Born to Brawl

Born to Brawl 12.15.07

So first thing’s first: what is MMA and why is it getting so popular in America?  MMA is short for “Mixed Martial Arts” as I have stated but it is known as “Vale Tudo” (pronounced: “valay tu do”) in Portuguese, in Russia they call it “Mixed Fight” and in the United States it has become synonymous with “UFC” aka “Ultimate Fighting”. It has also been referred to (incorrectly) as “Luta Livre”.  Essentially they are all the same and what they are in a nut shell is limited rules fighting.  In Brazil these fights have existed since before the 50’s but only recently has it become mainstream world wide.

 On 12 November 1993 Royce (pronounced-“Hoyce”) Gracie stepped into an octagon shaped cage to fight in a bare-knuckle tournament. In those days the only rules were no eye gouging or biting. There were no time limits and no weight classes. It was spectacle aiming to answer the age old question: which martial art was the best?  After three fights against opponents much larger than himself Gracie emerged the winner and MMA in America was born.

Fourteen years later after much turmoil, hard times and near extinction at the hands of Senator John McCain, MMA is now the fastest growing sport in the nation and routinely eclipses boxing in number of viewers and captures the highly coveted male 18-34 demographic with shows like “The Ultimate Fighter.”  Modern MMA is regulated by whatever athletic/boxing commission that oversees the venue state and possess a variety of rules, weight classes, equipment requirements and time limits that have helped the spectacle become sport.

In today’s iteration of the game, fighters may win by traditional knock out, TKO, submission aka ‘tapping out’, technical submission or judge’s decision.  Here is a description of the differences:

• KO:  Knockout. Like boxing a knockout occurs when an opponent is struck hard enough to render them unconscious. The fight is immediately stopped in the event of a K.O.
• TKO: Technical knockout. When a fighter is unable to ‘intelligently defend’ themselves against attacks the referee is required to step in and stop the fight even if the fighter isn’t ‘knocked out’.
• Submission aka Tap Out:  A fighter can choose to quit when they have either taken injury, enough damage for their own liking or when they’ve been checkmated by a finishing hold like a choke or armbar.  In MMA there is no stigma with tapping out as there is in boxing (i.e. Roberto Duran’s ‘No mas’).  This is signified by tapping your hand on your opponent or the mat or by verbally submitting.  It is not to be confused with the clothing line of the same name.
• Technical Submission: Occasionally a fighter will choose to let a limb break, let themselves be choked unconscious or refuse to submit even if they’ve been checkmated. In cases such as this the referee is required to step in and stop the fight when a fighter’s safety becomes a priority.
• Judges Decision: If at the end of the allotted time there is no definitive winner the ringside judges will render a decision much like in boxing. Actual criteria for grading the fighters varies from promotion to promotion but the majority winner wins the fight.

 Despite this growing interest many outsiders as well as casual fans alike have enormous misconceptions about MMA. As this is the maiden voyage of this blog I’d like to take the time to clear up some misconceptions about the sport.

Misconception 1: There are no rules.

Truth: Incorrect. Even in its infancy that was not the case (albeit it was close enough then). Today there are a variety of rules for fighter safety. Here are some of the common things you cannot do: groin strikes, eye gouges, ‘fish’ hooking, small bone manipulation, strikes to the throat, spiking an opponent on the head and throwing them out of the ring/cage among other things.  In the United States competitors must wear like equipment.

Misconception 2: People fight to the death or are frequently maimed/killed in the sport.

Truth: Really guys? If you fought to the death all the fighters would be undefeated. Since its inception there has been only one fatality that can be linked to an MMA bout (NOTE: this statistic refers to sanctioned events. Backyard brawls and non-sanctioned events are anathema to most competitors and are illegal).  Like any contact sport, and combat sports in particular, there is inherent danger of physical harm but that is a risk that these athletes undertake willingly.

Misconception 3: “My friend is an Ultimate Fighter”, or has fought in the UFC.

Truth: Not likely. “Ultimate Fighting” is a brand much the same way that the NBA is a brand. You can play basketball in a smaller league, of which there may be many, but NBA is a brand specific league. “Ultimate Fighting” aka “UFC” is a proprietary brand owned by Zuffa LLC, headed by Dana White and financed by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.  It is regarded as the pinnacle of the sport in the United States and there are actually very few (relatively speaking) actual UFC fighters. If you have friends or have heard of “Ultimate Fighters” in your local pub or tough-guy hang out it is likely that they either train MMA or they have fought under MMA rules in a smaller show.   This does not make you UFC fighter. That’s like saying you went to the Olympics because you wrestled in high school.

That’s it for now folks. The next “Born to Brawl” will cover some terminology so you can talk the talk about your newfound love of MMA!