Ultimate Fighting Championship

by Alex F.

16 years ago, 86,000 people tuned in UFC 1 to watch a cage match between athletes of different combat backgrounds. In the center of a grungy sports arena, the start up organization UFC, had fashioned an eight-sided cage covered in chain link fencing. They called it the octagon, an inescapable proving ground for modern civilizations first “Ultimate Fighters.”

Today way call the sport mixed martial arts or MMA because it combines disciplines of all combat sports. In 1993 UFC 1 was not marketed as a sport however, the banner was covered in slogans like “there are no rules!” This was not actually true the fighters were limited by state of Colorado to no biting, eye gouging or fish hooking (a nasty move where the an opponent is given lip ripper with the aggressor’s fingers. UFC might have been destined for an eternity of seedy underground venues filled with belligerent fans if it wasn’t for the very first tournament champion Royce Gracie. Much to everyone’s surprise Royce was not a muscle bound behemoth utilizing head butts and groin strikes. The un-intimidating 175 pound Royce Gracie walked into the cage wearing a white karate suit called a gui. His facial expression set in stone and eyes never blinking he tore through his first eleven fighting specialists. Every one of his opponents were forced to pound on the mat until the wily Brazilian let go their neck, arm or any appendage that he had gotten a hold of. His patented style of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu baffled his opponents but inspired a new generation fighters.

Royce Gracie’s artful display of Jui-Jitsu failed to sway the mind of Senator John McCain. McCain, an ex-boxer, was disgusted by that fact that combatants were striking while on the ground. He famously dubbed the UFC, “Human cock-fighting.” Perhaps McCain was one of the first to see MMA as threat to the sport of boxing. After his public dismissal of UFC, everyone from protective mothers to cable executives jumped on the bandwagon and in 2000 the UFC was taken of television. Soon after 36 states passed laws against sanctioning MMA including New York (where it remains illegal). Current UFC president Dana White who is as volatile, passionate and vulgar any stressed chef is responsible for the rise of the new UFC out of the ashes. He began marketing the fighter’s skill instead of violence and enacted many rules making it the organized sport it is today. He put in place judges, made bouts last 3, 5-minute rounds, and established five weight classes of fighters. Unfortunately there is still a stigma attached that the company has been trying to shake since its questionable beginning. The mainstream press writes with a clear opinion that the UFC is still comparable to street fighting. The Washington Times’ title reads, “UFC’s Ultraviolent Bouts Gain Fans’ Acceptance” The criticism is not original however; the UFC is a staple topic for any mother looking for a good rant.

I have heard my mother on countless occasions ask me “how could you like this?” I can hear the pain in her voice as if I had taken up a hobby of torturing animals. My dad who was just a second ago sitting on the couch cheering with me for BJ Penn to choke a guy out, now turns into a worried parent and agrees with my mom. My only response to this question is, “how couldn’t you?” Imagine that you are in central park, there is a soccer game going on in one field. Fifty feet away there is a softball game and a little further down some kids are shooting hoops. Let’s say that a fight breaks out between two people in the stands of the softball game. Which event are you going to watch? I bet it’s not the softball game. No matter how much we try lie to ourselves, humans are inherently violent, it is simply in our nature.

This recent explosion of the UFC is baffling parents, critics, and especially boxing promoters. The UFC is on the verge of overtaking boxing and with events every month it won’t be long. The event in Philadelphia that The Washington Times focused on drew a 3.5 million dollar gate. Dana white has taken the defunct organization to a Forbes ranked billion dollar company. To me it makes complete sense that within ten years MMA has become the fastest growing sport on earth. It appeals to something deeply rooted in every human, instincts that aren’t acted upon in today’s modern society. We no longer fight for food or to prove dominant status but anyone can tune in to the UFC and see two men compete in the truest form. There is something about the honesty of MMA, it is the purest sport on earth. We are part of a generation who doesn’t have the time to sit and watch a full nine innings of baseball. The youtube generation demands instant results and the UFC is ADD compatible. No fight will last longer than fifteen minutes and by the end there will be a winner and a loser.

Ever since the dawn of time, species, especially those with two x chromosomes, have fought. In fact MMA is the oldest sport on earth, Greeks in 648 BC practiced pankration which is essentially MMA with a few less rules. The champions were received as god among men. Royce Gracie is a god among men and women in the world of MMA. He became the first fighter inducted into the UFC hall of fame. The latest is Chuck Liddell, his iconic Mohawk is synonymous with the letters UFC. Reading blogs on the UFC.com article about his retirement showed the true admiration that his fans have for him. Josh85 writes, “Damn Chuck gave us all some great fights and I will sure miss that nasty right hand…Best wishes to Chuck Liddell.” UFC champions become iconic because they do what we are so terrified to try yet desperately want to. They are the bad ass, pro-athlete, charismatic celebrity, and karate kid all rolled into one. What does Chuck have to say about his fame? “I think the reason people like me is because I’ll fight anybody, anywhere, I don’t talk bad about people that don’t deserve it.” Thanks Chuck, that’s just what we wanted you to say.