To be considered an accomplished fighter you have to have skills in striking, take downs, submissions, stamina, but most of all you need heart. Mixed martial arts, or MA, started back in the United States in 1993, and over 70 year ago in other countries. “The first mixed martial arts organization in the Limited States was the Ultimate Fighting Champion or CIFS. Japan’s biggest mixed martial arts organization is Pride, which started hack in 1997,” (Dotty 13). These may be the two largest mixed martial arts companies in the world.
Back then and still today mixed martial arts have been the subject of arguable political debate. The people against mixed martial arts have had many arguments against the sport in the early to mid ass. It even convinced several states to ban the sport. This was because when mixed martial arts first started there was little to no rules. This was a one-event night tournament, where any fighters that signed up would fight numerous matches in one night, in a single elimination style tournament until one champion was manacle Two men entered an octagon arena and did whatever they had to do to knock out, or tap out their opponent.
Mixed martial arts fighters could not bite, eye gouge, or fish hook, and fights could only end tit a referee’s stoppage, a knock out, or submission (Royce 6). Basically it was 3 street fight Without weapons. In 2001 a major factor in the comeback Of the sport, and the return of the sport to pay-per-view was the employ of a new set Of rules. The unified rules Of mixed martial arts combat, as drafted in New Jersey, and later adopted in Nevada 2001 were a welcome change to the sport. “The new rules featured five weight classes, rounds, time limits, a list of over 31 fouls, and eight possible ways for the fight to grapples. Mom). The unified rules of mixed martial arts combat have become the standard rules of not only he LLC, but of most major mixed martial arts promotions in the united States, such as king of the cage. MA has now been adopted by many states, including New Jersey, Nevada, Florida, California and Louisiana. In order to understand why it was necessary for the sport to adopt the unified rules of mixed martial arts combat, it is necessary to question the exact arguments that have been leveled at the sport. The sport has been called “barbaric” and labeled as “human cockfighting”(Dotty 64).
Beginning with Calvin McCrae’5 opposition to the holding of LLC XIX in San Juan, Puerco Ricoh; politicians began to take notice of the negative aspects of the sport. Most notable among these was Arizona Senator John McCain McCain, a devoted and lifelong boxing fan, was shocked when he was shown a tape of an early LIPS He started a letter writing campaign to prevent PUC XIX, but the event went on despite his opposition. Moccasin’s next target was Colorado, the intended site Of CIVIC IX, Which also went on despite strong opposition, but With new rules.
Following LLC IX, John McCain targeted the cable pay-per-view providers to persuade them to drop the LIFE. He encouraged Neil Henry, the pay-per-view provider that was hosting the Buff’s events to drop the JIFF from his service. Senator McCain also sat on the FCC commission, which had much say over Nil’s business. Neil voiced many of the opinions that Senator McCain and other opponents of the AFC had been voicing up until that point. Neil and Senator McCain believed the sport was too brutal, and that to hit a man when he was down was UN-American.
Now in 2005 John McCain would have a field day of what is going on in media, music, television, and the internet. Other opponents of the port supposed that the sport had serious moral issues, in that it encouraged two-mixed martial artist to enter a cage, or ring and badly harm or injure one another, The claims not in favor of the sport that were based on the health and safety of its participants seem to be commonly based on misunderstanding, First, a sort of civilizing seems to have influenced the opponents of the sport of mixed martial arts.
Unlike Japan and Brazil where mixed martial arts have a long history of popular approval, American societies only knowledge with a mainstream combat sport is boxing (Dotty 33). Under the Marques Of Sequencers rules, boxing only permits punches thrown to the head and body, unlike mixed martial arts which allows punches and kicks to all areas Of the body With the exception Of the groin, neck and back of the head. But, knees elbow strikes, take downs, throws, and submissions were permitted . Also, in boxing, the participants wear large padded gloves. Here in mixed martial arts, the participants wear only lightly padded gloves. On the surface, this would make the sport of mixed martial arts seem a lot more dangerous, but in reality it is actually safer. This is because the heavily padded gloves used in boxing are working to protect the boxer’s hands and not their opponents face and body. This allows the boxer to throw more punches to the head of his opponent damaging the brain. In MA the gloves are less padded, therefore making the head not a focal point for striking, Thus, being repeatedly beaten in the same area is minimized.
This, with the combination technique and skill, makes the sport dramatically safer than boxing, john Rally, professional JIFF fighter, and MA supporter, states, “After all he goal in boxing is to punch you opponent in the head until he is unconscious. This is not the goal in our sport, There are many other ways to win, Since 1900 there have been over 1000 documented deaths in boxing. There has been 1 in MA in 70 years. That Vass in Russia at an unsanctioned event. Ironically the death was caused by strikes to the head. It is honorable to tap in our sport.
If you quit in a boxing match you may not fight again Look at Roberto Duran after the ‘no mass’ match with Ray Leonard. He was looked down upon and never regained his edge after that fight. A OK is not the only means of victory. The average boxer takes several hundred blows to the head in a winning performance. In MA hue been in fights and not even taken one punch. If you take down your opponent and finish the fight on the ground you greatly reduce the chances of being Coked or even hit at all. Obviously there are injuries. This is a contact sport.
But the injuries are no more severe then those suffered by collegiate wrestlers or football players,” (Hester 91). Ironically, John McCain witnessed one such death in the sport of boxing, the 1995 death of Jimmy Garcia, as he sat ringside. Oddly, McCain remains a fan of going, a sport with a marked safety record, and over 11000 recorded deaths in a little over 100 years (Walter, grapples. Com), but he continues to be an opponent of the sport of mixed martial arts, which has not had a serious injury in the recorded history tot the sport.
In similar to many sports that are commonly and widely accepted in American culture, including football, soccer, hockey, boxing and basketball, mixed martial arts is quite sate. Another major argument against the sport of mixed martial arts is that it is immoral, and goes against the morals that are considered part of the American ay of life. Opponents of the sport question the sports ethics, as it requires two opponents to enter a ring or cage with the goal of hurting or injuring one another. Another moral argument against the sport is that striking a downed opponent is UN-American (Walter, grapples. Mom). Supporters of the sport strongly disagree with these opinions. One such supporter and LIPS referee, John McCarthy emphasizes that the fighters in mixed martial arts do not fight to cause pain on one another; rather they fight for the sake Of competition. He States that al of the fighters that he has talked to about this issue say that when they fight, it is all about the sport, and that it is more an issue Of dominance, like a game Of chess. Rather than causing pain on another human being. Mr..
McCarthy says that the ethics of mixed martial arts are the same as those of other widely accepted sports, such as football or hockey, where inflicting pain on the competition is merely a part of the sport, not the ends of competing. John Rally states his feelings toward the intent of hurting his opponent. “l feel respect for my opponents, They trained just as hard o beat me as I did to beat them. You can’t underestimate anyone in this sport. One mistake and the fight is over, My emotional state is probably nervousness tort getting into the ring to harm my opponent this is not true. M getting in the ring to win the competition. Unlike boxing, can use submissions to defeat my opponent. Since competitors can honorably tap out usually nothing more is injured then pride. If you know them well it does complicate things a bit. But it is a sport. It is not personal. After the match is over you get up shake each other’s hand and continue to be friends,” (Hester 91). At this time, mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the united States (Royce 7). Its fans and fighters can be found all over the country.
They represent every race and class of people in the United States. They are teachers, student, attorneys, truck drivers, accountants, ministers, soldiers, doctors, police officers, and family members. They are as much American as the fans and athletes involved in any other sport that is popularly and culturally accepted by the people Of the United States of America. They are not savages, barbarians or criminals, or are they a collection of social deviants and miscreants as people like John McCain would have the voting public believe.
