UFC 60, and MMA in general

UFC 60 was last weekend, and while we watched most of it live, we Tivo‘d the rest. Since then I have watched it twice. It was a great showing of a great sport. If you don’t know, UFC stands for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This is a sports league (Not unlike the WBA for boxing) that focuses on an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) style of fighting. Read on if you are interested…
A lot of people still don’t know about, or understand UFC and MMA as it is today. The ones that do remember the bloody, gladiator style tournaments of days gone by. Here is a little introduction into what MMA IS and IS NOT:

WHAT MMA IS:

• The future of competitive fighting, worldwide.
• Completely legit. It has yet to be invaded by the promoters such as Don King, who have destroyed a lot of the credibility of today’s boxing associations.
• Much safer for fighters in the long run. The lack of padding for most MMA gloves assure that fighters don’t get hit hundreds of times like boxers do, causing “punch drunk” brain damage.
• Incredibly technical. It has been shown time and time again that brute strength means nothing against a well-rounded fighter trained in all aspects of MMA fighting.

WHAT MMA IS NOT:

• Wrestling.
• A no holds barred competition. The rules are strict to ensure fighter safety.
• Boring. There are no 12-15 round fights. Most fights are 3 - 5 minute rounds. Title fights are 5 - 5 minute rounds.

The Ultimate Fighter

You might ask how Stella got sucked into watching what is still clearly a male dominated sport. It started when I heard about a new show on SpikeTV that would take amateurs and train them to fight in the UFC. The “last one standing” would get a 6 figure contract to fight in the UFC. Since I was a) a big reality TV fan, and b. a big MMA fan, I thought this would be a great show to add to the season pass list on our brand new Tivo. I dragged Stella in front of the TV for the first show. Out of what was probably no more than morbid curiosity, she actually watched the entire episode. At the end of each episode, there is a fight to determine which cast member gets kicked off. That fight cinched the deal, she was hooked. This season the show comes on Thursday nights on SpikeTV. Check it out if you get the chance! The first season’s finale between Stefan Bonner and Forrest Griffin was one of the best fights I have seen in the UFC, ever.

Conclusion

UFC and MMA fighting is a relatively new, extremely exciting competition to watch. It is becoming hugely popular, and you should give it a try, even if you are traditionally not into boxing or martial arts.