should mma have a black belt system?

[Warcrazy]

I vote no. I feel like MMA follows Boxing and Wrestling. It relies more on competition results to judge progress than on a subjective ranking system. Plus it would look stupid to have guys walking to the ring with karate belts on and no Gi.

[Monkfg]

How do you measure the skills you have in MMA? You cannot reduce MMA to certain techniques you want to test, after all it is only a ruleset and winning fights under these rules is everything that matters. Melvin Manhoef for example couldn't get an MMA black belt because the only thing he can do is punch and kick, but he wins professional MMA fights so he's very good at MMA.
A black belt system for MMA would be nothing but a paradox.

[BadUglyMagic]

How do you measure the skills you have in MMA? You cannot reduce MMA to certain techniques you want to test, after all it is only a ruleset and winning fights under these rules is everything that matters..

Many arts have techniques that must be learned to earn a belt rank. MMA is mixed Martial Arts. ARTS. Because most arts have basic moves that are used as base skills, a way to judge progress is ranking by awarding a belt. Belts, hello kitty patches, little stripes indicate a ranking the same way your letter grades in school gave a grade point average. So that argument is false.

Melvin Manhoef for example couldn't get an MMA black belt because the only thing he can do is punch and kick, but he wins professional MMA fights so he's very good at MMA. ..

I see what your are saying, and at the same time he may be fighting in an MMA event, he is basically kickoxing so I miss the analogy. Kickboxing, not MMA.

A black belt system for MMA would be nothing but a paradox.

A paradox is a statement or group of statements that leads to a contradiction or a situation which defies intuition. The term is also used for an apparent contradiction that actually expresses a non-dual truth (cf. kōan, Catuskoti). Wikipedia

Read my previous posts regarding curriculum structure around cores and electives.

So not a paradox.

To create and maintain an "MMA" belt rank or even MMA system, there must be different martial arts. A codified MMA belt system will ultimately lead to (ideally) integration of all the techniques from the different arts involved. The outcome would be a new martial aart and thus no longer MMA.

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

Solution to belts and technique curriculum in MMA:

No BS MMA and Martial Arts - View Single Post - Official MMA curriculum, good idea or not?

[BadUglyMagic]

Solution to belts and technique curriculum in MMA:

No BS MMA and Martial Arts - View Single Post - Official MMA curriculum, good idea or not?

The idea for a ranking system of mma practitioners is primarily to allow for identification of skill.

How many different instructors does anyone have. How many does GSP have? Minimal complete MMA skillsets require grappling (wresting and/or some jits), striking and throwing.

So:

So say your core consists of :
MT, Wrestling, Jits and judo.

There are levels of technique and skill that can be divided up into progressive skillset module within each art (and thus ranked by a belt or hello kitty patch).


To get any ranking for the MMA you would have to meet a minimal skillset criteria for each art.

and MMA rank progression might be something like:

apprentice, journeyman, scholar, professor.

[Hesperus]

And those standards of measurement for those individual arts aren't enough...why?

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

in the example of MT, wrestling , Jiu Jitsu and Judo:
-------------------------------------------------

professor ( = teacher) => kru, state champion, BB, 3rd Dan

scholar => assistant-instructor, regional champion, brown belt, 2nd Dan

journeyman => city champion, city champion, purple belt, 1st Dan

apprentice => experienced fighter, experienced fighter, blue belt, brown belt

*Is this what you mean?*

[Hesperus]

If they have those ranks, why do we need a separate MMA entity to verify those ranks?

[pLackR.brizzL]

This post makes me wanna go to the nearest convenience store and judo throw someone's ass austin power's style.......this also makes me wanna go back in time so i could train with bruce lee,chuck norris,as well as black belt jones:)

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

The UFC can control the ranks/experience levels of the fighters that are competing with the original federations.

Technically the sportpromoters of MMA competitions can controle the ranks/experience of their competing fighters.

A "MMA governing organisation" can only establish/standarize the requirements of teachers and fighters and maybe give a quality label to schools that teach "MMA" if they pass the requirements.
That's all.

So a NO to an unified governing MMA organisation and NO to black belts in MMA. (my 2 cents)