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In The Cage
May. 31st, 2008 11:23 pmTwo shirtless men, grasping at each other. One has blood running down his face, the other is stumbling backwards and is righted by a left hook against the steel cage. They clinch for what seems like an eternity.
Welcome to Mixed Martial Arts.
I've been watching Elite XC on NBC with my baby brother, downing Cokes in lieu of the beer my mum's adamant about not having in the house. MMA is far from the brutal anything-goes stereotype many seem to have from, I dunno, horrible Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. Rather, MMA depends on how well the fighters are matched. Earlier in the evening, we saw fights that lasted less than 2 minutes. Weaknesses are ruthlessly exploited here.
MMA combines any combination of fighting techniques; plenty of the top fighters are trained in the boxing and wrestling disciplines. No matter what art a person practices, it makes sense to employ moves from these two sports. If the opponent is a pro at takedowns -- a grappling move that lowers a fighter to the ground to be pinned for submission -- the other person better have a strategy for avoiding this, or else try to survive the ground-and-pound (fist whaling on face) and the inevitable chokeholds.
As a kid, I was definitely drawn to boxing. It wasn't just because I were in many a playground fight, or that I had to do something when the male parental unit hit me. I LOVED Ali. I loved his lyricalness, his insane choice to play with his opponent's mind rather than outright pummel with his power, the dance in the ring, and the solemness of the entire spectacle. Looked upon a certain way, it was almost a religious experience. Of course, this was before the exploitation of Tyson and the sheer vulgarity of the publicity machine.
It had something to do with the fact I lived in the Philippines as a pre-teen. There is mad love for basketball and boxing, and both sports have a particular love for the underdog who play well. Even more if they don't end up winning. And just like them, I'll back up the scrappy fighter who gets loses badly, simply because he showed grit.
MMA fighters have that in spades. The last match abruptly ended just when it was about to boil over into a spectacular fight-to-finish when one fighter had his opponent's finger in his eye socket. A doctor was hurried into the cage to examine the injured party, and the decision was made to end the fight. The bloke who as hurt howled with disappointment and went over to the other fighter, and they spoke softly, foreheads touching, both equally upset. It made my heart wrench.
It's pretty scary to watch the matches and think, wow I should do this. I still have the itch to take up boxing again, but can't find a gym nearby to accommodate the training. My baby brother's already training on-and-off due to the way things are with the current gym, and I'm not sure whether he's serious about it. Last year I asked for advice on metafilter for a supportive gym to sign him up at, and a former boxer recommended MMA instead. He said it might be safer for a kid his size, and it may lead to other martial arts, again safer than stand-up fighting.
I'm aware of the physical damages caused by boxing. I only need to look up Ali for an extreme example. Then there's the detached retinas, the internal organ damage, and the broken jaws. But a part of me still says, it's worth the pain. The MMA fighters claim it's for the fans as much as it is for them. But boxing: there ain't no greater drama in sport.
Welcome to Mixed Martial Arts.
I've been watching Elite XC on NBC with my baby brother, downing Cokes in lieu of the beer my mum's adamant about not having in the house. MMA is far from the brutal anything-goes stereotype many seem to have from, I dunno, horrible Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. Rather, MMA depends on how well the fighters are matched. Earlier in the evening, we saw fights that lasted less than 2 minutes. Weaknesses are ruthlessly exploited here.
MMA combines any combination of fighting techniques; plenty of the top fighters are trained in the boxing and wrestling disciplines. No matter what art a person practices, it makes sense to employ moves from these two sports. If the opponent is a pro at takedowns -- a grappling move that lowers a fighter to the ground to be pinned for submission -- the other person better have a strategy for avoiding this, or else try to survive the ground-and-pound (fist whaling on face) and the inevitable chokeholds.
As a kid, I was definitely drawn to boxing. It wasn't just because I were in many a playground fight, or that I had to do something when the male parental unit hit me. I LOVED Ali. I loved his lyricalness, his insane choice to play with his opponent's mind rather than outright pummel with his power, the dance in the ring, and the solemness of the entire spectacle. Looked upon a certain way, it was almost a religious experience. Of course, this was before the exploitation of Tyson and the sheer vulgarity of the publicity machine.
It had something to do with the fact I lived in the Philippines as a pre-teen. There is mad love for basketball and boxing, and both sports have a particular love for the underdog who play well. Even more if they don't end up winning. And just like them, I'll back up the scrappy fighter who gets loses badly, simply because he showed grit.
MMA fighters have that in spades. The last match abruptly ended just when it was about to boil over into a spectacular fight-to-finish when one fighter had his opponent's finger in his eye socket. A doctor was hurried into the cage to examine the injured party, and the decision was made to end the fight. The bloke who as hurt howled with disappointment and went over to the other fighter, and they spoke softly, foreheads touching, both equally upset. It made my heart wrench.
It's pretty scary to watch the matches and think, wow I should do this. I still have the itch to take up boxing again, but can't find a gym nearby to accommodate the training. My baby brother's already training on-and-off due to the way things are with the current gym, and I'm not sure whether he's serious about it. Last year I asked for advice on metafilter for a supportive gym to sign him up at, and a former boxer recommended MMA instead. He said it might be safer for a kid his size, and it may lead to other martial arts, again safer than stand-up fighting.
I'm aware of the physical damages caused by boxing. I only need to look up Ali for an extreme example. Then there's the detached retinas, the internal organ damage, and the broken jaws. But a part of me still says, it's worth the pain. The MMA fighters claim it's for the fans as much as it is for them. But boxing: there ain't no greater drama in sport.
