What I Hate About MMA

Now before all MMA fans read the title and get ready to rip me apart, give me a chance to explain myself first. My title was intended to grab everyone's attention, but my feelings are much different.

In actuality, nothing is further from the truth. I love MMA. I got hooked a couple years ago and haven't looked back since.

The thing I do hate about MMA though is the people that trash the sport without ever really knowing anything about it. You know, the people that say that it is nothing more than bar fighting.

What actually spurred me on to write this was a conversation I heard on the radio yesterday. Two local sports talk radio guys admitted they knew nothing about MMA but still bashed it and ripped on those that watch the sport.

These two actually thought things like kicks to the groin were legal, and those that watched are nothing more than violence-loving scum. Excuse me?

I need to walk away from my computer several times as I write this. I get so upset that people that have no clue about something are able to speak with such ignorance and think that there is nothing wrong with that.

Hypocrisy can be such a wonderful thing to those that are ignorant. The ones that trash MMA are the same people that turn a blind eye to steroids in baseball, gambling in college sports, and fighting in hockey.

Those can all be argued away as "part of the game", but these people don't even want to take the time to sit down and watch a MMA card.

Whether opponents of the sport like it or not, MMA is more than a "niche" sport and there is quite a lot to love about the sport.

MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world. The sport is led by the UFC, the largest organization in MMA.

The UFC routinely holds pay-per-view events outside of the United States and will hold their first show in Germany on June 13.

Speaking of pay-per-view, the UFC has higher buy rates than pro wrestling or boxing, the two long-standing mainstays of pay-per-view in the United States.

The best assets to sell the sport in a positive light are those that participate.

I can't think of any better ambassador to a sport right now than Randy Couture. Couture is not only one of the all-time best fighters, but he is one of the all-time best people. He embodies honor, discipline, and respect, all qualities that mixed-martial arts teaches those that learn the sport.

Georges St. Pierre is every bit the athlete that any great basketball player is. What separates St. Pierre from other great athletes is just how much he has to learn. A basketball player basically needs to learn to run, jump, and learn how to shoot.

St. Pierre, meanwhile, has learned boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, as well as other disciplines that make him one of the best fighters in the world.

Any fighter that steps into a cage for a fight is every bit as tough both mentally and physically as any football or hockey player. They not only try to dish out a beating, but they must take one as well.

It takes a special person to stand in front of someone else knowing all they want to do is kick, punch, and pull on your body until you can't take it any more.

I think MMA embodies the very best of what every sports fan wants. There are no helmets or face masks, so you can easily see the faces of the participants and are always aware of their emotions and physical well-being. Fighters are very fan-friendly and go out of their way to engage fans to help grow the sport. Lastly, the sport is action packed.

Americans love action. That's the main reason football has become the dominant sport in this country. MMA gives you even more action than football. You never know when a fight could end. It literally can finish in the blink of an eye.

MMA does what boxing can't do. All you hear in boxing is what the next mega-fight is. Sure, there are great fights out there, but MMA gives you a card full of great fights instead of one main event.

I encourage all fans of MMA to try and share the sport with as many people as possible. I can almost guarantee anyway that has an open mind about the sport will become a fan very soon after they start watching.

To those that are new to the sport or those that still aren't fans, I only ask that you hold judgment until after you have a chance to watch the sport and not make an opinion before having the chance to do so.

Everyone has a hand in making MMA a worldwide sport and things are only going to get bigger and better from here on out.