment are many, but to many unclear. What is the difference between the two? Is one better than the other? Would another totally environment all together, be better? Is one or the other more advantageous for a practitioner of a particular martial art? Does the Sushiboy like the ring better because the website he works for is called MMA-Ring-Report and not MMA-Cage-Report? The answers are simple, but the explanations thorny. Let us commence with the ins and outs of the ever-famous cage.
The Cage
Cages are used by many MMA organizations in North America, the UFC, King of the Cage, World Fighting Alliance and many more, all have cages with varying square footage and different materials for their respective mats. Commonly shaped in a circle, or yes, even an Octagon, a very conspicuous difference is the fact that it is not square in shape, like a the most commonly implemented fighting setting, the super-popular boxing ring. The typically more circular shape of the cages eliminate having to deal with corners, like the corners in all square shaped rings. A tactic used by many fighters is to cut off the ring and try to contain the fighter in the corner where he is able to control the fighter and strike so he cannot escape or trap him so he can go for a body lock or take down. An example of this would be Ryan Gracie Vs Tokimitsu Ishizawa at Pride 10. Ryan Gracie forced the action into the corner and went for the takedown squeezing him into a corner, then stood up and pummeled him when his back was against the corner when he had no where to go. The corner is always in the back of the mind of a fighter and this becomes a very real element of the strategy of fighting in a ring. Most times being trapped in the corner is considered the inferior position, but some stand up oriented fighters use the corner to keep themselves in the stand up position by leaning on the corner and preventing the takedown attempts a la Gilbert Yvel Vs Don Frye. The ring corner can be used to the fighters advantage, and if implemented properly in a fighters strategy, can be an effective tool in the arsenal of a fighter.
Another unmistakable difference of the cage, is that it is completely enclosed in a mesh fence that does not allow for any part of a fighters body, save a nose here, a toe there and a finger once and a while to pass through and leave the fighting area at any time. One advantage is that there isn't the stoppage in action that there is in fights in a ring. This means that there is no "Stop, don't move" rule in the Cage fighting settings, like there are in many ring fighting organizations, meaning less stoppages in the fight. This rule is implemented when one or both fighters are entangled in the ropes, are close to falling out, or are impeded by the ropes from mounting an effective offence or defense. In such a case, the action is temporarily halted, and restarted in an area clear of the ropes usually in the center of the ring. The question here would be, why do they have ropes to begin with if they are only going to hinder the ability of the fighters to finish the fight? This predicament presents a lull in the action and prevents the fight from ending in a timely fashion, does it not? So the argument would be that, leaving a Cage through the mesh fence is obviously impossible, so that would eliminates the need for rules such as the above mentioned "Stop, Don't move" rule and rules such as:
Article, 8 sections 9 and 10, of the Pride ring Rulebook,
the following actions are deemed to be illegal.
"9 : escaping to the outside of the ring." and
"10 : Throwing the opponent outside of the ring."
The rules about fighters escaping outside the ring, I have never seen enforced, In today's MMA, practitioners are trained professionals who fight and train for a living. I could not imagine any one of these fighter trying to escape outside the ring, or throwing someone outside the ring. Trying to escape outside the ring could be considered career suicide, and the only time I have ever seen someone try to throw someone outside is Tank Abbot in the UFC many moons ago, trying to lift, and throw out Cal Worsham out of the Cage at the Ultimate, Ultimate in 1996
The Cage is considered by most to be the safer of the two. Fighters could be injured if one, or both fighters fell out, or were accidentally thrust outside of the ring during a bout. The fall could cause significant injury to a fighter(s) as it is difficult to control your own body when someone else is also in the same ring trying to beat you up at the same time. All organizations that use a ring have security officers that stand by each side of the ring and keep the fighters in the ring by pushing them back into the ring. This helps prevent fighters from falling out of the ring when they are about to fall out, but like everything else nothing, is foolproof. During Superbrawl 24, Kerry Schall fell out of the ring and onto his back and had a back/neck injury that was severe enough to signal a halt to his bout and keep him from training for an extended period of time. The injury occurred on April 27th and he has not competed since.
The safety of the ring, or lack there of, is a valid argument but how many times has that actually taken place during a real fight? It certainly does not happen often but happening once is enough to bring light to the fact that it can be a health hazard and a situation that certainly deserves a reevaluation. Such are the benefits of the cage format. Now let us move on to the ring.
The Ring
The typical ring is square in shape, with three or four ropes across the border of every side. The Pride ring is 7 meters by 7 meters for a total of 49 square meters. Considered the more striker friendly of the two fighting environments, the ring is used in popular organizations such as Pride, UCC, MFC, WFF and almost all Pro boxing bouts around the world. The biggest argument has always been about fighter safety, if a fighter were to fall out of the ring it would stand to reason, that it could potentially be dangerous. Considering a fighter is in the heat of battle, and maybe unaware of where his body is potentially going to fall, it could be entirely possible to get hurt. But, this topic has already been discussed in the overview of the cage. I have compiled a rundown on ring specific rules and regulations, and thoughts on rules that are a necessary because of the ring. These rules have been taken from the Pride Rule book, the only Rule book that I am aware of that is available on the official websites for public viewing.
Article 8 section 8 states
"Grabbing the ropes and refusing to release the ropes and/or hanging the limb(s) of the body, hand(s), arm(s), leg(s) or feet, over the rope intentionally, a fighter who places his upper arm over the ropes shall be given a caution immediately."
Holding onto the ropes has traditionally been regarded as a problem of ring format events, but I am not so sure that the ring is the lone culprit in this argument.
Holding onto the ropes is a problem in the ring, but I don't know that it is any more prevalent in the ring then the cage. It certainly does happen in the ring, as Gilbert Yvel was actually disqualified in his fight with Don Frye for (among other things) holding onto the ropes whenever Frye shot for the takedown. But on the flipside, as recently as the past UFC 37, we saw Ricco Rodriguez "Climb" the fence with his hands when Tsuyoshi Kohsaka had him against the fence in their bout at UFC 37, and Benji Radach in his bout against Steve Berger, was holding the fence while Hammer Fisting Berger who was attempting a leg submission. So to say that holding onto the environment is only prevalent in the ring would be inaccurate. I feel it happens just as often in the cage as in the ring, reaching for the closest available base to balance is a reaction not a premeditated act, so it would be unfair to chastise for the occasional grabbing or clutching of the cage or ring, so long as it does not occur too frequently. Another interesting rule is:
"In the case that the fighters are about to fall out of the ring, the referee shall call
"Stop, Don't move." Both fighters must stop any movement, and both fighters are directed to the centre of the ring and resume the fight in the same position."
Of all the ring specific rules, this rule is the most famous of all. The "Stop, Drop, Don't Move" rule, which I affectionately call the "Stop, Drop, and Snooze rule" , has been a cause of disagreement, because it puts a stop to the action, and prolongs the bout. No one likes to see a stoppage in the action of a fight, as it disengages the fan from their emotional involvement in the fight, it would be like stopping in the middle of an engaging movie, to readjust the position of the TV because it is in the wrong position. Another problem might be that a fighter that is in a bad position, may try to maneuver his way into the ropes so he can get the referee stoppage and an opportunity to rethink his strategy, or a fatigued fighter may do the same to get a moments respite. So although this rule was (Rightly) implemented with fighter safety in mind, it can be abused by fighters who are in a tough predicament. The last ring specific rule that we will look at is:
Article 13
"Fighters must immediately go back to the ring in the case of falling outside of the ring, and resume the fight from the standing position from the center of the ring."
This is a rule that I can't recall ever having seen enforced. I am sure it has happened somewhere in the world but not in any organization that I have followed in an MMA bout.
So there was a recap of the most famous Ring particular rules. There are a few more rules that may be considered Ring specific, but in the interest of keeping this article from edging a little too close to being considered a novel, a have overviewed what I deemed to be the most important and common rules that the ring format presents.
Conclusion
Regardless of which environment is your personal favorite, (and almost everyone has one), there is no doubt that both styles come with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Truth be told, I can't say that I like either more than the other, but I do think that having both styles gives the buying public an opportunity to see the good and the bad of both. If all organizations had adopted the cage, the cage haters would be screaming for the organizations to screw their heads on straight and get a ring like boxing does.
If you don't have an opportunity to see the good and the bad of both you will never know the different hues that exist in the ring and the cage. The opposite would happen if there were only rings and the cage was abolished. It really comes down to personal preference and styles. In my mind, Wrestlers will have an advantage in the cage, and to me there is no doubt. It is no coincidence, that Randy Couture, a wrestler, was so successful in the cage. In fact the current welterweight champion Matt Hughes, Current Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, and former two time champion Randy Couture are all wrestlers. In no way am I saying that he could not be as successful in a ring environment, but I am sure that all three would just as well have their fights in the cage. Before his loss to Josh Barnett, Couture's only three losses all came when he competed in the ring. He was submitted convincingly in all three fights in the ring. I have seen all of Couture's fights and I can't blame his losses on the ring, the different rules in RINGS had as much or more of an effect on his performance, but there is no doubt that he as a wrestler, is better suited for the cage. Perhaps it would best stated in the terms of champions in their respective environments. Vanderlei Silva is the Middleweight (Light Heavyweight) Champion of the Pride fighting Championships. Tito Ortiz is the Light heavyweight Champion of the Ultimate fighting Championships. Vanderlei Silva, Primarily a Stand up Striker, is the champion of the Pride Fighting Championships, which use a ring. Tito Ortiz, who is predominantly considered a wrestler, is the champion of the Ultimate fighting Championships, that use the world famous Octagon which of course is a Cage. If they were to face off for all the marbles, who would win? Tito Ortiz once defeated Vanderlei in the Octagon at UFC 25 in 2000, and Vanderlei has been very vocal about getting a rematch against Ortiz, but that was then and this is now, a lot has happened since then, so who would win the next time out? Ranked one and two on the MMA media top ten, both fighters are in the prime of their careers and are as young and strong as anyone in their divisions. If I had to Predict, I would have to say that in my humble opinion, I think that if the fight were to take place in the cage, Tito Ortiz would win, and if it were to take place in a ring, I think that Vanderlei Silva would win. How is that for safe, inconclusive, politically correct, middle of the road, spineless ambiguity for you? In a cage or a ring, I guess I am still the biggest wimp of them all. For MMA Ring Report, This was the Sushiboy.
KAIN
"Give me what I want and I will go away"
The Cage
Cages are used by many MMA organizations in North America, the UFC, King of the Cage, World Fighting Alliance and many more, all have cages with varying square footage and different materials for their respective mats. Commonly shaped in a circle, or yes, even an Octagon, a very conspicuous difference is the fact that it is not square in shape, like a the most commonly implemented fighting setting, the super-popular boxing ring. The typically more circular shape of the cages eliminate having to deal with corners, like the corners in all square shaped rings. A tactic used by many fighters is to cut off the ring and try to contain the fighter in the corner where he is able to control the fighter and strike so he cannot escape or trap him so he can go for a body lock or take down. An example of this would be Ryan Gracie Vs Tokimitsu Ishizawa at Pride 10. Ryan Gracie forced the action into the corner and went for the takedown squeezing him into a corner, then stood up and pummeled him when his back was against the corner when he had no where to go. The corner is always in the back of the mind of a fighter and this becomes a very real element of the strategy of fighting in a ring. Most times being trapped in the corner is considered the inferior position, but some stand up oriented fighters use the corner to keep themselves in the stand up position by leaning on the corner and preventing the takedown attempts a la Gilbert Yvel Vs Don Frye. The ring corner can be used to the fighters advantage, and if implemented properly in a fighters strategy, can be an effective tool in the arsenal of a fighter.
Another unmistakable difference of the cage, is that it is completely enclosed in a mesh fence that does not allow for any part of a fighters body, save a nose here, a toe there and a finger once and a while to pass through and leave the fighting area at any time. One advantage is that there isn't the stoppage in action that there is in fights in a ring. This means that there is no "Stop, don't move" rule in the Cage fighting settings, like there are in many ring fighting organizations, meaning less stoppages in the fight. This rule is implemented when one or both fighters are entangled in the ropes, are close to falling out, or are impeded by the ropes from mounting an effective offence or defense. In such a case, the action is temporarily halted, and restarted in an area clear of the ropes usually in the center of the ring. The question here would be, why do they have ropes to begin with if they are only going to hinder the ability of the fighters to finish the fight? This predicament presents a lull in the action and prevents the fight from ending in a timely fashion, does it not? So the argument would be that, leaving a Cage through the mesh fence is obviously impossible, so that would eliminates the need for rules such as the above mentioned "Stop, Don't move" rule and rules such as:
Article, 8 sections 9 and 10, of the Pride ring Rulebook,
the following actions are deemed to be illegal.
"9 : escaping to the outside of the ring." and
"10 : Throwing the opponent outside of the ring."
The rules about fighters escaping outside the ring, I have never seen enforced, In today's MMA, practitioners are trained professionals who fight and train for a living. I could not imagine any one of these fighter trying to escape outside the ring, or throwing someone outside the ring. Trying to escape outside the ring could be considered career suicide, and the only time I have ever seen someone try to throw someone outside is Tank Abbot in the UFC many moons ago, trying to lift, and throw out Cal Worsham out of the Cage at the Ultimate, Ultimate in 1996
The Cage is considered by most to be the safer of the two. Fighters could be injured if one, or both fighters fell out, or were accidentally thrust outside of the ring during a bout. The fall could cause significant injury to a fighter(s) as it is difficult to control your own body when someone else is also in the same ring trying to beat you up at the same time. All organizations that use a ring have security officers that stand by each side of the ring and keep the fighters in the ring by pushing them back into the ring. This helps prevent fighters from falling out of the ring when they are about to fall out, but like everything else nothing, is foolproof. During Superbrawl 24, Kerry Schall fell out of the ring and onto his back and had a back/neck injury that was severe enough to signal a halt to his bout and keep him from training for an extended period of time. The injury occurred on April 27th and he has not competed since.
The safety of the ring, or lack there of, is a valid argument but how many times has that actually taken place during a real fight? It certainly does not happen often but happening once is enough to bring light to the fact that it can be a health hazard and a situation that certainly deserves a reevaluation. Such are the benefits of the cage format. Now let us move on to the ring.
The Ring
The typical ring is square in shape, with three or four ropes across the border of every side. The Pride ring is 7 meters by 7 meters for a total of 49 square meters. Considered the more striker friendly of the two fighting environments, the ring is used in popular organizations such as Pride, UCC, MFC, WFF and almost all Pro boxing bouts around the world. The biggest argument has always been about fighter safety, if a fighter were to fall out of the ring it would stand to reason, that it could potentially be dangerous. Considering a fighter is in the heat of battle, and maybe unaware of where his body is potentially going to fall, it could be entirely possible to get hurt. But, this topic has already been discussed in the overview of the cage. I have compiled a rundown on ring specific rules and regulations, and thoughts on rules that are a necessary because of the ring. These rules have been taken from the Pride Rule book, the only Rule book that I am aware of that is available on the official websites for public viewing.
Article 8 section 8 states
"Grabbing the ropes and refusing to release the ropes and/or hanging the limb(s) of the body, hand(s), arm(s), leg(s) or feet, over the rope intentionally, a fighter who places his upper arm over the ropes shall be given a caution immediately."
Holding onto the ropes has traditionally been regarded as a problem of ring format events, but I am not so sure that the ring is the lone culprit in this argument.
Holding onto the ropes is a problem in the ring, but I don't know that it is any more prevalent in the ring then the cage. It certainly does happen in the ring, as Gilbert Yvel was actually disqualified in his fight with Don Frye for (among other things) holding onto the ropes whenever Frye shot for the takedown. But on the flipside, as recently as the past UFC 37, we saw Ricco Rodriguez "Climb" the fence with his hands when Tsuyoshi Kohsaka had him against the fence in their bout at UFC 37, and Benji Radach in his bout against Steve Berger, was holding the fence while Hammer Fisting Berger who was attempting a leg submission. So to say that holding onto the environment is only prevalent in the ring would be inaccurate. I feel it happens just as often in the cage as in the ring, reaching for the closest available base to balance is a reaction not a premeditated act, so it would be unfair to chastise for the occasional grabbing or clutching of the cage or ring, so long as it does not occur too frequently. Another interesting rule is:
"In the case that the fighters are about to fall out of the ring, the referee shall call
"Stop, Don't move." Both fighters must stop any movement, and both fighters are directed to the centre of the ring and resume the fight in the same position."
Of all the ring specific rules, this rule is the most famous of all. The "Stop, Drop, Don't Move" rule, which I affectionately call the "Stop, Drop, and Snooze rule" , has been a cause of disagreement, because it puts a stop to the action, and prolongs the bout. No one likes to see a stoppage in the action of a fight, as it disengages the fan from their emotional involvement in the fight, it would be like stopping in the middle of an engaging movie, to readjust the position of the TV because it is in the wrong position. Another problem might be that a fighter that is in a bad position, may try to maneuver his way into the ropes so he can get the referee stoppage and an opportunity to rethink his strategy, or a fatigued fighter may do the same to get a moments respite. So although this rule was (Rightly) implemented with fighter safety in mind, it can be abused by fighters who are in a tough predicament. The last ring specific rule that we will look at is:
Article 13
"Fighters must immediately go back to the ring in the case of falling outside of the ring, and resume the fight from the standing position from the center of the ring."
This is a rule that I can't recall ever having seen enforced. I am sure it has happened somewhere in the world but not in any organization that I have followed in an MMA bout.
So there was a recap of the most famous Ring particular rules. There are a few more rules that may be considered Ring specific, but in the interest of keeping this article from edging a little too close to being considered a novel, a have overviewed what I deemed to be the most important and common rules that the ring format presents.
Conclusion
Regardless of which environment is your personal favorite, (and almost everyone has one), there is no doubt that both styles come with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Truth be told, I can't say that I like either more than the other, but I do think that having both styles gives the buying public an opportunity to see the good and the bad of both. If all organizations had adopted the cage, the cage haters would be screaming for the organizations to screw their heads on straight and get a ring like boxing does.
If you don't have an opportunity to see the good and the bad of both you will never know the different hues that exist in the ring and the cage. The opposite would happen if there were only rings and the cage was abolished. It really comes down to personal preference and styles. In my mind, Wrestlers will have an advantage in the cage, and to me there is no doubt. It is no coincidence, that Randy Couture, a wrestler, was so successful in the cage. In fact the current welterweight champion Matt Hughes, Current Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, and former two time champion Randy Couture are all wrestlers. In no way am I saying that he could not be as successful in a ring environment, but I am sure that all three would just as well have their fights in the cage. Before his loss to Josh Barnett, Couture's only three losses all came when he competed in the ring. He was submitted convincingly in all three fights in the ring. I have seen all of Couture's fights and I can't blame his losses on the ring, the different rules in RINGS had as much or more of an effect on his performance, but there is no doubt that he as a wrestler, is better suited for the cage. Perhaps it would best stated in the terms of champions in their respective environments. Vanderlei Silva is the Middleweight (Light Heavyweight) Champion of the Pride fighting Championships. Tito Ortiz is the Light heavyweight Champion of the Ultimate fighting Championships. Vanderlei Silva, Primarily a Stand up Striker, is the champion of the Pride Fighting Championships, which use a ring. Tito Ortiz, who is predominantly considered a wrestler, is the champion of the Ultimate fighting Championships, that use the world famous Octagon which of course is a Cage. If they were to face off for all the marbles, who would win? Tito Ortiz once defeated Vanderlei in the Octagon at UFC 25 in 2000, and Vanderlei has been very vocal about getting a rematch against Ortiz, but that was then and this is now, a lot has happened since then, so who would win the next time out? Ranked one and two on the MMA media top ten, both fighters are in the prime of their careers and are as young and strong as anyone in their divisions. If I had to Predict, I would have to say that in my humble opinion, I think that if the fight were to take place in the cage, Tito Ortiz would win, and if it were to take place in a ring, I think that Vanderlei Silva would win. How is that for safe, inconclusive, politically correct, middle of the road, spineless ambiguity for you? In a cage or a ring, I guess I am still the biggest wimp of them all. For MMA Ring Report, This was the Sushiboy.
KAIN
"Give me what I want and I will go away"
Krzysztof Piekarz
Inna sprawa jest tez minus ringu w postaci lin ktorych czesto 
Kask
THE
enpi
Ronowicz
