You could say I have a healthy interest in the sport. Why? Why put so much of my time and hard earned money into this growing sport? Why fill my DVR with regional shows? More importantly, why should you, the reader, care?
You cannot hide in a fight. The Chael Sonnenesque pre fight trash talk does not matter. Nor does the intimidating walkout music a fighter might choose. Even Lenne Hardt screaming your name and your coaches shouting instructions in your corner cannot help you.
Coming into the cage or ring can be the loneliest feeling in the world. That time spent in the cage shows us all who the fighter really is. Are they a Kalib Starnes famously running from Nate Quarry? Or, are they Frankie "real life Rocky" Edgar grinding out his fights Gray Maynard? I can never totally be an Edgar fan after he beat BJ Penn, but I can sure as hell respect his heart. He is a man that will never ever give up on anything in life. How do I know? I've seen his last six fights with BJ Penn, Gray Maynard, and Benson Henderson. That's 2 1/2 hours of fighting. Even in defeat, he never once faltered, gave an inch, or accepted defeat. That's who Frankie Edgar is. Although I'm an Aldo fan, I am very excited for Edgar's upcoming featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett said recently that nothing in sport compares to losing a fight. Not only did you just lose a competition, you got your butt kicked in front of the world. Plus, there is no "we'll win next season." There is no team to share the blame. It falls solely on the fighter.
Because of this, emotions are raw. At the end of each fight, one fighter is on top of the world. The other; in the depths of despair. Mark Coleman provides us with prime examples of both.
Shoot the whole reason I ever became a BJ Penn fan was watching the intensity and emotion in which he fought. His sprint to the cage, no-nonsense knockout, and quick exit in the Caol Uno instantly garnered him a lifelong fan in me. These fighters bare their souls for us and it is impossible not to get caught up in it. I would be lying if I said that I did not shed a tear when Vitor Belfort cried talking about his sister's kidnapping post fight. I literally held my breath when Fedor Emelianenko was caught in Fabricio's Werdum's triangle choke. I jumped out of my seat when Rashad Evans dropped Rampage Jackson. Another reason we get to know these fighters so well is that they are solo athletes. There is no team loyalty in the sport. That is another interesting aspect about it. You need to look out for those young guns. They will soon be replacing your longtime favorites. Towards the end of their careers, many fighters are begged by their fans to retire. It was very hard, as a fan, to see Chuck Liddell slumped on the mat at the end of so many consecutive fights.
MMA is still a burgeoning sport. This also leads to differences in the athletes. They are much more accessible than stars of other sports. Most times, you can just walk into a gym and train with some of the best in the sport. Case in point, I popped in a local school after reading a tweet from a fighter about a seminar going on. After 45 minutes, I had my picture taken with three UFC fighters, an autographed photo with The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 winner Diego Brandao, and a lengthy conversation with former UFC fighter and TUF 4 alum Pete Spratt. I mean, compare that to any NBA, NHL, or MLB training camp. The advent of Twitter has made connections more possible than ever before.
The other difference is the money that these athletes make. The median salary of UFC, Strikeforce, or Bellator fighter in 2012 was $32,000. That is before taxes, payouts to corner men, coaches, and sparring parters, and training costs. $32,000 is less than I made as a (very) junior enlisted member of the military. Plus, that is what the fighters in the top organizations make. There is no high school or college level MMA. There are no minor leagues in which to sharpen skills. These fighters normally have to hold a day job while training in their off time for the most demanding sport in the world. I trained with a police academy drill instructor who would finish his 12 hour shift and go straight to his gym to train for hours. These people fight for the love of the sport. They fight to test themselves. They fight for the fans' love and appreciation. Rarely do they ever fight for the money. A fighter knows what they are getting themselves into. They know that they will work until they puke, bleed, break bones, deprive themselves of sex and food just to perform at their peak. Yet they still fight.
Because of this, there is a respect between fighters not often seen in other sports. Much is made of Peyton Manning waiting to pay his respects to Ray Lewis, and rightly so, but this is commonplace in the MMA world. Following their heated trilogy of fights lasting the better part of a decade, Matt Hughes and BJ Penn trained together. Just yesterday when Hughes retired, he was congratulated by Penn. The post fight hug in nearly mandatory. These fighters know what the other person in that cage had to go through just to get there. Because of this, fighters walk the line between humility and arrogance. There is no point into entering a fight without believing that you can win. However, the inherent beatdowns show that no man is unbeatable. Because of this you get examples of humility. Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" helping my friend Brian carry clothes to his booth. Rashad Evans humbly introducing himself to parents as they walked into our martial arts school. UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn taking 30 minutes of his day to just talk to me on the phone.
That's why I love MMA. What about you? Why do you love, hate, or are indifferent about it? Let's get a discussion going in the comments.
To be brief.... ditto.
ReplyDeleteMike C.