Mixed Martial Art Part II

The UFC used the phrase “There are no rules!” though there were actually a limited amount of rules. These rules were similar to the early Greek Pankration where there was to be no biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, head butting, groin strikes and fish-hooking (the insertion of fingers into ears, mouth, nose etc.). These were also judge-free competitions with no weigh classes; no time limits and the competitors did not wear protective gear. Knockout, submission, or a fighter’s corner throwing in the towel is the only way the match would be stopped.
Although MMA has become a popular sport, it has not gone without generating controversy around the world. MMA’s violent nature and “No Holds Barred” (NHB) motto had some critics, such as Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, comparing it to “human cockfighting” and a “visual feast of broken bones and blood”. In 1996, McCain who is a life-long boxing fan wrote to the governors of all fifty states asking them to ban the ultimate fighting. McCain had the support of the American Medical Association and other politicians. Thirty-six states agreed to ban this NHB fighting. The pressure of the political parties led to major cable networks refusing to broadcast any future fights.
In 2001 Dana White and the Fertittas brothers purchased the UFC for $2 million and immediately went to work on getting the sport sanctioned. Throughout the years the UFC and many of the other promoters of Mixed Martial Arts have drastically changed their rules. UFC now has a list of weight classes, bout duration, 31 fouls and ways to win.
Is MMA as a sport too violent? According to a report by the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, (JOSS&M), “Martial arts had lower injury rates compared to boxing and wrestling for all diagnoses. Boxing had lower injury rated compared to wrestling for strains/sprains and dislocations. Boxing and wrestling had similar injury rates for concussions.” The report also states “The findings of the present study do not provide evidence that combat sports have alarmingly high rates of injuries resulting in emergency department visits.”
Although critics say that MMA is dangerous and barbaric, no deaths have occurred in a sanctioned MMA match. Injuries and brain damage are also infrequent due to submissions and referee stoppage as a victory option, which are not an option in boxing. There have been hundreds of deaths in boxing as well as brain damage and long-term injury. The object of boxing is to beat your opponent unconscious or injury them badly enough where they can no longer get up.
Is MMA dangerous for children? Another MMA controversy is whether or not MMA is too violent for children to participate or even to watch. Critics say that MMA teaches kids that fighting is okay and honorable.
Kids that participate in MMA or any sport for that matter are engaging in healthy, confidence-boosting activities, that burn calories, build strength and teaches personal responsibility and discipline. These types of physical activities are much better for a child than sitting around playing video games and watching television all day.
I have watched and met many children who train in different types of martial arts. Besides learning martial arts, they are also taught respect, discipline and self-esteem. They are polite, disciplined, smart, and responsible and are far more mature than most children their ages. These children who are training are supervised at all times by responsible adults. They are also fully padded, train on soft mats and are taught all of the safety rules.

Bolelli, Daniele. "Mixed Martial Arts." Journal of Asian Martial Arts. 12.3 (2003): Print.

van Bottenburg, Maarten, and Johan Heilbron. "De-Sportization of Fighting Contests: The Origins and Dynamics of No Holds Barred Events and the Theory of Sportization." International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 41.3/4 (2008): Print.

http://www.jssm.org/combat/2/11/v6combat2-11.pdf

Downey, Greg. "Producing Pain; Techniques and Technologies in No-Holds-Barred Fighting." Social Studies of Science. 37.2 (2007): 201-226. Print.