Upon initially discovery, I was instantly attracted to the unequalled competition of fighting. Raw athleticism unified with the integrated age-old teachings of martial arts has become a worldwide phenomenon. Two and a half years ago, I watched Mixed Martial Arts for the first time and was immediately puzzled at why I had only then discovered this awe inspiring and original sport. The young, versatile and ever evolving sport is the new face of combat, and it’s a great look. This game appears so simple but is intricate and deeply inspiring underneath the surface. The multiple holdings of this game synthesize perfectly to create the purest form of technique and strategy filled competition.
Uneducated critics may find it easy to write off MMA as a brutal and animalistic brawl but there’s no evidence MMA is more dangerous than any other of today’s professional sports. Zuffa, the parenting company of The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and has developed into a fully sanctioned and regulated association that insures all fighters even in training. Through the unified rules bred in New Jersey, this sport has become as safe as any. Zero deaths or serious injuries have occurred throughout its ten-year history.
The variety of disciplines within MMA gives the sport many dimensions and attracts the true passion of a quickly expanding fan base.
MMA involves interdisciplinary sports that fuse together to generate a unique competition. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing, muay thai, and Judo are the most prevalent constituents of the sport. Many fighters specialize in one style but unless they are proficient in all walks of the game they will not be successful.
One a fight is under way, both contestants begin on their feet as boxers and kick-boxers do. This causes all fights to start with the trading of blows in attempts to knock each other out, or down to transition the contest to the ground. A referee is closely watching both fighters, ready to physically break up the fighters and end the bout once either one has stopped intelligently defending themselves. A fight can have an entire round of constant back and forth strikes yet can completely shift with the following round turning into an exhausting grappling match on the mat. There is rarely any neutral or downtime in this smoothly flowing melee. Once the fighters have brought the fight to the canvas, the submission-grappling and wrestling begins. The striking match has then turned into a competition for a dominant position while each fighter works tirelessly to set up ground strikes or submissions. A submission occurs when one fighter catches the other in a chokehold or an arm or leg bar forcing them to tap on the mat signaling forfeiture. A strong wrestler will work hard at getting the fight to the ground, yet may find difficulty when he faces a boxing specialist who is attempting to keep the fight standing. This common clash of styles among mixed martial artists creates a riveting battle that provides entertainment for the entirety of all five-minute rounds (if it even goes the distance). Should a fight not end by knockout, or submission, the bout goes to a decision where three judges appointed by the state athletic commission render their scores deciding the winner.
These athletes essentially need to master five individual sports to prevail as a mixed martial artist. The well-rounded extreme athletes make MMA special and completely unique to all other sports today.
With the rapid and substantial development of MMA, it has earned itself a place atop all modern combat sports. It has a dedicated, young, and enthusiastic population of supporters that are so intrigued by this unparalleled new entertainment. I had watched just a handful of fights on late night Spike TV when I uncovered the sport just years ago. I had been left with small taste of MMA and was immediately desperate for more.
It was August 7th 2010 when I attended my first live UFC event in the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. I witnessed the middleweight champion Anderson “the Spider” Silva put his title on the line in an enthralling four and a half round war with the widely underestimated Chael Sonnen. The commanding champion was remarkably shut down for the first time in his UFC career. For the entire fight both standing up and on the ground, Silva was being dominated and the Oracle was put in shock. Silva’s record setting 11 fight UFC win streak was surely coming to an end that night. With only minutes left in the fight, disbelief struck Oakland when Chael Sonnen was overeagerly trying to knock Silva out from on top of the champ in the last round and left himself vulnerable. Anderson grabbed his opponent’s extended arm, and swiftly slapped his legs around the neck of Sonnen securing a tight triangle choke. I held my breath as if I was the one being choked, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when the hand of Chael Sonnen narrowly tapped out awarding the champion his 12th straight win in what was a truly exceptional comeback. Silva had retained his title against all odds. This four-hour span gave me just a small taste of what this sport had to offer. I was hooked.
Ranging from three to four times per month, the UFC produces fights chock-full of talent as I continue my two-year streak of having never missed an event. This passion has sparked my mission to spread the knowledge of this often-misconceived sport. The young and intelligent students at Chapman University are dead center in the evolving MMA demographic and would certainly benefit by reading about the world’s fastest growing sport in the world. With the immense popularity of this sport already making rounds through the student body here at Chapman, the interest, appreciation, and appetite for MMA will only grow once the students read about it in The Panther.
My first experience with MMA changed my outlook on athletics as a whole and I have since become an extremely interested fan, analyst, and student of the game. This multidimensional game provides such exciting entertainment and every time it is watched, brand new knowledge is right there to digest. This sport has earned its spot with the most mainstream sports network recently signing a deal with Fox Sports, yet amazingly this is only the beginning. MMA is the world’s fastest growing sport for a reason, and learning what it has to offer can unearth a passion in anyone who had no idea ever existed.
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