Theres + and - to both.. The ring seems to force the fight a bit more.. do to the fact that its smaller and you can cut someone off in the corner. Ropes are easier to see through which is good. But.. I hate the restarts when they get close to the ropes. I hate the people on the outside pulling on the ropes. The ring wasnt designed for MMA. The octagon is larger.. theres no restarts.. and you cant fall out. But the visibility isnt as good. Though if youre watching on TV.. the visibility issue is kind of moot.
I dont get why people call the cage a gimmick. Whats gimmicky about a cage? Its so fighters DONT FALL OUT.
I dont like the cage its just too coarse and gladitorial for me. This being said its quite annoying when you see the ring attendants pulling at the ropes.
Cage. It is very good for identity and to keep the action inside i.e. not going through ropes, under ropes etc
Cage, no ducking out of it, no falling through it, no small japanese men slapping at your hands, no question.
Cage, without a doubt. People are hear to fight. If someone runs you all the way over to the cage, and takes you down, then that is where the fight is. No ropes getting in the way, being reset, ect. that was annoying. It is part of the fight, pinning somone against the cage and opening up on them. A ring really doesn't make sense for a fight involving grappling, as people are bounding to go through the ropes, get trapped in or under the ropes, grab the ropes, and so forth. Makes it look like the WWE. The cage sets MMA apart from the other combat sports.
Cage, its unique to MMA and prevents those anoying actions, where the fighters have to get up and go in the middle and start over. It kiulls the momentum of the fight.
I used to like the cage, but after seeing guys leaning on it for 5 minutes at a time, the ring started to win me over. Plus, the ring looks more civilized, and I think the camera guys can do better work without a chain link fence.