I am sure most of you if not all of you have heard of this relatively newfangled sport called MMA. That is, mixed-martial-arts fighting. Now, this sport happens to be my favorite by far. I mean, when I was younger I followed Baseball and Boxing. Now, I pretty much just watch MMA when it comes to any sport out there. I can't recall when was the last time I watched a baseball game, or even a boxing match, which was probably a year ago or longer. This sport has been taking up more and more viewership over the years on television, and it was only about three years or so ago when it started airing on a major broadcast network, Fox. Before then it was a cable only, and only on one channel, Spike. Now it is a major recognized sport, nationally, being covered by ESPN sports writers and news outlets. There are 2 other big MMA organizations that have sprung up, just in the last 3 years, WSOF, on NBC and Bellator on the Spike network (actually Bellator has been around for 6-7 years I think before they got a contract on cable). I mean, the sport is pretty much mainstream now, and it's getting more and more popular. Some of you may have heard about the case of the MMA fighter, nicknamed War Machine, brutally assaulting his girlfriend, porn actress Christy Mack, and then fleeing the scene and becoming a fugitive on the run, in the news recently. I watch MMA for the high quality fighting and the great matchups and things like that, but there is a certain violence-craving, blood-sport type of aspect associated with it, and that is also what gets it a lot of viewership, particularly among young males. It is like we are at that stage of civilization when the public is so decadent and hungry for violence and action that we come up with a gladiator type of games to satisfy these particular entertainment lusts, just like the Roman Empire did. Do you guys think that this new sport of MMA is exciting, inappropriate, a fad that got out of control and will go away, or going to take over the American sports scene (especially boxing)?
We may be past the heyday of MMA but they're still pushing it to be main stream. The memories of the drama surrounding boxing are still too fresh and it's starting to become a part of MMA as well. When people start making the claim that fighters are ducking tough fights because it hurts their chances at a title fight, we're right back in what made boxing lose its favorability. As an underground sport, there wasn't a lot of money in the business, now that there's UFC fights nearly ever week that money is corrupting what made the sport good to begin with. Want to see John Jones fight? Me too, but when they have to hype the fighters to the point that they hurt each other in a press conference, there's a problem.
No, can't watch it. I'm no sissy, but violence for its own sake isn't entertaining to me (and I never could stand Joe Rogan). Seeing the bouts between women is especially cringe-making.
In my favorite sport American Football there are injuries but name of the game is not hurting others. It just sometimes happens.
Watching MMA for the sake of just the violence is up to the viewer, but the sport isn't about bloody entertainment (although some promoters try to make it look like it is), it's about great fights, tough athletes displaying their skill, the result of diligent, hard training etc. That's how I watch it, as a sports event, not to get some weird blood-sport kicks (I don't really enjoy KO compilations and don't search YouTube for MOST BR00TAL KO'S EVAH!!! or anything). I've trained martial arts and combat sports since I was 6, so I love watching those athletes showcasing their skill. Those who watch it just for the violence's sake... I don't understand them. I know women's MMA isn't yet on the same level as men's, mostly due to the persistent lack of female fighters and lack of opportunities for those women who do take up the sport, but there are quite a few very skilled women out there. That being said, apart from the small number of virtuoso women in MMA, what makes it cringe-making? It's just two women competing within set rules to see who's more skilled at their chosen sport. What's wrong with that?
I watch MMA for the sport factor. I kind of see it from a practicioner's POV instead of a layman's looking for drama and bloodsport entertainment, I guess. I do feel like it's started veering towards show-wrestling type of drama, though, which I find somewhat ridiculous, but on the other hand, I mostly ignore that side and focus on the athletism. MMA superstars like Rhonda Rousey are incredibly skilled and distinguished in their sports (like judo) despite their embarrassing media antics. I admit, nostalgia may have taken the best of me, the fights that truly blew me away were in Pride and early 2000s UFC (don't much care for the earliest fights unless you count the Gracie stuff), but I still more or less follow the sport and the UFC, and check out the more interesting fights.
If you're a mixed-martial artist and you get your butt kicked in a fight that you lose, it must be embarrassing getting pummeled in front of lots of fans.
A few of my friends are pretty big into MMA. I am not a big fan of sports in general and this is my attitude with MMA as well. I respect these guys are in great physical shape and have amazing fighting skills, but I just don't get any satisfaction out of watching the fights. My friends have tried to get my interested by showing me highlight clips from big fights and it still doesn't excite me. I do think it gives young guys a way to feel like a badass by living through their favorite fighters. Also, it helps young guys fill up their closets with TapOut and UFC t-shirts.
It would be even better if said young guys got inspired enough to take those TaopOut shirts, pick up a pair of MMA gloves, and head to the nearest MMA club to train. Few people realize how fun it is until they try it. That's where the real enjoyment of watching the fights come from: when you train martial arts or combat sports yourself, you gain a new appreciation for watching how the professionals do it. I've learned quite a few tricks I've been able to implement into my skill set from watching fight videos.
reading this makes me miss the days i was practising Shotokan (a type of karate) have any of you seen Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? damn that shits crazy sometimes!
