Do hardcore MMA elitists still exist?

[agent817]

Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough over the years, but I remember seeing some rather vocal MMA fans on the internet during the later parts of the 2000s and in the earlier parts of the 2010s. The kind of fans who get too angry about their favorite fighter losing or not using certain techniques in the fight. The same kind who were anti-professional wrestling and would go out of their way to shit on wrestling fans for watching "that fake shit." The same kind who would rock Affliction or Tapout shirts and stuff. Nothing wrong with the brands, by the way.

I remember having dealt with some of these types of fans myself in the past, mostly online. I hadn't seen much of that stuff in real life, but I supposed it's because the people on the internet have more balls to talk shit online than in real life.

So are these types of fans still around? As for MMA itself, I still respect the sport and enjoy it, but not enough to know about fighters and their stats.

[john84]

There must be some around. There's always a section of a fan base like that in whatever sport/entertainment or whatever. I haven't looked myself but I've never been into MMA/Boxing but I'm assuming there must be even if it's not as many as there used to be.

[06vwgti]

I guess it went through the "attitude era" during the 2000s, but now it tapered off, but when big fights happen I still see a lot of friends online posting about it on Fecesbook

[Mozenrath]

They exist, I'm sure. I think a lot of them shifted from vitriol towards wrestling towards certain fighters or companies, now that MMA is a lot less "new", with less defensiveness about it.

I also think some of them prefer to, rather than wrestling, take umbrage with martial artists they think are scammers, the "McDojos" that give people a belt and a piece of paper to hang on the wall, but woefully little practical skill. Though, I guess that's more serious martial arts fans and not necessarily MMA ones to begin with, although the crossover between the two is obviously high.

[Natural Born Farmer]

Jan 27, 2022 0:02:01 GMT -5 agent817 said:

 The same kind who would rock Affliction or Tapout shirts and stuff. Nothing wrong with the brands, by the way.

They'd still be hideously ugly regardless of what sport they were affiliated with.

[Big BosskMan]

Based on my experience, I'd say given the sport's popularity boom that elitists aren't around in the circles I'm connected to. I'm sure there are some but I've seen more of a general appreciation for the diversity of styles fighters bring into the octagon.

I've been training kickboxing, boxing for the past 11 years in the mid Atlantic and have gone to many amateur and pro MMA fights. On the pro side, the events are like the feeder leagues for the UFC.

Fans have their favorites but at the live events I've attended, people root for their fighters and are pretty much respectful of the combatants on the rest of the card. Sure, you have the occasional drunk loudmouth who wants to start trouble but that's not the norm. Like the one guy who literally wanted to start something with an entire row of guys from my gym.

And as for the OP comment about Affliction and Tapout clothing, no self respecting fighter or training partner wears that stuff. It calls attention and most of the dudes I know and train with are real low key about what they do.

My coach, for example. Pass him on the street and you wouldn't know he does what he does.