King Matt covered a few things that Good Ol Jim Ross had to say in regards to UFC 117 earlier today. His take on the world of MMA is always entertaining and I don't understand the hate that some fans have for him talking about it. So many take issue with him discussing it and that's sad because he is more knowledgeable about it then some of the guys that we are forced to listen to like Franklin McNeil. Either way, he had some other interesting things to say about the UFC. He believes that the UFC could do a few things differently that would enhance the product. Among them:
"UFC might consider shooting the packed crowd a few more times to show the humanity on hand. Close ups of fans mugging for the camera become predictable and perhaps less is more with those."
I fully endorse this. I get real tired of those same stock shots they do of just running along the crowd. It gets boring watching MMA fans, that I am not particularly fond of, mugging for the camera and trying their best to act as rowdy as possible. After so many events it's been played out.
"I feel that the use of the old "John Madden telestrator" could be of value for Joe Rogan to utilize from time to time. Showing Sonnen reluctantly tapping last night via a telestrator would have been a nice touch."
This idea is genius. The ins and outs of jiu-jitsu are extremely hard to understand for anyone who doesn't train in it and even then there are things happening that people don't see. Rogan is very knowledgeable about such things and if he had the Madden telestrator to show exactly what was going on during replays it would really enhance the viewing experience. The art of the ground game is truly a beautiful thing but it cannot be fully appreciated until fans start to get a better understanding of it. This would provide that.
"Mike Goldberg should not be voicing over all the 'history packages' or 'fighter features' on the PPV. Your primary PXP voice should be kept more special. A generic, big voice, voice over guy could easily read the copy for the aforementioned packages."
I agree with this as well. Goldberg has a real cheesy schtick. Any time I can get less of him, I'll take it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most of his calls during the fights but they should keep him just calling fights.
"As a fan I would love to hear more of the dialog with the fighters and their people between rounds. It allows the announcers to lay out and let me up for a moment plus for the fans/consumers to enjoy the unique nuances of the between round activities."
I feel like the UFC already does a pretty good job of this. They manage to get us some time with each corner and then show us a replay of some part of the action from the previous round. I wouldn't mess with this formula. Typically, the cornermen aren't saying much anyway and if they spend too much time listening in on the corner when will Rogan get to do the Madden telestrator?
Overall, he's got some good ideas and I think the UFC needs to change a few things about the way they broadcast the shows. They've had the same basic thing going for quite a while now and while it's worked very well for them, there is always room for improvement and change is a good thing. It makes things feel fresh. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone complain about the gladiator at the opening of each event. Someone needs to get a hold of Dana White and float these ideas by him.
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