I guess it all depends on how you look at it. If you look at it from the standpoint of MMA being a sport, then I would say you should go with a ring. Since it is a sport, you want an arena that enables fighters to display their abilities and gives no advantage to either fighter. In a cage you are able to stack your opponent against a cage and give a grapler less room to work. Guys like Evan Tanner, Randy Couture, and Matt Hughes use this tactic almost every time they fight. To me, I don't want the type of arena people are fighting help decide the fight. I want the skills and abilities of the fighters to decide the fight. Because of this, I think the ring is a better choice.
I don't agree with the argument that in a ring fighters are able to grab to the ropes to prevent a takedown. Fighters grab the ropes in a ring just like they grab the fence or top of the fence in a cage. In both cases these actions are illegal and dealt with accordingly if excessive. Unfotunately grabbing the ropes or fence is not something we can get rid of beacause it is just natural instinct to grab on to something if you are being taken down.
To me it just seems that the ring provides the most level playing field for fighters.
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