StrikeForce And No Elbows Rule On The Ground

StrikeForce has a lot of good things going for them; they've built a decent stable of fighters to compete, they have Fedor, managed to get their cards on Showtime and CBS, and overall seem to be heading in the right direction. But one thing StrikeForce needs to incorporate into their league is allowing the use of elbows on the ground.

Obviously, there are pros and cons when it comes to elbows on the ground:

Pro: Allowing elbows on the ground makes each fight much more dynamic, and gives fighters more ways to win a fight. Not only does it make the sport more 'pure,' allowing elbows on the ground would fit other models, such as the UFC. In the event a fighter has to transition himself into another league, the rules would be the same as they were when that fighter competed in the other organization. Fighters fighting under another banner wouldn't have to redevelop their game.

Con: Allowing no elbows on the ground, such as StrikeForce, makes the ground game more pleasing on the eye. Having the no elbow rule makes fighters more busy, and you get less lay-n-pray; in order for fighters to do damage from the top position, they need to get space in order to punch - which ultimately makes for more submission opportunities for the opponent on the bottom. The no elbow rule also reduces the chance of a fight ending because of a cut. How many times have we seen fighters cut by sharp elbows? A lot.

As you can see, there is an argument to be made for both rules. Personally, I'd like StrikeForce to allow elbows on the ground. The unified rules of MMA in North America is already established, so there is no reason for StrikeForce to limit the rules which are already in place. Allowing elbows on the ground adds to each fighters' game. The more dynamic a fighter and his game plan the better, in my opinion.

An interesting thought occurred to me while contemplating the pros and cons of the no elbow rule; how would Fedor do if elbows were allowed? He's able to pull off arm bars left and right on the ground, because his opponent creates space in order to inflict his own damage; if elbows are allowed, Fedor probably has more problems on the ground. Could this possibly be one of the reasons that influenced Fedor's decision on signing with StrikeForce, instead of the UFC?

Whatever the case, I'm in favor of StrikeForce allowing elbows on the ground.