should mma have a black belt system?

**senseisteel** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 1:26pm

hey guys i was in a gym in upstate ny recently ,i have been in the mma game since 1995. let me cut to the chase a high ranking karate guy was talking to a so called judo and jiu-jistu master , and they were talking about starting a movement to establish a belt system in mma .they said it would bring a systemized order to the sport and they laughed as they said it would bring money to their schools and events they plan on running. i am so happy i am out of the game . its a shame a sport i loved so much is falling by the wayside to commercialism. i miss the days of being a fighter and not a product brand. i see these guys as another group trying to buy credibility in a world they know nothing about. well i guess money can buy anything huh? america is a great country [well at least it was yesterday . thats how i see it from the cheap seats , senseisteel clear

**Hesperus** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 1:31pm

No...

**meataxe** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 1:39pm

No...

**BadUglyMagic** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 1:43pm

Thirded. Which one of those blackbelts is you?

**lucistius** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 1:58pm

Not a chance

**Cletus** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 2:07pm

all of the above, & also no

**meataxe** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 2:16pm

To expand on things... Think of MMA as a salad. It is a mix of things that you put together yourself. You might have government approved (USDA) lettuce, approved tomatoes and maybe some store-bought dressing that meets health and labeling requirements.

Now, say you take those ingredients and make a salad. Do you want to get some sort of approval for your salad before you eat it? Do you? Huh? What are you some kind of socialist?????

**TxSanshou** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 2:32pm

No, belt systems complicate everything. In my opinion the only belt system that works is the bjj belt system because it's based on skill. If mma had a belt system I could see a lot of tae kwon do and karate schools changing their name to mma and promising a black belt in 2 years, like they do in tae kwon do.

**Jaguar Wong** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 3:05pm

I think the title belt system works much better for MMA than the black belt system.

**BadUglyMagic** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 3:26pm

Originally Posted by TxSanshou

No, belt systems complicate everything. In my opinion the only belt system that works is the bjj belt system because it's based on skill. If mma had a belt system I could see a lot of tae kwon do and karate schools changing their name to mma and promising a black belt in 2 years, like they do in tae kwon do.

What? Wait my 12 year old nephews karate black belt took three years. He overpaid!