Welcome

Welcome to my first attempt at a blog. In this blog I am going to share my thoughts on the growing sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Some of you may know the sport as "Ultimate Fighting" or "that fighting stuff". I have been a fan for over ten years now and I feel like the sport gets a bad rap from people who get a bad first impression.

I first became a fan in 1995 as a sophomore in college. I heard some other guys in the dorm talking about it and decided to rent some videos to check it out. I was hooked right away. Some people can't get past the inherent violence of the sport but I don't see it that way at all. I see it as the ultimate test of both athleticisim and preparedness, a unique blend of strategy and physical prowess that appeals to my competitive nature on many levels.

My initial interest had mainly to do with the concept of style versus style. In early mixed martial arts contests, as the name implies, practitioners of different types of martials arts and combat sports competed and it was all about who's style was most effective. Karate versus Kung Fu. Boxing vs. Wrestling. And the style of the family who brought mixed martial arts to the mainstream. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it's representative, Royce Gracie. Royce(pronounced Hoyce) was about 6'1" and 170lbs. Yet he was able to defeat opponents much larger than himself using the techniques of this mysterious martial art, which was all about fighting on the ground. A concept that was foreign to me at the time. He would tackle them to the ground and then wrap them up in submission holds, for which they had no defense. Karate guys, boxers, kickboxers, and even Judo guys and wrestlers all eventually fell to the Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. Even though he was not as good at kicking and punching as these men, he could easily neutralize their advantages and bring the fight to where he was most comfortable, which was the ground.

Modern mixed martial arts fighters have incorporated those techniques into their normal training. Modern fights are much less style versus style and much more athlete versus athlete, but you still have fighters who excell in one thing more than another. So that is where the part of the sport I love the most comes into play. Eliminating the strengths of your opponent and catering to your advantages. If I am a better fighter standing up, I come in with a gameplan to keep the fight standing. If I feel my advantage is ground fighting, I work to bring the fight to the ground. If I feel the opponent has advantages over me in both realms but I feel I am in better shape, I will push the fight and try to tire my opponent out. This game within a game battle of wills and strategy is what draws me to this sport.

I hope this has given everyone an idea of where I am coming from. The main mixed martial arts promotion in the United States is the UFC, the Ultimate Fighting Championships. This weekend, November 19th, UFC 56 takes place. The fight card includes both the Welterweight(170lbs) and Middleweight(185lbs) belts being defending. I am looking forward to ordering the Pay Per View. My next blog will be my review of this event, with a brief recap and my thoughts on the event.

Until next time,
Jason