Rashad Evans and Gray Maynard: Spartans Leading the Way in Today's MMA

Mixed Martial Arts is one of America's fastest growing sports, with increasing numbers in both competitors and fans.

MMA is growing due to the rapidly expanding Ultimate Fighting Championship and its reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. But this sport is also a beautiful art that takes years of training and mastering of unique skills.

Watching a great fight between two competitors is similar to witnessing the culmination of an artist's masterpiece. Each fighter has his unique style and skill set, much like some of history's greatest artists regarding their style.

Once all the preparation has been done, watching a flawlessly executed fight represents a beautiful display of art as much as it does an exciting, growing sport.

I first became a big fan of the UFC and MMA fighting because of its current connections with my very own Michigan State University. I would have probably caught on eventually, but having two Spartans that currently compete for title belts was key in catching my attention.

Ever since I began watching MMA, I've become more and more aware of the training and skill it takes to compete at the highest level of competition.

The two Spartans that sit in the upper echelon of the UFC are former light-heavyweight champion Rashad "Sugar" Evans and undefeated lightweight Gray Maynard. These two fighters were roommates at State in the early 2000's and wrestled for MSU's wrestling team.

Maynard eventually became a co-captain and All-American, and Evans came back to be an assistant coach for the team in 2005. Another similarity between the two top contenders is the method in which they entered the UFC.

Rashad Evans was invited to be a fighter in The Ultimate Fighter 2 and won the season's heavyweight tournament, awarding him a three-year contract with the UFC and a brand new car.

Maynard competed in The Ultimate Fighter 5, but unfortunately lost in the semi-finals on a controversial stoppage by UFC President Dana White. Even though Maynard was not awarded a contract, he was impressive while in the national spotlight and eventually earned one.

Since the onset of each fighter's official MMA career (not including The Ultimate Fighter), the Spartan duo has combined for one loss—that's no typo. The only loss was suffered by Rashad Evans while defending his light-heavyweight title belt for the first time at UFC 98, against Brazilian Karate master, Lyoto Machida.

The combined records of the two Spartans stand at an impressive 25-1-2.

Both fighters are currently the main contenders to obtain the belt in their respective weight divisions. Gray Maynard will be fighting lightweight champion Frankie Edgar for the third time in his career at UFC 130 in May. Maynard's first UFC fight resulted in a unanimous victory over Edgar, which to this day is Edgar's only loss.

Their latest fight at UFC 125 on New Years Day, which was for Edgar's lightweight belt, resulted in a draw and an immediate rematch was scheduled for UFC 130.

Rashad was supposed to fight Mauricio "Shotgun" Rua at UFC 128 for the light-heavyweight belt, but a recent knee injury caused Rashad to back out of the fight, making room for training partner Jon "Bones" Jones.

Jones won the fight easily, and is now considered one of the best fighters of our time, let alone one of the most dynamic fighters in the history of combat sports. His length and athleticism boost his already flawless wrestling skills and superior striking ability.

Who found this fighter destined for greatness? Rashad Evans.

Having two Michigan State alums at the top of the UFC during a period where the sport has expanded like never before, is great for the University and the wrestling program. The revenue generated from recent UFC bouts on pay-per-view have challenged some of the biggest wrestling and boxing matches of all-time.

The popularity spark has also affected the many arts displayed in the sport, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and many forms of boxing and wrestling. UFC analyst Joe Rogan claimed that martial arts has evolved more since 1993 than the 700 years previous.

The level of competition has skyrocketed, and arts have been perfected to combat all forms of fighting.

How about this regarding the rise in world-wide popularity? UFC 127 took place in Sydney, Austrailia, where tickets sold out in minutes and is tied with UFC 115 as the fastest selling event in UFC history.

UFC 129, being held at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, is expected to shatter both attendance and gate records in North America, with nearly 55,000 tickets being sold.

MMA has always been a global practice, but it's potential following is starting to show, with my thanks going to a couple of Spartans.