Modern Day Gladiators

        
           Ladies and gentlemen… this bout is three rounds in the UFC light-heavyweight division. Introducing first and fighting out of the blue corner; this man is a free style fighter, standing six feet, three inches tall and weighing in at two hundred and five pound, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, Forrest Griffin!!!

Introducing second and fighting out of the red corner; this man is a sub-mission fighter, standing six feet, two inches tall, weighing in at two hundred five pounds, fighting out of Huntington Beach, California. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz!!!

As we all gazed upon the big screen TV nestled into the far corner of the Florence Hooters, you could feel the anticipation growing amongst the crowd. The second fight in the epic saga of Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz. The two men stood in their respective corners, eagerly awaiting the opening bell so that they could begin their onslaught of the enemy standing before them. Men? These were no mere men. These were larger than life, mythic figures, the epitome of athleticism; modern day gladiators set to do battle in the coliseum known as the octagon. For the next five minutes, these two warriors would strike, kick, wrestle, and submit each other in an effort to prove who between them was truly the best, most well rounded fighter.

 From the very beginning, we all knew it was going to be a slugfest, fought out long and hard till the bitter end. This one was going to go the distance. They touched gloves, and walked back to their sides of the squared-circle. As the camera zoomed in upon their faces, you could see a kind of quiet, almost stoic rage building behind their calm facades.

DING!!!!!!

Hell was unleashed with the ringing of that bell. The two motioned towards each other and began their attack. Back and forth, it went. Big right hooks, uppercuts, leg kicks. The two men swinging and striking with everything they had, imposing their physical will upon their counterpart. Just as we all had thought, the fight went into the third and final round, and with neither man gaining a knock out or a tap out, the winner was left for the judges to decide.

The judges have scored the round 30-26, and your winner by decision, FORREST GRIFFIN!!!

As I stood up, pumping my fist in the air, I took a look around the restaurant, which had now erupted into a frenzied commotion. Men were high fiving one another, bumping fists, and jabbing back and forth in mock fighter-stances reenacting key moments from the bout. Others, sat there, stunned that their hero, their warrior, their champion of champions, had come crashing down from the heights of stardom and domination of the sport.

For me, this was the culmination of a four hour experience full of chicken-wings, fight predictions with my friends out our table and the drunken men around us, cute waitresses, and the great company of some of my closest friends. We had arrived at Hooters a little before eight that evening just before the major crowd started filing in. We sat on the edge of our seats for every fight, demolishing plate after plate of fried pickles, cheese sticks, and the king of American unhealthy foodstuffs, hot wings. We talked amongst ourselves, pointing out the different strengths and flaws of each set of fighters until finally it was time for the main event and the highlight of the evening… Griffin v. Ortiz.

This is just one small example of how extremely popular the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) as a whole have become today, not only here at home in the States, but around the world. The UFC isn’t just pay-per view events every few weekends, but an entire industry in and of itself. Video games, such as THQ’s UFC 2009 Undisputed, clothing lines such as “Tapout” and “Cagefighter”, as well as hit the hit TV shows The Ultimate Fighter and UFC Fight Night Live are all examples of the growing popularity of the sport, and conversely, have all done wonders to increase the growing interest and demand for the product that brands such as UFC and Strikeforce provide.

Slowly, but surely, MMA is becoming one of the most watched sporting events in the nation today. In a spring 2007 poll done by ESPN, the UFC 71 event, Chuck Liddell versus Rampage Jackson, thirty two percent of those polled chose the fight as the most anticipated event coming up that spring. Thirty percent chose the NBA conference finals; fourteen percent voted the Stanley Cup finals, the Indy 500 had thirteen percent of voters, and the Nextel series race at Charlotte garnered eleven percent of the votes.

Let’s rewind a few months. I, myself, was one of those people who didn’t feel that mixed martial arts was a sport. To me, it didn’t really take too much effort to become a UFC fighter. You get in there; you punch the other guy a couple times, and choke him out for the win. Game over. Nothing to it. Just a bunch of ignorant men beating the hell out of each other with reckless abandon. I had never really sat down and watched an MMA event. My knowledge of the sport was limited to quick glimpses and highlights of fights showing the winner, bruised and bludgeoned, with his hand held high as the loser, broken and bloody, sat in his corner looking like he was about to keel over and die. “Where’s the sport in that,” I thought to myself.

To me, boxing was a real man’s sport, where only the greatest, truest athletes could make it. A combination of both grace and raw athleticism, boxing was the true gentlemen’s sport in my eyes. Names such as Jack Dempsey, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard evoked images of men who were larger than life and truly the best of the best in terms of sheer athleticism.

My opinion changed one Saturday night when my aunt invited me over to her house to watch the fight with my uncle and several of their friends. It was a dull December night, nothing much was going on, and the fight night parties always sounded like lots of fun. I figured, why not, nothing to lose, right? As I walked into the basement, I saw a group of familiar faces gathered around the big screen TV, each of them rooting and cheering for the two fighters slugging away on the screen.

I took a seat next to my uncle just as the next bout was set to start. Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira closed towards each other, touched gloves, and walked back to their respective corners. What I then saw was the most impressive example of athleticism that I had seen in all my 18 years of sports fanaticism. The two men swung hay makers left and right, shot for take downs, and engaged in the clinch back and forth, each man trying to jockey for position, fighting as if their lives depended on it. Back and forth the battle raged with no man gaining a clear advantage over the other. All the feelings of anticipation and emotion that had captivated me while watching the great fights of boxing greats Holmes and Tyson flooded over me again now, except this time they were more intense and more profound than any I had felt previously during those fights. I found myself enthralled within the fight, heart pounding, eyes chasing back and forth across the screen, and anticipation and excitement growing inside with every right hook and knee to the midsection.  Suddenly, Mir rocked his opponent with back-to-back straight lefts to the face and followed his opponent to the ground to finish him off.

I credit this fight to my now die-hard following of the UFC. To me, this fight showcased all of the finest athletic qualities and traits. Strength, agility, accuracy, endurance, and speed… these men had them all. They pushed their bodies to the very limits, and channeled all of their athletic skills and abilities into the will to win. These men were some of the greatest competitors and athletes I had ever seen, and their fight thrilled me to no end.

But why has mixed martial arts become such a popular form of entertainment in today’s society? Why are more and more individuals experiencing the same thrills and excitement that I felt that night? Some critics and fans alike give credit to the ever-increasing violence present in the world around us. The evening news describes scenes of murder and rape on the streets of our local communities. Rappers, such as 50 Cent and Lil’ Wayne, glamorize the “kill or be killed” lifestyle of the inner cities and ghettos of America.  Movies, such as the Saw series, and video games like, Grand Theft Auto, allow players to become rogue warriors, hell bent on missions of societal destruction and domination. All of these factors, they say, point to the ever-increasing interest in the more violent, combat oriented sport that is MMA.

More violent? Stepping into the octagon is more violent and more socially unacceptable than other sports? One need only to take a look at several of America’s favorite past times to disprove this notion. In football, athletes are trained to hit, strike, and blindside their opponents in order to achieve victory. Hines Ward of the Steelers hit on Bengals’ linebacker Keith Rivers in the 08’ season is a perfect example. Rivers was forced to sit a majority of his rookie season with a broken jaw sustained during the hit on the play. Hockey operates in a similar manner. Grown men throw their bodies full force at one another in an effort to rock their counterparts to the very core. Basketball and basketball aren’t violent sports? Former University of North Carolina basketball player Tyler Hansbrough sustained a bloody nose after taking a brutal, intentional elbow from a Duke basketball player during a game in 2007 season. In baseball, it is relatively common to see a pitcher whirl 90+ mile an hour pitches at opposing batters in order to send a message to the opposing team.

      Others have stated that the UFC intrigues them because it reminds them of a sort of street fight; a bare-knuckle, barbaric, blood sport reminiscent of bar fights and back alley brawls. One UFC fan had this to say; “I think above all, in MMA you have to REALLY fight. Boxing is not real fighting, in real life if some jerk wanted to fight you would you just stand there in box? NO! You would get that sucker down on the ground and try to ground n’ pound.” For her, the allure of the octagon was caused by the similar techniques in street fighting and those showcased by MMA fighters. This too, is one of the critic’s biggest arguments against the sport.

One needs simply to sit down and actually watch an MMA fight to see that this is no simple street fight. There is so much more tact and strategy used in mixed martial arts than in a backyard brawl. Fighters such as Randy Couture and Georges St. Pierre have made their careers by being technically sound fighters and brilliant strategists. For example, Couture, who is now forty-four years old, still competes in UFC events fighting opponents are often younger and bigger than he is, both of which are obvious disadvantages. Couture’s fight with Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 is a prime example of his skills and abilities. Sylvia stands six feet, eight inches tall, weighs in at the limit of two hundred sixty five pounds, and is thirty-three years old. Couture is just six feet tall and originally competed at two hundred five pounds. Couture ended up beating Sylvia by way of unanimous decision.

How did Couture beat the much bigger and younger Sylvia? Strategy. Couture analyzed Sylvia’s weaknesses and capitalized upon them. Sylvia obviously had a size advantage and consequently an advantage when it came to reach. Couture knew he couldn’t stand up and box with Sylvia outright. So, Couture had to work inside, keep it close and not allow his opponent to use his reach advantage. He simply couldn’t go out and brawl like one would in a street fight. He had to analyze his own strengths and weaknesses and those of his opponent, in order to find a way to win the fight.

Well if it’s not the increase violence in our society making the sport more popular, and it’s not the similarity to a street fight and everyday brawl that attracts viewers, then what it is it? Mixed Martial Arts fighters are truly the ultimate athletes and gladiators of today. Americans and people as a whole celebrate athletes for their abilities and their skills. We constantly push our bodies and ourselves to the extreme in an effort to prove who is truly the best. From an early age we are taught to be successful and to be strong competitors. We are taught to always give our best no matter the circumstance we are facing.

UFC fighters epitomize these traits and these abilities. One must possess a well-rounded set of skills in order to compete in the octagon. For example, if you as a fighter are very good at striking, but lack skills in submission, you leave yourself open to be submitted by your opponent. Or if you’re an exceptional stand up fighter, but aren’t as polished when fighting from the ground, you run the risk of being taken down by your opponent. These fighters possess all of the skills necessary to compete in athletic events; strength, stamina, speed, agility, mobility, and great strategy/technical skills. The UFC and MMA as a whole is really a celebration of athleticism today. Just as the gladiators of Roman times entered the coliseum set to do battle against their opponents, the same is true of mixed martial artists. These fighters go above and beyond the normal skill set for example of a boxer or a football player. They combine skills, such as wrestling, tae kwon doe, and Brazilian ju jitsu in an effort to become the best warrior in the squared circle. We as a nation celebrate and promote our best athletes, and mixed martial artists are just that... the very best.