WCL TALK

Drago · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 3

do you think the wcl will ever come close (in kind of populatiry) to the ufc / mixed martial arts?

i hope so.

groundfighting and grappling are good if you will become a complete martial artist, but it´s not very attractive to watch in my opinion.
the rules from mma prefer grapplers more than strikers, almost all grappling techniques are allowed, but some very effective striking techniques are forbidden.

rhino61466 · Joined: 29 Nov 2007 Posts: 3

If the WCL is correctly marketed I believe it has the possibility to surpass the UFC. The reason for this is most mma fans enjoy knockouts the most and the WCL has the highest knockout rate per fight of any combat league. I also agree with you, watching jui jitsu and grappling is a lot of fun to do but its boring to watch on tv.

kneehanger75 · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Posts: 1

I sure hope that it does. it is a lot more fast paced compared to ufc. then again, i like watching the chokes and submissions. perhaps if the rules allowed clinching, and takedowns, but after a take down the opponent got up. i would enjoy watching something like that

i saw my first wcl on sunday, and now i have every sunday in my calender marked to watch it, i absolutely love it.
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TKD, KO, KA, KT
Tae Kwon Do, Knock Out, Kick arse, Keep Truckin

dohfil · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 6

Watching the WCL is like watching a throwback Superfoot Wallace fight.

Chuck needs to reconsider clinches and, at the least, allow Muay Thai rules.

Don't get me started on no ground game.
YOU CANNOT CALL THIS MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WITHOUT SOME FORM OF GRAPPLING.

Rewind to 1993, Royce Gracie schooled all of us McDojo BlackBelts...Me one of them and I;ve trained on the ground, clinched, and standing eversince...So has Chuck.

Mr. Norris,
My complete respect to you. My father opened a UFAF school back in the early 90's. This format will NOT survive.

Watch a WEC event back to back with a WCL event on VS and it's no contest that the WCL is not so good.

Evolve this.

Peace.

dohfil · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 6

And for those that don't know, the WEC is owned by the UFC.

Destroyer Fan · Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 37

Ground fighting makes me sleepy. When i watch UFC i fast forwrd all the ground game and go to the standup where its exciting. Thats what people want to see and thats a fact i am a fan not a fighter. I want to see knockouts not tap outs

dohfil · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 6

So why not watch K1 or Strikeforce on ESPN?

It's old news and never took off.

Look at the IFL team format which is similar to the WCL.
The IFL is retooling since they are losing money fast on no fan base.

Just because you're a fan, doesn't mean that you represent all of us fans.
I train, but it doesn't stop me from also being a fan.

The fact that Pete Spratt is a force in the WCL is interesting since he gets owned in an MMA competition.

The fact that Kimbo Slice fights MMA is interesting since he's built up a reputation for being a puncher with a chin.

The fact that Mayweather (boxer) and Brock Lesner (WWE) are going into the UFC/MMA is interesting.

The only differentiator that the WCL has is that it's team-based.
Otherwise the gimmicks are nothing more than a K1 or Strikeforce fight.
No clinching with knees hurts this league since you've now taken away an MT fighter's greatest weapon and what they're trained for and it makes the WCL a glorified points fighting competition or a TKD match.

I'm telling you that this is only catering to a small group of people.

Destroyer Fan · Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 37

They can clinch and throw knees so whats the problem.

dohfil · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 6

Destroyer,

http://www.worldcombatleague.com/rules.html
Penalized actions
• No Clinching- Intentionally tying-up the opponent's arms in an effort to stop them from punching.
• No Holding- Grabbing the opponent's body in an effort to stop them from attacking or countering.

Techniques allowed
• Kneeing -Front and Roundhouse
***NOT FROM THE CLINCH OR HOLD SINCE THESE ARE NOT ALLOWED.

MT practitioners deliver kness in the clinch aka the Thai Clinch.

You've effectively dismantled their offense.

Come on now.

quietstrike93 · Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 4

As a rebuttal to the claims about MT having a disadvantage, did you guys ever consider that the head/torso can be drawn in for the knee, but not held? It's not a clinch if it's released after the strike, therefore giving MT fighters their egde back without disrupting the action. Anything else?

Valiss · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Posts: 260 Location: Earth

dohfil,

Spratt isn't, and wasn't, a force in the WCL. He got KO'd I believe and from what I hear he is not part of the league anymore.
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-Valiss

rhino61466 · Joined: 29 Nov 2007 Posts: 3

[quote="dohfil"]So why not watch K1 or Strikeforce on ESPN?

It's old news and never took off.quote]

In my opinion, WCL is much more exciting than K1 and strikeforce becuase the fighters go all out on each other due to the one round. Also K1 was from Japan and never got much U.S. airtime and strikeforce was never really marketed much in the U.S. either. That's why it never took off. WCL is headed in the right direction with it's weekly fights on versus.

Beat · Joined: 20 Jan 2008 Posts: 19

First, let me just say that I like the idea of the WCL, but the constant put downs of MMA get really jarring.

As interesting as it is to try and create a stand up alternative to full on MMA, we already have plenty.

Japan has Shootboxing, the electic mix of Muay Thai, standing submissions, and throws that produced Andy Souwer, two time K-1 Max champ.

Most Americans see old fashioned boxing as the main alternative to MMA, but that's a whole different forum.

And if WCL was so successful on VS, why did they go scurrying to the WEC as soon as they put themselves on the market?

(That's another thing, WEC broadcasts in hi-def widescreen. WCL doesn't. I think if you guys could get a hi-def broadcast, then it would go a long way towards making the WCL look better on the TV)

Valiss · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Posts: 260 Location: Earth

So long as the WCL continues lack proper advertising and constantly changes it TV schedule, they will never be as big as UFC or even the WEC. I really do enjoy the WCL and I think the league has so much potential, but they constantly shoot themselves in the foot.

They hardly advertise on Versus. The times and days they air the matches changes all the time. So much in fact that it's really hard to tell if this weeks fight is a new one or a re-run. But why should the times change? It's not like these fights are broadcast live. Maybe it's an issue with Versus, but whatever the deal, the show would benefit greatly from having it shown at the same timeslot each week.

Where is the general advertising? It took them forever to start selling their shirts on the WCL site and even then, it looks half-hearted. They have taken their sweet time getting the Season 1 DVD to the stores and even then, I heard about it from Amazon.com, not from the WCL site or forum. And by the time those DVDs are released, it'll nearly be time for Season 3.

What's up with the forums? First, it's an odd URL (how about wcl.tv/forums) and it doesn't look to be run by the WCL except for the fact that it's linked from the WCL homepage. I've been on these boards for over a year now and there is next to ZERO info that comes from the admins keeping us fans up-to-date and frothing at the mouth for the next bit of information. The best thing going for this forum is that the occasional WCL fighter drops by, but even that is only once in a while. Mezger was pretty active on the site last year and that was very cool.

That said, I understand that any organization will have growing pains and I am still willing to give the WCL a another chance this season. But it's hard to generate interest by organizing a "fight night" at my house and inviting over all my friends to watch it when no one knows when the next matches will air. I guess overall what the WCL needs is communication to the fans.
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-Valiss

STEAMROLLER · Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 59 Location: Momence, IL

START MAKING PLANS FOR FIGHT NIGHT MY FRIEND!

Versus TV Schedule

* All time are EST (Eastern Standard Time)

Feb 10, 08 | 7:00pm | Los Angeles Stars vs. Oklahoma Destroyers

Feb 17, 08 | 7:00pm | St. Louis Enforcers s. Miami Force

Feb 24, 08 | 7:00pm | Texas Dragons vs. Denver Fury

Mar 02, 08 | 7:00pm | New York Clash vs. New Jersey Tigers

Mar 16, 08 | 5:00pm | Los Angeles Stars vs. Texas Dragons

Mar 22, 08 | 6:00pm | St. Louis Enforcers vs. New Jersey Tigers

Mar 30, 08 | 6:00pm | Denver Fury vs. Oklahoma Destroyers

Apr 06, 08 | 7:00pm | Miami Force vs. New York Clash

Apr 13, 08 | 6:00pm | Denver Fury vs. Los Angeles Stars

Apr 20, 08 | 6:00pm | Miami Force vs. New Jersey Tigers

Apr 27, 08 | 6:00pm | Oklahoma Destroyers vs. Texas Dragons

May 04, 08 | 6:00pm | St. Louis Enforcers vs. New York Clash

May 11, 08 | 6:00pm | Western Conference Playoffs - 4th Place vs 1st Place

May 18, 08 | 6:00pm | Eastern Conference Playoffs - 3rd Place vs 2nd Place

May 25, 08 | 7:00pm | Western Conference Playoffs - 3rd Place vs 2nd Place

Jun 01, 08 | 7:00pm | Eastern Conference Playoffs - 4th Place vs 1st Place

Jun 08, 08 | 7:00pm | Western Conference Finals

Jun 15, 08 | 7:00pm | Eastern Conference Finals

Jun 22, 08 | 7:00pm | WCL Semi-Finals

Jun 29, 08 | 7:00pm | WCL Championships
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Steamroller by definition: A crushing force especially when ruthlessly applied to overcome opposition. A massive relentless force that seems to crush everything in it's way!