MMA Culture
It's clear, based off the success this past weekend from UFC and WEC cards that the sport of mixed martial arts is evolving right before our eyes. The MMA juggernaut Zuffa (parent company of the UFC/WEC) held back to back nights of MMA events (with UFC 101 and WEC 42) for the first time in the company's history. Clearly the growth of this sport wouldn't have transpired without the ever growing demand from both the media and the fans. News networks for example, like Global TV here in Canada, are starting to give coverage for upcoming UFC events, which only proves that at least a strong minority of the general public understands this sport isn't just bar room brawling . But one of the most interesting facets of this sport is its seemingly diverse culture, which has both facilitated in its growth, and also hindered it.
UFC 101 took place last Saturday in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Clearly there wasn't much love going around that evening. While much of the talk water cooler talk this week surrounded Anderson Silva's brutal knockout of Forrest Griffin, the "other" story was the brawl (video here) that took place in the crowd during the Shane Nelson/Aaron Riley fight. Was it entertaining? Absolutely, but to the casual sports fan; this type stuff only perpetuates MMA as being this caveman sport with "no respect". Now don't get me wrong MMA, like hockey or football is aggressive by nature. Fans of these sports get pleasure in seeing combatants inflict physical harm on one or another in a competitive environment. Hits and fights are glorified on Sportscentre highlight reels on a nightly basis. With that said, it's no surprise that fans sometimes resort to fighting during events as the mix of booze and passion can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. A brawl happens at a hockey game, it's not a big deal. The same thing happens during a MMA bout, a sport that many consider barbaric; it only adds fuel to the fire. Seeing a brawl like this at a MMA event, hinders the growth of the sport and highlights the types of pinhead fans I'm sure most of us could live without
Clothing has become synonymous with the growth of MMA. The founder of the clothing company Tapout, Charles "Mask" Lewis (May he rest in peace) created a business from a couple of t-shirts sold in the trunk of a car, to one of the most popular brands worn by fighters and fans today. If Mask were still alive, he would be frowning upon those who wear Tapout to exude a persona of the "I'm the tough guy, lets fight" type of fan. These are the idiots, who ruin the great sport of mixed martial arts to feed a testosterone filled ego. You know the type, dawning (mainly) Affliction and Tapout shirts, trying to pick fight with strangers at clubs/bars for a night of fun. These are also the same type of people who truly believe when they dress in these shirts, they morph into Chuck Liddell and have super human knockout power. It's embarrassing after watching a night at the bar and walking home, having some wannabe tough guy trying to pick a fight with you because you happen to be wearing a shirt that's MMA related. These idiots are also extremely uneducated and will usually be seen making comments like "GSP would totally destroy Fedor in a fight" excluding the fact that a fight like this would never happen due to different weight classes.
From these antics, we see articles in the paper like "Gangsters love of UFC", which basically outlines that aggressive males (like those who watch UFC events) are usually involved with crimes. But what the article doesn't identify are the fans of MMA who admire MMA for competiveness of the athletes and the dedication these warriors put into every fight. Who will wear a Tapout, Affliction, or Silverstar shirt, not because they want to exude toughness, but because they are fans of Rashad Evans or Georges St Pierre and support them. It's the same people who will not just watch the UFC, but will also tune into Strikeforce, M-1 and DREAM because they are fans of the sport. These are the fans that love the sport for what it is, not ones who try and emulate it.
There are many of the MMA fans out there today were once pro wrestling fans (or still are) and take pleasure in the entertainment aspect of the sport. There is much anticipation for the upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter not just because the coaches Rashad Evans and Quinton Rampage Jackson will put on a hell of at fight at the end of the show, but we get to see a firsthand build-up of these two personalities leading up to their bout. Entertainment is important for the UFC and it's even more important to create stars that will eventually become household names. While many people disagreed with the post fight comments Brock Lesnar made at UFC 100, his comments (which were somewhat inappropriate) also garnered much discussion from hardcore fans and the general public, which I think is a positive thing. The UFC isn't pro wrestling, but there are certainly aspects of pro wrestling (like highlighting fighter personalities) which can draw more attention.
When breaking down the sport into dollars and cents its unfortunate these pinhead fans are the ones who are buying the majority of tickets and ordering the pay per-views. They might "boo" a boring technical jiu-jitsu matchup, but are aiding in the frequency of MMA events per month. It will be interesting in the next few years to see how the culture grows with the sport. As the fighters continue to be excellent ambassadors, its only hoping the mainstream media can focus on those elements, not the bar room brawling.
