Cages may be the standard for American MMA, but that doesn't mean fighters aren't advancing the game all over the world, with the help of a ring.
So, if you've listened to me talk, or read what I've written for any length of time, you've probably heard me bring up the MMA meta-game at least once. It's that ever evolving undercurrent of technical skills that make up the shifting landscape of what it means to be an MMA fighter. At one point, BJJ was the height of where it was at. For a while, puffy brawlers in tank tops ruled the world.