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Why We Love MMA
Mixed martial arts is one of the most exciting sports in the world and is finally gaining exposure and acceptance in the United States. This is largely due to the Ultimate Fighting Championship which has had success with Spike TV airing its "The Ultimate Fighter" reality television show. So why do we love mixed martial arts and why is it so popular and appealing? This article will serve to air my personal thoughts and opinions on just that.
Mixed martial arts competition, from a demographic perspective, is primed to do well commercially here in the United States. It appeals to an advertisers dream sect, the young, middleclass male and attracts its share of female fans as well. It's simply that the nature of the sport is wonderfully intriguing. It has the elements of combat entertainment, such as an action movie or professional wrestling, but is actually true competition by professional athletes. Combatants are often people that men can easily emulate with a beautiful woman in one hand, a title in the other, with a defeat foe in the background. What more do men want? In complete fairness, what we often do not see is the extreme amount of training and dedication it takes to compete in MMA on a professional level.
On the subject of professional wrestling, I believe that MMA is primed for mainstream also because of the timing with which it is now available. In the last few years, we've seen an evolution in professional wrestling. It has become publicly acknowledged that much of the happenings are predetermined, something that was closely guarded in the past. Surprising to many, this new public awareness has been accepted and professional wrestling is as popular as ever. While MMA doesn't carry the drama of a carefully woven storyline, there is animosity often between combatants leading up to an event. This expectation of a showdown between warriors, coupled with the fact that the fight isn't staged, is a perfect solution to those that did lose interest in professional wrestling.
The other alternative to MMA that we've had in the USA is boxing. Like professional wrestling, boxing takes years of training and skill development to do well and with success. The only problem with boxing to the casual fan though, is that it doesn't reveal to us who would win in a real fight between combatants. MMA is regulated, with many rules to ensure safety, but boxing is so much more a one dimension form of combat since it only allows punching strikes from a standing position. Boxing is a fun sport and is a martial art that is used extensively in mixed martial arts but it still leaves the question to ask: Who would have won in an actual fight?
Now that rules have been introduced to make MMA safer for fighters, state athletic commissions are beginning to accept and embrace the sport. There will always be the highlight film crowds that believe that MMA is too brutal, but objective investigators of the sport will quickly learn that officials in MMA are trained to ensure fighter safety and enforce rules that keep combatants from getting seriously hurt. This also appeals to us as fans, because we want to see someone get knocked out, but then get back up and go home to his family.
Mixed martial arts is one of the most exciting sports in the world and is finally gaining exposure and acceptance in the United States. This is largely due to the Ultimate Fighting Championship which has had success with Spike TV airing its "The Ultimate Fighter" reality television show. So why do we love mixed martial arts and why is it so popular and appealing? This article will serve to air my personal thoughts and opinions on just that.
Mixed martial arts competition, from a demographic perspective, is primed to do well commercially here in the United States. It appeals to an advertisers dream sect, the young, middleclass male and attracts its share of female fans as well. It's simply that the nature of the sport is wonderfully intriguing. It has the elements of combat entertainment, such as an action movie or professional wrestling, but is actually true competition by professional athletes. Combatants are often people that men can easily emulate with a beautiful woman in one hand, a title in the other, with a defeat foe in the background. What more do men want? In complete fairness, what we often do not see is the extreme amount of training and dedication it takes to compete in MMA on a professional level.
On the subject of professional wrestling, I believe that MMA is primed for mainstream also because of the timing with which it is now available. In the last few years, we've seen an evolution in professional wrestling. It has become publicly acknowledged that much of the happenings are predetermined, something that was closely guarded in the past. Surprising to many, this new public awareness has been accepted and professional wrestling is as popular as ever. While MMA doesn't carry the drama of a carefully woven storyline, there is animosity often between combatants leading up to an event. This expectation of a showdown between warriors, coupled with the fact that the fight isn't staged, is a perfect solution to those that did lose interest in professional wrestling.
The other alternative to MMA that we've had in the USA is boxing. Like professional wrestling, boxing takes years of training and skill development to do well and with success. The only problem with boxing to the casual fan though, is that it doesn't reveal to us who would win in a real fight between combatants. MMA is regulated, with many rules to ensure safety, but boxing is so much more a one dimension form of combat since it only allows punching strikes from a standing position. Boxing is a fun sport and is a martial art that is used extensively in mixed martial arts but it still leaves the question to ask: Who would have won in an actual fight?
Now that rules have been introduced to make MMA safer for fighters, state athletic commissions are beginning to accept and embrace the sport. There will always be the highlight film crowds that believe that MMA is too brutal, but objective investigators of the sport will quickly learn that officials in MMA are trained to ensure fighter safety and enforce rules that keep combatants from getting seriously hurt. This also appeals to us as fans, because we want to see someone get knocked out, but then get back up and go home to his family.
