A Step Away from Anderson Silva, MMA Still in the Shadows

This last Sunday, I was with my fight team to support one of our fighters. He was fighting at the only place that allows MMA in my province, an "indian reserve."

Unfortunately, there still is a lot that needs to be done to legalize mixed-martial arts in many places, as people still do not understand the sport. That hasn't prevented people from competing entirely.

Thankfully, Native American tribes across the continent have helpfully facilitated the growth of MMA. It used to be the case that fighters would fight on native reserves in front of tiny crowds, for only a few hundred dollars.

While this is still the case sometimes, it is no longer the standard. On Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, about 2,000 people came to watch the fights.

The main theme of this particular event was a throwback to the first days of the UFC; eight 155lb. fighters were to compete in a single-elimination tournament, with the winner receiving the purse of $10,000.

Yet, unlike the first days of the UFC, this wasn't the same contest in styles. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become the bread and butter for many competitors nowadays, and every single fighter on the card displayed knowledge of, if not preference for, fighting in the style of BJJ.

In the eight-fighter tournament, it was a wrestler, with BJJ skills, who ended up winning.

There were other fights on the card however, as Curtis Leckie, one of the fighters who I train with, was fighting against some guy named Dean Martins.

It turned out to be a back-and-forth brawl, but eventually our fighter was victorious.

After the fight, we helped bring our fighter back to the dressing room, but this time, there was someone special holding the door for Curtis...Anderson Silva! The greatest fighter in the world.

Anderson was there to corner Team Nogueira fighter Andre Galvao.

Most of us got up close to see Anderson Silva. Some of us got autographs, others got pictures with him, or shook his hand. One of us got a light shove from Anderson Silva...Anderson Silva was busy preparing his fighter.

Anderson was by most accounts a pretty nice guy and handled all of the extra attention very well, although he could only speak a few words in English. He's a great example of what a champion should be.

I myself only was able to get close to Anderson as he was taping up Galvao's hands, and I didn't want to disturb him...I've seen what he can do too many times. So I stood behind him, with a goofy grin on my face, as one of my teammates took a picture.

Getting to see that Anderson is not only a fighter, but also a trainer, makes him seem a lot more like a real person to me. Hopefully, getting fighters like Anderson to come to fights like these in Ontario can convince the athletic commissions to change their views on MMA.

The sport deserves to thrive outside of the native reserves. Until then though, the sport is doing okay.

One thing I can say about Anderson, is that as big as he looks on TV, he seems way bigger in person. He was also out of fighting mode, so had added a lot of weight, and was probably weighing over 220 lbs. But while I was behind him, I couldn't help thinking, "I could take out his leg right now and change the face of MMA forever!"

My death would have been quick and painful.