Is MMA Just Cock Fighting or Has It Evolved? / thatgirlisfunny.com

Is MMA Just Cock Fighting or Has It Evolved?

Adventures in living a healthy, juicy life
Guest Post by Hayley Forster

Welcome Hayley Forster, a female MMA fight fan from the UK, with her walk down memory lane. What follows is a brief history of mixed martial arts since UFC 1 – Cheryl Ragsdale

Not long ago, I watched my DVD of “UFC 1: The Beginning”.

It was a sharp reminder of how much MMA – or mixed martial arts – has evolved in the space of only 17 years. It was actually quite uncomfortable and embarrassing to watch! I suggest you get a copy and take a look – and try not to cringe too much…

Prior to the introduction of the MMA bouts, most people in the world thought they knew about fighting and what it was all about. Well, why wouldn’t they? Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris were the ultimate ninja warriors! Their flashy kicks and charismatic performances led people to believe that karate & kung fu practitioners were invincible!

Most people hadn’t even heard of the different types of ground fighting, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). If you mentioned wrestling to the majority of people, their minds would immediately go to Hulk Hogan smashing a chair off Andre the Giant’s head. If you mentioned cage fighting, most would often recoil in horror at the brutality.

To put it simply – almost everyone was clueless! Even today with MMA becoming more mainstream, a lot of people still do not understand it. In fact last week, someone told a lady next to me that I liked to see people ‘kill’ each other in a cage. Well, not quite…..

To be fair after watching UFC 1, no wonder people had a poor opinion of the sport in the early days; however this is the type of event people still believe it is. NEWS FLASH – its not!

What is MMA?

MMA is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills, from a mixture of martial arts, to be used in competitions. It is a hybrid of techniques and traditions such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing, wrestling, and traditional boxing to name a few.

Where did Modern day MMA begin?

Obviously, martial arts have a very long history that can be dated back thousands of years ago. Modern day mixed martial arts started with Vale Tudo in the 1920s. Vale Tudo is a full contact, unarmed combat sport that was developed in Brazil, with limited rules.

It was brought to the US by the world renowned Gracie family, with the birth of the UFC on a cold November night in 1993. In the early UFCs, the fights were billed as one skill against the other, ‘Karate vs. Jiu-jitsu, Russian Sambo vs. Kung Fu and Pencak Silat vs. Muay Thai Kickboxing. At that time, there was no such thing as a mixed martial artist! The term that we are all so familiar with now was not developed until many years later.

last week, someone told a lady next to me that I liked to see people ‘kill’ each other in a cage. Well, not quite…

Back on that night in 1993, BJJ fighter Royce Gracie won the first UFC tournament, subduing three challengers in a total of just five minutes. Very impressive! It was an eight-man tournament format, with no weight classes. No gloves were worn, and everything was legal except biting and attacking the eyes and groin. I even saw some vicious head butting in there…. Ouch….!

The matches had unlimited 5 minute rounds with no judges and the winner of the tournament would take home $50,000. The match only ended by knockout, submission or throwing in the towel or as quoted on the VHS cover:

“You can win by knockout, submission or death.”

Mmmmm… Interesting marketing tactic…

It’s just cock fighting!!

By 1997, MMA fights were unsanctioned throughout most of the United States as they were seen as too brutal and people did not want them to be seen as a sport. Many people turned up their noses at the mere mention of the “sport”.

Senator John McCain, saw a tape of the first UFC events and led a campaign to ban the UFC, calling it “human cockfighting,” and asking governors to ban the events. As a result, the UFC was dropped from major PPV providers and thirty-six states enacted laws that unsanctioned this “no-holds-barred” fighting.

It became clear that the minimalist rules that were in place could not continue if this sport was to survive and indeed to protect the health of the fighters!

Various rules and regulations have evolved over the years and different branches of MMA have been created. However, for the most part the rule set that is used throughout the world is the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts – this is the rule set that is used in the UFC.

So what changed?

Weight classes began: after all, does it make sense for a guy the size of Shaquille O’Neal to fight against Danny Devito? No…. I think not! Technique is hugely important, but at the same time, it is not realistic to believe that size is irrelevant in a fight.
Headbutts were banned for obvious reasons – minimal effort and maximum effect!
Small, open-finger gloves were introduced to protect fists in punches.
Time limits were established: this avoids fights that go on too long, as well as fights that have no ‘action’. Added benefits were that it is easier to schedule TV events with fixed times as well as allowing more regular checks on the health of the fighters.

1. Non title fights are 3x 5 min rounds with 1 min rest periods between rounds.
2. Title fights are 5x 5 min rounds with 1 min rest periods between rounds.

The “stand up” rule was introduced, where the referee can stand fighters up if it is perceived both are resting on the ground or are not advancing toward a dominant position.

In addition to these key rules, a LONG list of fouls was introduced that are classed as illegal to perform in an MMA bout.

Yes people…. surprise, surprise…..It’s a long list…..check it out! (list courtesy of Wikipedia)

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Moves Not Allowed in a Sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts Fight

Headbutting
Gouging or eye gouging.
Hair pulling.
Biting.
Fish-hooking.
Attacking the groin.
Strikes to the back of the head and spinal area.
Strikes to, or grabs of the trachea.
Small joint manipulation (control of three or more fingers/toes is necessary).
Intentionally throwing your opponent out of the ring/cage.
Running out of the ring/cage.
Purposely holding the ring ropes or cage fence.
Grabbing or putting a hand inside the trunks or gloves of the opponent.
Pulling or holding onto an opponent’s gloves or trunks.
Kicks and/or knees to the head of a downed opponent. (‘Downed’ refers to the three point of contact rule. If one knee is down, that constitutes a third point of contact, therefore, that person is downed)
Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
Downward elbows to the head of an opponent. (This is dependent on the organization providing the event. In the UFC, downward elbows are legal.)
Stomping a grounded opponent.
Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
Spitting at an opponent.
Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
Interference by the corner.

So, even just looking at these basic elements, it is clear that MMA has moved on in the world and it’s not as brutal as everyone thinks.

To say this sport has some misconceptions linked to it is an understatement!

Yes, there are rules, quite a few in fact. You just read them.
No, it does not involve nun-chucks, machetes or knuckle dusters. Just your body, your skills, your brain and your heart.
No, the fighters do not fight to kill. Yes the objective is to win, but they intelligently train and fight and do not intend to seriously hurt their opponents.
Yes, it is a legitimate sport and yes it is regulated. It is even now sanctioned in 42 US states – with more to come! Almost all techniques used in MMA are seen as a sport – so why when they are combined are they disregarded?
Yes, there is skill involved – very much so! If you don’t believe me, look up these guys and see their training schedule and their physical ability and then tell me anyone can jump in a cage.
No, this is not legitimized street fighting. The culture of this sport is not one of violence but of personal growth – in many different dimensions.
No, it does not appeal just to bloodthirsty thugs. These people are athletes. This is a sport. Yes I am a woman and I like it. No…. scratch that….I LOVE IT.

Hayley Forster, a long-time female fight fan, lives in the North of England with her husband, Pete. Both have deep love for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Keep up with her regular posts here on thatgirlisfunny or follow her on twitter.com/fairly_normal

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