Jim Lampley:Boxing puppet or really that clueless?

Jim Lampley was the guest host for the Jim Rome show on Monday, June 5th. The topic of "Ultimate Fighting" came up. When Lampley gave his opinion, I was genuinely shocked. He expressed the opinion that it wasn't a real sport, didn't have real athletes, and was nothing more than a "barfight".

I am normally a big fan of Jim Lampley. I enjoy his commentary on HBO Boxing. He does seem to be a little biased here and there but I have my favorite fighters also and it would be hard not to be biased at times. So I don't fault him for that. In general, his thoughts are pretty insightful and he calls the action well. So for him to have such an ignorant opinion of the sport I love so much really knocked me for a loop.

As Lampley continued to comment, it became more and more obvious that he didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about. He said competitors in ultimate fighting "gouged each other" and other equally as incorrect statements. He said it was like watching a barfight, and if he wanted to do that he would go to a bar. He finally said he understood the appeal of it. It had the same appeal as watching a Gatti-Ward fight, where they slug it out, risk their lives, and beat each other into a bloody mess. He then said that while those type fights were somewhat entertaining, he preferred a technical fight.

Well, Mr. Lampley, I will agree with you on one point. I too enjoy a technical fight. Gatti-Ward type boxing does nothing for me. It seems kind of mindless and to be honest, I'm not a big fan of blood. That being said, I love the sport of mixed martial arts. Not because it's a violent spectacle as you seem to think, but because I see it as the ultimate technical combat sport. You used the term "barfight" to insinuate that the participants are unskilled. Which quite honestly couldn't be further from the truth. You just have to take the time to educate yourself as to what the fighters are try to do. You can't do that by watching maybe one UFC event 12 years ago and then sticking your head in the sand and pretending that's still what's going on today.

Boxing is known as the "sweet science". And that's a good assessment. Technical boxing can be a thing of beauty. A stronger man can be defeated by a skilled boxer. That's part of the appeal. But if boxing is the "sweet science", then mixed martial arts is the "sweeter science". A skilled mixed martial artist has to understand boxing, but they also have to understand other very technical skill sets such as wrestling, kickboxing, and other martial arts like judo, sambo, or jiu-jitsu. The sheer depth of knowledge for different aspects of fighting is overwhelming. And a good mixed martial arts fighter is proficient at them all. A top level boxer would very likely beat a top level mixed martial artist in a boxing match. But a boxer with no other training would have just a puncher's chance against an opponent who could take them out of their comfort zone by executing a takedown and shifting the fight into a different realm where a different skill set would come into play. To not enjoy the nuances of ground fighting is one thing. To completely dismiss it as not having skill is quite another.

The conception that fighters in the UFC are unskilled is ridiculous. They are among the most highly trained and highly skilled athletes in the world. There can be only two reasons that someone would suggest otherwise. Reason one would be if they have some sort of agenda. Reason two would be that they are truely ignorant to the tactics and skills that make up a mixed martial arts fight.

To be honest, I'm not sure which one of those two applies to Jim Lampley. For someone who comes across as intelligent in most realms I've heard him in, it's hard to believe he could honestly have the opinions he expressed if he had taken time to study the sport. So either he hasn't taken the time to understand the sport, or he is such a puppet for boxing that he plans on using whatever platform he can to bash mixed martial arts because he sees it as competition for boxing.

In the end, it doesn't really matter which one of those is true. The reality of the situation is that mixed martial arts is exploding in this country. And while their may be fans who like it for the "spectacle" of it, I am convinced there are many more out there like myself. Fans who appreciate the technical aspects of the sport and want to see it get fair treatment as a sport. A sport that is just as legitimate as boxing, and for my money, more technical and more enjoyable to watch.

Marc Ratner, the commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, recently resigned his position to take a position with the Ultimate Fighting Championships. More people are starting appreciate the sport and understand that's it not some mindless violence. It's talented athletes competing in a very technical sport. A sport which I personally believe is safer healthwise in the long run than boxing, a fact that will make itself clear as time goes by. Insiders in the fight game are starting to accept what all boxing supporters will eventually have to accept. You may not care for mixed martial arts personally, but bad mouthing it by restating the same old misconceptions or sticking your head in the sand and pretending it's not a viable sport won't make it go away.

Until next time,
Jason