Does anyone else find UFC boring?

I like action too. The difference between you and me is that I'm both a striker and a grappler. I understand the action on the ground. What you see as "scrapping" is actually a battle for positional dominance and two guys trying to create opportunities to finish the fight. That's what MMA is about: a complete fight on the ground as well as on the feet. It's physical chess. An educated grappler will tell you that some ground battles have been loads more exciting than some stand-up fights.

Incidentally, MMA, including the UFC, has had plenty of mostly-standing affairs. Check out Fisher-Stout 2, GSP-Hughes 2, Smith-Lawler 1&2, Le-Shamrock, Liddell-Silva, Silva-Franklin 1&2, Bonner-Griffin 1&2, most of Griffin-Rampage and Griffin-Evans, Machida-Ortiz, most of Sherk-Griffin, Machida-Silva, SIlva-Marquardt, Alvez-Koscheck, and more. The idea that MMA/UFC = groundfighting is outdated, c. 1995. You bring up Gracie, but the reason he looked "amaizing" [sic] is because he was the only one who knew how to grapple at the time. It's easy to look good if you outclass your opponents. When guys start countering you because they know what's coming, you look less "amaizing" [sic].

Anyway, it looks like you've got three choices: a) either look for matches that took place mostly on the feet; b) learn the ground game (not a bad idea for self-defense, either); or c) stop watching.

Edit: nwohioguy, I'd like to argue some points relating to your answer.

Money: You imply that it didn't use to be about money. Yet, do you remember what the winners of the UFC tournaments were presented with? Not with a plaque, a trophy, or a belt; rather, with a gigantic check. The first event had a $50K payout, a sum that many current fighters have yet to see in a single event. Speaking of current fighters, if someone is training MMA as a full time job, that is sometimes 40 hours a week or more of training, don't they deserve to get paid enough to support themselves? What's wrong with earning a living doing what you love, and what you dedicate your life to? And don't the fighters who put the most butts in the seats deserved to be paid accordingly?

Respect/ego: This hasn't changed. At UFC 1, Pat Smith claimed he was impervious to pain, ironically right before he was submitted by a Ken Shamrock leg lock. Gerard Gordeau broke one of the few rules the UFC had by biting Royce Gracie. At UFC 2, Royce Gracie held on to an arm bar on Jason Delucia for what was an excessive period of time, while Remco Pardoel pounded an unconcious Orlando Weit after checking to see if he was out. At UFC 3, Kimo Leopoldo falsely claimed to be a multi-dan TKD practitioner; after Royce Gracie, who had beaten Kimo earlier in the night, was forced to withdraw, Leopoldo rushed into and paraded around the octagon. No ego or disrespect there, eh?

Contrast this with recent fights. After Joe Stevenson submitted Melvin Guillard, he actually comforted him and offered him words of encouragement, despite the fact that Guillard had accused Stevenson of taking HGH earlier. In their rematch, Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin repeatedly bowed and touched gloves before the fight; after being KO'd by Silva (for the second time, at that), Franklin told his booing hometown crowd, "Hey, don't boo him!" After a 25-minute war that saw Jon Fitch take a beating from Georges St-Pierre, at the bell, both fighters kneeled, bowed, and embraced. Every time BJ Penn beats someone, he oppens the door to his training camp to them. Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine, who fought one another on "The Ultimate Fighter" TV show, now train together and have vowed never to face one another, whether a belt or a career is on the line. Fighters routinely touch gloves before each round, of their own accord, and embrace one another after the match. They appologize and touch gloves after an accidental eye poke or groin shot. They check to see if the guy they just knocked out is alright. Were you aware of all of this? Do these sound like disrespectful, ego-driven actions to you?

The "purpose" of the UFC: I wonder what you think this is or was. The original purpose was arguably as an infomercial for Gracie JJ. After all, Rorion was part owner/founder and Royce was always given a relatively easy first fight. If it was to "prove" the "best" martial art, the success of GJJ and grappling as a whole would seem to have settled that. If you're concerned about the weight classes, the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix of 2006 is telling: all the semi-finalists were over 220lbs.

Todays fighters are better skilled, better conditioned, and have better strategies than any of the early UFC participants. They continue to evolve, adding new strategies and capilatizing on "forgotten" martial arts. The only thing that's changed about the UFC concept is that it's gotten smarter, and has outgrown the sideshow it used to be.

UFC obviously favor wrestlers as most of the fights tend to to go the ground sometime during the fight. Going to the ground and making love to your opponent makes for a very boring fight. In a street fight, you don't ever want the fight to go to the ground. People can jump in and just because you take someone down, doesn't mean you win the fight. You can get stabbed or someone can break a beer bottle over your head. UFC fighting is a very unrealistic form of fighting in the real world. In the real world, people get pretty scanless in a fight. The Octagon and the rules of the Octagon create a controlled condition. What happened to the eye gouging head butting and small joints manipulation that was in the 1st ufc? How about no rounds? For the record, the UFC is boring to watch for another reason. The striking is on a subpar level to professional boxing.

I agree 100%, the sport is way too safe now. The athletes don't want to risk getting hurt (So they just grapple) and the councils are banning all the effective techniques, give it time and the fighters will be made to wear kneepads and headgear. I miss the days when it was real combat, two guys, no weight classes, no gloves, NHB....oh well at least i can put on the old UFC 1-10 DVD's and relive the glory days.

Actually in the beginning UFC 1, 2 and 3 I found it very interesting but now it is to much of a debacle and full of ego, disrespect and other things to be any good. It is now all about the money more than anything else and they have so many rules that it no longer serves the origional purpose. It is nothing more than a spectator sport now a days and not worth the money they charge to even watch it.

If you don't like ground based fights I would suggest you check out K-1. It's similar to UFC but it only features stand-up only fights :)

Try to keep track of points with top control and takedowns. Look at submission attempts and the fighter's control. Of course I can't make you like ground fighting. I find ground fighting exciting because it can be strategic, but the lay and pray is boring as **** and sometimes I wish they stood it up faster like they did in Pride.

I find it boring. I understand that there is a tremendous amount of skill involved in MMA fighting, but it just isn't visually appealling to me - in the same way that I don't particularly like watching Olympic wrestling or curling. I understand that its difficult to do, but I just don't enjoy watching it.

No. I find it getting "watered down" with the new fans and having so many fight cards per year.

It was awesome 5-6 years ago when it used to be every other month, the anticipation and excitement to the countdown. Now its almost 2 fight cards per month, so more fighters means less quality. I still support it thought because it is a great sport.

its better than long 12 round boxing match when all they do is punch

man shut da hell up ufc aint boring you boring