Do you think the UFC could have gone mainstream without 5-minute rounds? I recall that the rounds were introduced after the controversy surrounding the Rutten/Randleman decision at UFC 20. A fighter having the endurance to fight 12-15 straight minutes was a sight to see back in the day. Some argue that rounds eliminate the controversy surrounding stand-ups, but that issue still persists even with the current system.
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Without rounds, stand-ups will be even more controversial as the refs will be pressured to do more of them.
It seems almost all the refs are fine with the ground work riding out to the end of the round.
UFC 1 had five minute rounds. No one made it to the end of a round though.
Not sure but I know I much prefer Pride’s 10 minute first rounds.
So many fighters just stall especially on the ground until the end of the round.
A 10 minute round would be much harder and they would be forced to fight more IMHO.
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I liked the Pride format better
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Normal fights 10, 5
Contender, Interim and Title Fights 10, 5, 5
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5 minute rounds are dog shit. Itt is way too long for most judges to objectively score the round.
Ive seen many times when the last minute of a round is weight 100x more than the first 4 minutes. Example, hyperbole, whatever. 5 minute rounds are dog shit.
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The idea of a 10 minute fight where this is an extra 5 minutes if there is not a clear winner after 10 is intriguing to me. Even title fights as it might push action a bit more.
This.
Every fight should be 5 3 minute rounds.