In what seems to be a last-ditch effort to stay in business, the International Fight League announced their next event today including a new fighting surface.
Rumors had been floating around over the past few weeks that the upcoming May 16 IFL event at the Mohegan Sun in CT could be the IFL’s last show. Today, however, the IFL announced their next event, the “IFL Summer Throwdown” to be held August 15 in New Jersey.
What is more important in the event announcement is the IFL’s announcement of “The Hex.” According to the IFL, the show in NJ
…will also feature the world debut of “The HEX”, the IFL’s brand new six-sided ring. This is the future fighting surface for all of MMA. To introduce this new era in fighting, the IFL Summer Throwdown fight card will present the most explosive Mixed Martial Arts action the East Coast has ever seen!
So there you have it; the IFL’s attempt to stay afloat - a six-sided ring called “The Hex.” Gimmicky? Yes. Cliche? Absolutely. Will it work? Absolutely not. Really it’s too bad the IFL has come to this.
** UPDATE **
Here is the official IFL writeup about “The Hex” and a few high-res images:
Sounds like the “Yamma” idea Bob M. came up with to try and gain attention. I don’t see this working either. What the IFL needs to do is be aggressive and sign some good fighters. I think people care less about the fighting surface and more about the fights themselves. If it helps them make a come back I’m all for it but getting better talent would do better in my opinion. With the UFC cutting guys there has to be a few willing to make a move to there.
lol no kiddin how lame…all this smaller wuss promotions that have shows every 3 or 4 months need to han it up…I say ufc and dream stick around and hve fun!!! scumbags!!!
WHAT THE HELL MAN WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME?
i like the ropes, ive always been a fan of ropes over cage i have no idea why but i do.
I’m completely with you on the rope thing. I actually like the the 6 sided rope ring idea….just not the IFL. Ropes do several things I find good. One they are not that easy to lean on…UFC more often than not clench against the fence, and restrict the opponents movements. Lots of fights turn into he can shove the other guy into the fence and keep him pinned there. Ropes also encourage more restarts, whether it be standing, or in the same position. It pauses the fight and makes the fighter rethink his position, and ultimately giving the guy on bottom more room to maneuver. Having ropes takes the cage as a weapon techniques almost completely out, allowing a much more natural fight. Lastely, and this just purely cosmetic, I think the cage still carries the “Human **** fighting” stigma with it.
funny im guessin ya came up w that rj haha u stud….
well that didnt take long lol how did you ever guess lol.
leben gets 35days lol
huh 35 days thats funny, my buddy once got 35 days and he said to the judge “i can do 35 standing on my head” lol and the judge replied “well then i better give you another 35 to get back on your feet” lol.
scumbags?….. sorry guys im bored lol, i guess these not a lot to talk about until closer to some of the big fights…. oh well i guess i’ll use the internet for what it was really intended for… smut!
rj u perverted stud
Honestly im not sure if i like the care or ropes better.. both have pros nd cons. I think the most significant difference is the ability of fighters to stand up using the cage.
I like the ground game and its frustrating for guys who expend alot of energy to get a takedown only to have a guy get back up fairly easily using the cage. The thing is, this allows guys with weaker BJJ and wrestling skills to basically get back in the fight, instead of having someone like Sherk lay on top of them with no hope of escape.
The other thing is, when a guy is in trouble they always wrap their arms and body around the ropes hoping to stop the action and get a restart, get them out of trouble, get a small breather, etc.. With the cage, that wont happen, your stuck and the ref will not come to your rescue. Like Chuck vs Tito 1, Tito could have fallen through the ropes or something to stop the action and survive for a few more seconds. With his back to the cage though, he had nowhere to go short of climbing the fence and trying to escape in the crowd hehe.
Holding the fence or the ropes to avoid a takedown happens equally in both situations so not much difference there..
As for the IFL i agree with Mad, it wont make much difference and they should concentrate on signing talent instead of worrying about the surface.
Kevin Iole douchebag comment of the week..
“I’m a fighter and that’s what I’m supposed to do, fight,” said Hughes, who is remarkably free of the ego and demanding persona that define superstars in most sports. “They called me and needed me to fight. This is what I do, so of course I said yes.”
LOL do you even know who Hughes is Iole??
Another questionable comment by Iole
“And that’s why White has fallen for Silva the way a high school football star might for a sultry cheerleader.”
And you calling Wandy a ***** you nerd???
lol i think i have Iole figured out, he writes weird, random things that make you scratch your head but he scatters them threw out a story. maybe he does it just to keep you on your toes. it not a big issue for most because we know when hes full of sh*t, but the problem i have with him is newer fans reading his trash. if i was to ever meet Matt Hughes i kinda know what to expect (someone who thinks they are better then just about anybody) but someone like, lets say my Momma read that (she knows OF Hughes but know nothing about him) and then met him, she would be expecting a humble down to Earth guy and boy is that far from the truth. there is not a whole lot of truth being told by the press in all forms anymore from my local news paper right up to CNN and its sad that even sports writers are full of sh*t, aahhh whatever i guess thats why i like this site so much because at least Doc has the balls to say how he feels and im not gonna get banned from the site for saying how i feel.
yea iole is a scumbag