[ShotgunOpera]

I wrote this for my Health class. Criticism welcomed.

Mixed martial arts, dating back to the early Olympic Games, has made a recent reappearance in today’s world. Since its professional start in 1993, mixed martial arts, or MMA, have climbed through years of skepticism and hate, either being compared to professional wrestling, or gladiatorial combat. This is what leads me to my topic. People, who have only seen an MMA fight once or not at all, compare it to things which it is not, without any backing or facts for that matter. They say that it’s fake, that people are pulling punches and taking falls, but in the very same comparison, people try to explain how they enter the ring and try to kill each other. So please, tell me how it is possible to pretend to hurt someone, and try to kill them in the very same action?

On April 9th 2005, Forrest Griffin fought against Stephan Bonnar for three full rounds, a total of fifteen minutes in the ring. This fight, won by Griffin, is generally considered the best fight of 2005. I was instantly hooked, and haven’t missed a UFC fight since. Being a controversial hotspot in the ways of Health, I thought it was only fitting to choose this as my topic, and explain my position on this debate. Although I don’t plan on participating in MMA events, if given the opportunity, I would jump at the chance.

Is mixed martial arts real? Is mixed martial arts safe? Both of these questions are monumental in determining the fiction from reality. When presented with the facts, they far outweigh the misconceptions about this sport. Will these people be safe while fighting, can they die, what’s to stop serious injury, all of these are perfect questions to be asking about this relatively new sport. However, all of these have answers, whether or not supporting or harming evidence on both sides is yet to be seen.

Being a big fan of mixed martial arts, whenever I hear some claim that it’s fake, I automatically jump into defensive mode. However, I only had a few facts to base this off of, other than what I could perceive from actually watching the sport. People compare MMA to WWE and TNA , while in all reality, it is far from it. MMA is a variety of martial arts, ranging from boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling, to judo, Muay Thai, Chute Boxe, and Sambo. These only scrape the top of the mixed martial arts styles, with many more combinations becoming present. You don’t just get wannabes from off the street, or people who think they can do well because they “knocked this guy out once.” You have Black-Belts, sometimes in multiple arts; you have Golden Glove boxers and Olympic wrestlers, all participating in MMA. No one questions boxing as a sport, no one says that Olympic wrestling is fake, but when you put the two together, does something magical happen to discredit it? Do boxers stop boxing and wrestlers stop wrestling because it becomes a mixed martial art by combining the two?

If it’s not all fake, it’s barbaric. “The whole point is to go into the ring and try to kill your opponent.” (Daniels) This isn’t exactly so, even though many people believe it to be. MMA is about entering your ring, and defeating your opponent, much like how in baseball, you must score more before the last inning. The only difference is the means of winning. KO , Submission, TKO , Referee Stoppage, Doctor Stoppage, Decision, DQ , and No Contest. Boxing has KOs and TKOs (No one complains), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has submissions (Yet again, no complaints), Referee and Doctor Stoppage are for the safety of the fighters, and disqualifications are to prevent illegal moves. Add in the extensive list of rules, and you get a simple equation. The only way someone can get seriously hurt is if they come into the fight unprepared, or they do not tap-out when they are in danger.

Referees who work for the various fighting organizations have extensive training and knowledge of the rules and regulations of the sport, there job to keep the fight clean and the fighters safe. Referees like “Big” John McCarthy, Herb Dean, and Steve Mazzagatti jump in when a fighter is knocked out, submits, or when they feel like the fighter can’t defend himself properly. With the skill these guys have, they have more than once reduced the potential amount of damage a fighter receives, or preventing bones from being broken. Adding in the various doctors that stand ringside to assure the fighter’s safety and you have the highest possibility of injury prevention.

Now, I’m not saying that MMA is a harmless sport. As with any contact sport, there are risks. There have been broken bones and torn muscles, and yes, concussions. However, have football players not broken bones as well? Baseball and basket players have torn muscles and dislocated bones. How many soccer players have received concussions? People say that death is common in MMA. “Our track record speaks for itself: not a single death in 13 years in the U.S. and only one death I’ve ever heard of, which took place at an unregistered show in Russia. The athlete involved had a pre-existing condition that most likely would have been caught by today’s medical screenings.” (Couture) Compare this one death, occurring during an illegal fight, to the 23 football related deaths that occurred in 2002. How is it that football, a professional, high school and college level sport, doesn’t fall under the same gun? " If children mimic these men, or bring what they do into play, then we have a problem. Then it's up to parents to explain that it's a show and that it isn't something you go round the corner and try out with your friends - because you can get hurt." (Jaffa) This quote makes me laugh when I read it. They are worried about kids fighting each other because they watched a sport on the TV. Is it not true that children who have not heard about MMA, or for that matter, before MMA was public or even existing, still got into fights? How many kids have broken collarbones from playing backyard football, or chipped teeth playing any other sport? It is not fair to say that kids will act violent or hurt themselves because of this sport, when kids always have gotten into fights and hurt themselves.

So how can someone further prove something is real, or something is civilized? Without listing a complete set of rules, guidelines, illegal moves and a referee handbook, statistics are the only way to prove that MMA isn’t as dangerous as led to believe. Now, in order to prove that he sport isn’t fake, you need to prove the violence. It’s a double-edged sword. Too much violence and its barbarism, not enough and it’s merely entertainment. Is it fake when a fighter is bleeding profuse blood from the head, or break their arm? Perhaps a stunning knockout is all it takes? Yet, broken bones and knockouts lead to the other end of the spectrum. Are these fighters blood-thirsty killers? You could ask the same about any sport where anyone on the playing field makes contact with another.

Do the fighter’s have adequate safety? Is MMA real? Are there sometimes injuries? The answer to all these is yes. However, the only way to get the correct answer is to take an unprejudiced point of view. If you go into MMA with the viewpoint of pure violence or unquestioning disbelief, then there is no persuasion technique available. I can see why people are skeptical, but these are high-intensity athletes. The training regime they put themselves through is unparalleled in any other sport. If you want to question MMA’s authenticity or safety, then you have to question every other sport where someone has the chance of being injured. The future for this sport is going to continue to grow, and these questions will always be present. There is no way to change everybody’s mind about mixed martial arts, not until it becomes more “mainstream” than the sports the people don’t have a problem with.

[project9191]

people love to HATE THE UFC

[ShotgunOpera]

...What did you think of it?

[ShotgunOpera]

ttt

[Eve]

ttt(K1man is a homo)

[prelude2pain]

Overall I thought you did a considerable job of defending MMA, the one thing I think you missed was the amount of training and preperation that goes into the sport. That's one thing that most casual fans seem to look past.

[OmnipotentLobst]

Does MMA dream of GNP sheep?

[ufcpfckotc]

mmkay...