Are five-round main event non-title fights good for the UFC?

http://www.mmamania.com/2011/7/24/2291424/are-five-round-main-event-non-title-fights-good-for-the-ufc

On the one hand, it would seem obvious that an extra two rounds would provide more time for closely contested fights to decide an eventual winner.

On the other, training will become more difficult and in turn, injuries are more likely to occur. Lord knows there have been enough injuries to last a lifetime.

On a recent episode of Inside MMA, Chris Leben (who will participate in the first five-round main event non-title fight against Mark Munoz at UFC 138) and Melvin Guillard gave their take on it. Here's Leben:

"Five rounds, you want to know how I feel about it, sucks. I'll be honest with you, I'm not stoked on the idea. But this is what we do, this is my job and this is what allows me to move up so I'm going to do what I gotta do."

And Guillard's take:

"I'm one of those guys, I'm a finisher. Training for five rounds will probably be the worst part of it. But actually going five rounds? I doubt if anybody fights me (it) goes five rounds. I think the good thing about it is that it prepares you mentally for a title fight. A lot of us, I haven't been in a five round fight. So when you step up to the stage and possibly after I knock out Joe Lauzon, they move me to number one contender or title shot, I have to fight a five round fight. I don't go into a fight thinking that I'm going to go the distance or going to finish it quick but it's good to be prepared."

i honestly think it's stupid, if you're going to dabble in then make every fight a 5 rounder

I think it's stupid also. They have enough belts now that every PPV should have a title match.

Yes

Im whatever on it. Cause from an entertainment perspective I don't see a big net gain, there are def negative aspects to 5 rnd fights. Such as guys pacing themselves early, and still tiring late making for 3 rnds of blah, as well as the extension of many fights which made for boring 3 rnd'rs.

But it does do 2 important things.

1)gives extra time to find a clear winner in a fight.

2)prepares contenders for title fights.

Leben is not a title contender and his fights usually have a clear winner so him being in a 5 rounder is pointless.

Everyone was like OMG yea. And now everyone is like OMG..oh...

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Everyone was like OMG yea. And now everyone is like OMG..oh...

I think you and I are the only ones that have been against it from the start.

i dont think i ever supported it

you're all soft

Soft because we think Leben-Munoz in a 5 rounder is gay?

YUP

I still say no. It's false that they mitigate any problem with fight results. They changed the wrong thing.

Because Chris Leben is in a five round fight it's not a good idea? On the whole five round main events are good. This gives future contenders experience in training for as well as fighting in a five round fight. That has been an advantage for champions for quite a while now. I'm not saying the only reason the current long standing Champions only win because they have been in five round fights before but it is certainly a disadvantage for someone who never trained for a five round fight before to have to do it while under the pressure of challenging for the belt.

It's a good thing for sure. We have been seeing more draws lately and five round fights definitely helps in cases where it was a dead heat through three rounds or a point deduction killed things for what would have been a winner.

well lets look at some previous main events in recent times and how they would of looked like had they been 5 rounds

machida vs page = machida by tko rd 5
franklin vs hendo = franklin by dec after 5 rds
tito vs forrest 3 = forrest by sub late rd 5
page vs evans = evans dec after 5 rds
fitch vs penn = fitch by tko rd 5
thiago vs evans = evans by tko or sub,thiago was just way too exhuasted

I have always been against 5 round non-title fights, but it isn't worth fighting about, so I don't.

They are a good thing, I don't get why people have a problem with this idea.