MMA’s main critics seem to have a short list of arguments against fighting, namely that it is a blood sport amounting to no more than a spectacle. Retorts from the MMA community only seem to reinforce the erroneous claims of critics; some opinions in favour even try to work with the critics and simply say: “it’s gruesome and I like it, so what?” Instead, what should be said is: “it’s gruesome but I like it.”
The blood sport accusation has some merit; the appeal of MMA is certainly founded in aesthetics. Yet what is visually stimulating is not profuse bloodletting, but the the rhythm of the fight. Though the practise of martial arts involves the acquisition of combative skills, there is nonetheless a dance performed in a fight. In fact, in Muay Thai - one of the main martial arts utilized by MMA fighters - before every match there is Wai khru ram muay, a dance performed out of respect to the audience and the fighters’ trainers (their khrus). This dance also serves to offset the violence and remind the audience of the visual and artistic side of the fighting. And Muay Thai is not the only martial art which emphasizes the beauty and fluidity of the movements and techniques of martial arts. Perhaps the epitome of such a style is Capoeira, a Brazilian art form that incorporates martial arts into a dance.
With the visual aesthetics of MMA in mind, one can still see a spectacle. Such occurrences generally take place between two stylistically mismatched fighters, like the typical “striker vs. grappler” situation – like when Nate Marquardt needed only 21 seconds to knock Damien Maia unconscious. Maia, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, met Marquardt’s right hand with grappling on the mind.
The problem is this: spectacles occur in every sport. Fights break out in the NBA, NFL and MLB alike, and some fans are simply drawn to a sporting event when a player gets seriously injured. Bloodthirsty fans are not limited to MMA.
As for the connections made to link MMA to pro wrestling (and more specifically the UFC to the WWE), there are some trivial similarities.
With the epic introduction music of UFC pay-per-view events, the lights, screaming fans and shiny, gold championship belts, one can’t help but get swept away in the pageantry of it all. If the WWE and the UFC look similar to you, you should pat yourself back for recognizing a simple truth; the WWE is an athletic soap opera which tries to stay true to the formatting of actual combat sport events. The antics and action outside of the cage can once again be seen as harking back to MMA’s predecessors. In Muay Thai, fighters enter the ring wearing a Mong Kon, a colourful head piece that is worn as a testament to one’s training, and for superstition
So when you see John Cena running into the camera frame with his high tops, corny sport cap and denim shorts, he is harking back to ancient martial art traditions, albeit in a non-spiritual way.
In the end, MMA is more than a live action version of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1988 hit film Bloodsport. One simply needs to look at it’s roots to find meaning in some of the customs and rituals performed in and around the cage, and stop to take a closer look at the waltz that is occurring simultaneously with the want to draw first blood.
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