FightNoob is a recurring series on Single Blog Takedown where we help new fans and neophytes understand the sport of mixed martial arts. This is the second edition. Previous editions can be found right here.
Volume 2 - MMA MMisconceptions
MMA is a sport that has blossomed, almost overnight, into a billion-dollar industry. For all its successes, though, the sport frequently faces an uphill battle in the media. A combination of factors — what the sport used to be, lazy reporting in the mainstream media, and a significant generational gap, among others — have led to a variety of misinformation about the sport. In our second edition of FightNoob, we're going to look at a number of things that you may want to think about differently if you want to be a fan of mixed martial arts.
FALSE: MMA is still human cockfighting.
Love your work, Senator McCain. Campaign finance reform? Brilliant. But among MMA fans, there's still plenty of tooth-gnashing over your 1996 comments in which you compared MMA to a death match among roosters.
Thirteen years later, the sport has evolved significantly. The fighters are better trained. There are weight classes and rounds. There are better referees. Dangerous moves are outlawed. Safety measures have taken a significant jump. MMA has caught up to the rest of the competitive martial arts when it comes to protecting its greatest assets: the fighters. So before we take another step, let's bury this 13-year old trope before it heads off to high school.
FALSE: MMA equals UFC. Or: "I'm going to the bar to watch Ultimate Fighting."
Listen, when you're tossing the ol' pigskin around in the backyard with your kid, you're not "playing NFL." Calling all MMA "Ultimate Fighting" is like calling all baseball "Major Leaguing"; it simply doesn't make sense. Mixed martial arts is a sport, UFC is a league. Beyond that, if you think the UFC is the only game in town, you're missing out on some of the best fighters. They're also located in Strikeforce, DREAM, WEC, Sengoku, Bellator, and a number of other quality MMA promotions. UFC is the biggest promotion, but certainly not the only power player. It didn't hurt your brain too much in the 90s to acknowledge that there were great pro wrestlers in the WWF and WCW. Don't lump all MMA under the same banner.
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