Hey MMA Crew...
Admittedly, I know dogshit about MMA, but I'd love to get into it. Right now I'm lurking the MMA section and reading all I can from you guys, but what else should I know or do to get fully immersed in the sport. What shows/channels do I watch? Where can I go online to catch fights. What websites keep me up with things? Etc. Etc.
Whatcha got? Hmmmm
The biggest thing is to watch anything and everything you can get your hands on. That's the easiest way to get into it. Don't just limit yourself to UFC. There are a lot of exciting and high-level fighters that fight elsewhere.
Bellator is on MTV2 on Saturdays.
M-1 Global and Strikeforce are on Showtime on Saturdays.
UFC usually has re-runs of older fights at various times through the week, normally in the evening.
If you have HDNet, they display fights damn near every weekend from DREAM, Sengoku, Titan FC, and Maximum FC.
Shooto, Pancrase, DEEP, are more difficult to get a hold of. You can usually find the bigger fights on Youtube if you know who to subscribe to.
If you are versed in torrents, you can find most major organization events in their entirety on the internet on the right sites.
Do yourself a favor and watch a shitload of PRIDE. It was the best fighting organization ever. You get to watch quite a few of the guys currently in the UFC back in their primes under a different rule set. Lots of classics and exciting fights here.
Recommended websites (links in names):
1.
BloodyElbow - Best MMA blog on the internet. I highly recommend that you find their Judo Chop section and read every single one of them. So much nifty knowledge packed into them with GIFS.
2.
MMAFighting - Daniel Herbertson and Ariel Helwani are two of the best guys going. Avoid Michael David Smith like the fucking plague. He's a hack journalist.
3.
Nightmare of Battle - Always brings the most up-to-date news from Japan.
4.
MiddleEasy - Brings a variety of news and rumor with a twist of humor.
5.
MMALinker - Has really good forums.
6.
The Underground - A pretty famous forum. Lots of fighters and personalities like Joe Rogan post occasionally.
7.
BestMMATorrents - If you're looking for an older event or fight to download via torrents, chances are this place has it.
8.
DJSexStyle (Youtube) - This guy has been a godsend for those who try to follow smaller JMMA and Kickboxing shows. He doesn't upload full events, but the does post various notable fights from various cards. Lots of gems in here.
9.
MMA-Core - If a recent major organization fight (especially UFC) has been uploaded to the internet, these guys likely have a working link for it. Their archives are a bit spotty, though, depending on who you're looking for.