Fighters?

[razeraze]

I just wanted to get peoples opinion on combat sports (mma, boxing, martial arts, wrestling etc...).
Please do not turn this into a war. Natas if you read this, it is not a scientific debate so that is why it is not in the debate forum.
Do you feel this is nothing more than brutal cockfights with humans? Or is it the only place martial artist can actually test their skills?
I came about this by watching the u.f.c. reality show and I realized that many of the fighters can only think about hurting their opponent and not about what they can learn from the fight and the other fighters. Many traditional fights in China were to the death as were gladiators of Rome. Though that way of fighting is out dated the mind set seems to still be in the sport.
I personally believe it depends on the spectators. When I watch a fight all I care about is how well it is played out, but many others seem to only want the brutality. It also seems many of the fighters are encouraged to have "bad blood" with other fighters to get ratings.
Well what do you guys think?

	Shane The Man, The Myth, The Mystery that is RTB!!!

[qiksilver]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Do you feel this is nothing more than brutal cockfights with humans? Or is it the only place martial artist can actually test their skills?

good question, i think it can go either way. i was never interested in watching boxing or anything until this year when my friend got me into ufc. i think all the rivalries and feuds are ridiculous, but hey, its just business right? most of the people that watch are way too interested in acting as macho as possible, and i think that has something to do with the only trying to hurt each other part. but it still can be seen as an art and a skill, and many of the fighters do actually have respect for each other, and i think it's always more fun to watch fighters who respect each other( but not fear each other), and leads to a good fight. Although it is sometimes nice to watch the punk that talks a good game get knocked the **** out just because he's all talk and you end up hating him for it

[bcfos1]

I think it is fine. Just not my thing (too old and beat up). But to watch every now and again and see a rather good match it is fine.

[BonafideHerps]

Its weird that you bring this up with all the controversy that has been around the web on this. I was reading a article on the UFC and the writer was saying that its just "human cockfighting". Which is crap! Im a big fan of MMA, I dont practice it but I watch it. Its a sport just like boxing,wrestling. MMA has been around for years but no one has really payed any attention to it because it wasnt as mainstream as it is now. As for the Ultimate Fighter series, The most recent is probably the worst one yet. They brought in younger kids that could potentionaly damage the sport. UFC wants the controversy just look at the next coaches Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, these two have bad blood and the UFC knows that Bad Blood sales. But on another note personally when I watch the fights I look for knockouts,blood,bruises but I also look for the skill in the sport with armbars,RNC,leg locks,knee bars even the defense that they use when they are in trouble. UFC is the next Boxing....

Rich

[TimOsborne]

combat sports is simply a sport. It is the oldest sport in the world, and the purist form of competition between two people. MMA is just becoming mainstream, but it is not new. The early olympics featured a sport called pancrase, which is almost identical to the modern day MMA (Just a few less rules then).

I don't think street fighting is good, I don't think fighting to resolve problems is right - But.. for sport, it is the greatest rush in the world.

BTW - Rich, the UFC is certainly not the next boxing. Don't confuse the "UFC" with mma, UFC is a brand.. and while the promoters want to have a monopoly on the sport, it is sort of like saying Golden Boy promotions and boxing are the same thing.. and we all know that De La Hoya is responsible for putting on some big fights in boxing.. but GB Promotions is just a small part of the sport.. The UFC is promoting the spectacle they want it to be like professional wrestling in terms of entertainment.. The sport was around long long before the UFC was here though (there were actually alot of mma fights here in the US when the UFC came to the country), and will be around long long after.

[razeraze]

Thank you all. Another reason I asked is I met a cage fighter yesterday and he told me in Illinois there is no elbowing allowed. I find elbows to be very effective and a ton less damaging than many Chin Na locks. So how do states make these rules? Is it by fighters or by the general public's opinion on brutality.

I love the challenge of full contact sparring and even half contact sparring but I think a lot of the Drama and threats are killing the art. It is just like professional Wrestling (though faked) It seems to focus on brutality, with ladders and bats and blood rather than what it was when I watched it as a kid.

I think marketers need to stop selling the "blood sport" idea and let the blood be what it is; an unfortunate side effect as a result of good combat. We as a public should focus on why the strike landed, how the strike landed, and the strategies and training, more than how much blood we get to see.

[Stargazer]

Personally, my personality is more pacifist, so my favorite martial art would have to be Aikido. The philosophy is that when an aggressor is coming after you, you simply move out of the way and use their own body weight against them. I also like this philosophy when applied to aggressive people in real life.

[X-Factor]

the difference being that the MMA fighters, or any sport's for that matter is choice. These guys (and women) CHOOSE to be there and do what they do, the animals in cockfighting do NOT, it is simply abuse that makes them so willing to fight.