Mixed Martial Arts for the Peacefully Inclined

Like it or not, humans are competitive creatures by nature.  Just look at some of the most popular things in American culture today.  Millions of people live and breathe for NASCAR – a “sport” in which people drive supercharged automobiles in circles for hours, burning up the earth’s dwindling resources at a breakneck pace.  Recently, Texas Hold‘em Poker has become all the rage.  Professional card sharks meet for a battle of wits, bluffing skills, and fancy mirrored sunglasses to see who will walk away with exorbitant sums of money for a few hours of matching up numbers and shapes.  Finally, we have the Iron Chef competition.  Two chefs face off in a frenzied flurry of slicing, dicing, barked orders to abused underlings, and ingredients that you and I will never serve in our homes in an attempt to create the most delectable meal and impress the taste buds of a small panel of judges.

I say fie on them all!

The only competition I’m interested in watching these days is mixed martial arts (MMA), or as it is commonly known in the U.S., ultimate fighting.  Well, I also enjoy a good demolition derby, but we’ll save that topic for another day when we know each other a little better.

Let’s get back to fighting, shall we?

At this moment, you’re probably scratching your head in confusion and wondering how a peace-lover like me can condone any sort of fighting.  Allow me to share some of my thoughts with you – I think a short question and answer session is in order for this portion of our discussion, just to get the ball rolling.

17. What exactly is mixed martial arts?

1. Mixed martial arts, or MMA for short, is a comprehensive sport that combines all varieties of martial arts (ju jitsu, kick boxing, etc.), striking, and grappling.  Competitors must be adept at more than one style of fighting in order to excel in MMA.

17. Isn’t MMA essentially a violent free for all, just shy of a gladiator match?

1. No!  Competitors must adhere to a strict set of rules set out by the sponsoring association.  In the early days of MMA, there were fewer rules than there are today.  However, as the sport has evolved, more rules have been put into place to ensure the safety of the fighters and to create a very professional, legitimate sport.  In fact, no one has ever died from participating in a sanctioned MMA match – which is more than can be said for boxing or NASCAR.

17. Isn’t there a lot of blood?

1. Yes, there is.  It happens sometimes when people strike each other forcefully; it cannot be avoided.  However, it usually isn’t as bad as it looks – even small cuts on the head can bleed profusely, creating the illusion of massive injury and carnage.  In any case, the referee and fight doctor do not hesitate to stop the fight if the cut is above the fighter’s eye, which can impair vision and create a hazardous situation for the fighter.  By far the bloodiest fight I’ve ever seen was the match between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin, on the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter (season one).

17. I’m still a little confused – just why is it you like to watch MMA?

1. In my opinion, MMA is about as pure a sport as you will ever find.  Each fight consists of two men, with very little equipment – just four-ounce gloves and hand wraps to stabilize the hand in most cases.  They meet each other in a ring or the octagon (depending on which fight circuit you’re watching), with a referee to oversee the match.  Fights consist of three or five five-minute rounds, and the fighters must have the skill to either submit or knock out their opponent, or the stamina to outlast them and win by the decision of the judges.  Rather than rely on protective equipment, a ball, or some other thing outside of themselves, the fighters are on their own.  If they don’t train hard enough, have an off night, or even just find their head at the wrong end of their opponent’s fist or foot, they won’t win.  It’s as simple as that.  Oh – did I mention the fighters are cute, too?  I can’t neglect that very important fact!

I didn’t just start watching MMA spontaneously one day on my own – I live with a man who is probably one of the world’s greatest MMA fans.  He’s been watching fights for as long as I’ve known him, and by default then, so have I.  To be perfectly honest, I’ve surprised myself with just how much I enjoy watching the fights, and as I continue to watch them, I learn more and more about techniques and the spirit of competition that drives these fighters to do what they do.

MMA has come a long way since the first official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993, when sixteen men from different disciplines battled tournament style to determine which fighting style would prevail.  There were few rules (though groin strikes and head butts were discouraged), no weight classes, and the fights could go on for an undetermined length of time.  In fact, the very first UFC fight ever included the exciting moment when sumo wrestler Teila Tuli’s tooth was seen flying from the octagon.  The original fight sponsors trumpeted the fact that the fights were essentially “no holds barred.”  Consequently, ultimate fighting was banned in nearly all 50 states.

Today, the UFC is working hard to stake their place in the hearts of sports fans everywhere.  It appears that they are succeeding.  UFC 59 will take place on April 15^th, and various non-championship events can be seen regularly on Spike TV.  Ultimate fighting has even joined the ranks of reality television, with season three of The Ultimate Fighter about to begin.  Sixteen fighters in two weight classes are chosen to compete over the course of several weeks in team and individual events to win a coveted UFC contract.    MMA is growing in popularity, and has recently been sanctioned in the state of California – opening up a whole new set of venues for fights to take place.

Lest you think that this is just some sort of American fad, think again.  MMA is hugely popular in Canada, Japan, Eastern Europe, and Brazil as well as the U.S.  Japan has its own fighting circuit, called Pride Fighting Championship.  The rules are slightly more lenient, the fighters compete in a smaller ring (as opposed to the UFC octagon), and in my opinion, the fighters seem to be just a bit more tough and scary.  There are plenty of Americans fighting in Pride, but the overall national makeup of the fighters includes many Russians, Brazilians, and Japanese competitors too.  Several of today’s champions in both Pride and the UFC are Russian and Brazilian.  Andrei Arlovski (Belarus) holds the current heavyweight title in the UFC, Fedor Emelianenko (Ukraine) holds the Pride heavyweight title, and Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) holds the Pride middleweight championship.  As MMA is evolving, so are the fighters.  Every one of these champions, and most of their challengers, are skilled in a variety of fighting disciplines.  They must be able to strike, kick, and grapple.  Though fighters generally have strengths and weaknesses, gone are the days when a fighter would know only one fighting style.  Without flexibility and adaptability, a fighter will be crushed.  There is no alternative.

So – where does this leave us?  I’ve shared a few of my thoughts about fighting, and a bit of factual information as well.  Yet, I feel as if I’ve only scratched the surface.  Despite my enjoyment in watching grown men battle with each other until one is knocked out or can no longer intelligently defend himself, I am still unequivocally for peace.  How can this be?  In my mind, if willing participants wish to meet in the ring to test their strength, stamina, and will – so be it.  If they wish to strike, kick, and take each other to the ground – so be it.  It is far preferable to the madness we call war that is far too often the way in which disputes are settled.  Imagine if differences between countries were settled by a meeting between the best fighters in the land, instead of a war involving thousands of people, many of whom have little or no interest in the petty politics between world leaders.  Imagine if the leaders themselves had to meet in the ring to settle their issues.  The world might just be a very different place than it is today.  Fighting is an outlet that is too often stifled.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m not for people just running around beating up on whoever they please.  It’s very clear to me that that method doesn’t work on a small scale or a big scale.  But when two people wish to face off with only their own bodies to work with – so be it.

War in the ring only – peace on earth.  – Wanderlei Silva