Thread: Muhammad Ali and the fight game

Let's discuss the fight game and the way it's changed over the years. The passing of Ali caused me to reflect on his influence on the fight game.

Please don't bring politics into this.

I would encourage anyone who has an interest in boxing or mma to watch tonight's ufc fight when considering this topic, and specifically Dominic Cruz.

Cruz is a great example of how the fight game has changed. 20 years ago mma was dominated by grapplers and guys who excelled at ground and pound and submissions. Cruz is an example of how that has changed. Today's mma fight game is dominated by great strikers and those who aren't good on their feet don't go very far.

Now back to Cruz; Cruz is a former collegiate wrestler who excels at the stand up game. He is one of the more entertaining strikers you will see and I encourage you to watch him. He's a very unorthodox fighter. When asked where he learned his footwork (which is yet unmatched in his weight class ) he said he has watched hours of Muhammed Ali tape.

I find it fascinating how Ali's fighting style has affected the fight game, especially outside of boxing.