Jesus Didn’t Tap
There is something intriguing about MMA (click if you’re out of the loop)… It’s modern day Gladiators with a few rules. I’ve been pretty adamant against the UFC/WEC popularity for a few reasons, the biggest being how imitative the sport is. There are stories and videos of kids/teenagers staging their own MMA bouts with no adult supervision… basically backyard brawls leaving kids battered, bruised, and bloody.
But, there is a reason MMA is the fastest growing sport in America so I wanted to give it a fair shake. I think part of my disgust with it came about because my exposure to it is YouTube videos and Outside the Line specials, both of which are only going to show the most gruesome of moments. Last night was supposed to be a big night in the WEC series. Four fights, two of which were championship matches, including the much anticipated Faber vs Pulver.
I think i can sum up the effect of the night with two short sentences:
1) “I was wrong” - In the sense that it is a bit barbaric and the Aughts version of gladiator games I am probably still right. In the sense that it is imitative? Yeah, it is… but the more I watched the more I realized that the guys that are going to imitate this are already fighters. They’re the guys at school who already act tough, who already don’t back down, and who already probably cause problems. This isn’t to say that all MMA guys are “bad guys” but there are gyms where you can, as a teenager, go and train in MMA… The ones that stage the illegal backyard brawls are not the type to go to the gym anyway. The ones that want to do it right are going to go about it the “right” way… with exceptions on both sides.
Also, it’s not as gruesome as I thought. Yeah, it looks painful and there are a lot of “holy crap!” moments… plenty of turn your head moments and the gut-wrenching “just stop the dang fight!” moments… but i never thought someone was about to die or have a bone break in half.
2) “I’m hooked” - I could never do that crap. I’d tap out as soon as my opponent walked towards me (even though the banner behind one of the guys said “JesusDidn’tTap.Com“, i’d still have to tap (please forgive me Lord)). I’m a fan of a good boxing match, but the square ring action doesn’t even come close to comparing to the octagon action. These guys are skilled, its not just wild-arse beatdowns.
I don’t like that I like it though I never thought it was wrong to enjoy it… and I still don’t like certain aspects of it… but at least now that I’ve given it a chance, I understand the appeal and understand the proponents.
So, anyone wanna join me next week?
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My wife and I are not sports fans by trade. (Our hobbies are dancing and music respectively.) But the one thing we both do not miss is the UFC. I missed the initial WEC showing. I heard it’s like the UFC’s little brother. We initially got hooked in The Ultimate Fighter. It’s the only “reality show” we’re in and hooked to each week and the fighters are a bit more raw than the actual fights. Like College ball versus the Pros
Anyway, glad you’re a new fan! You just missed probably one of the best Ultimate Fighter Season Finale’s on Spike this past Sat. Google the Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner fight. It was amazing!
I am glad you are learning to appreciate MMA. I don’t think modern MMA is barbaric. I found there are two types of MMA fans: those who want to see violence and those who like the more intellectual aspects of MMA. Boxing was already called the “sweet science” by many who train it. Jiu-Jitsu is even more like a chess match on the ground with much just as much strategy, counters and recounters, and honorable checkmate (tap out). Like its predecessor Judo, Jiu-jitsu teaches respect and discipline with the ultimate goal of making people better human beings.
The smaller gloves, earlier stoppages, and consequence of adding grappling makes the incidence of severe injury in MMA much less than boxing or kickboxing. The gloves still protect fighter’s hands while requiring them to be more precise and thoughtful with their strikes. The addition of wrestling and grappling means they have to temper their strikes unless they are taken down and put into a compromising position.
Despite appearances, there are many rules that affect the strategy one uses. Different organizations allow different amounts of time on the ground, a cage gives different advantages and disadvantages compared with a ring, time limits are often different depending on the organization, and rounds are scored differently depending on the rules of the organization. In the UFC, for example, the goal is not just to beat up your opponent or make him tap out. You earn points for positional control, dictating the pace of the fight, inflicting damage, getting close to a submission (which causes the other fighter to defend - it won’t necessarily cause damage then), scoring takedowns, or establishing a good position. Instead of inflicting 8-15 rounds of blunt trauma as in boxing, MMA matches are only 3-5 rounds and about establishing control over the opponent .
For these reasons, I feel MMA is not very barbaric. The advertising that the UFC uses are often lame. e.g. They even use a mock gladiator at the beginning. However, the fights themselves are usually highly technical affairs involving strategy and intelligence. Usually fighters show great sportsmanship to each other and come from respectful backgrounds. There will always be those who just want to see blood and guts. But most long-term fans appreciate the more pure aspects.