Tonight the topic of this weekends UFC MMA fight came up and another person that watches it was interested to know that two others of us also watch it. In the past I’ve tried to discuss this and many times it ends up feeling like I’m trying to defend why I watch it when I can. I know men who can’t stand it and women that yell right back at the screen.
Watching a MMA fight can be spiritual in its own way. For me this is gladiatorial. This is not a five on one situation. These are two men in a similar weight class that are going to pit skill against skill. One might be a better grappler and the maybe the other is a better striker. Each moment, strike, and breathe is important. One punch can knock the opponent off just enough to give the other an opening to literally jump onto. How well can someone handle and onslaught from a ground and pound? How strong is the chin to take blow after blow? Is your ground game good enough that if you are taken down or you take someone down that you can sink in your triangle or kamora to get yourself out. Once again a slight shift in balance or strength at right moment can shift the fight itself.
As them folk say, never leave it up to the judges. If you’ve ever watched a good matchup and you see the judges choose the one you thought obviously lost you can only imagine the feeling of the people in the cage whether in jubilation or disbelief.
Even writing about this I can feel my heart rate increasing and my blood pressure rising. The anticipation of a good matchup where they leave everything, everything in the ring. like the first bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. It was so impressive they were both given contracts to fight.
From one concept a one on one fight tests your own skills and abilities. Did you train hard enough? Were you prepared? Could you adapt to a changing situation to persevere?
From a different concept just get a weapon and take out your opponent. That’s not to say there wasn’t skill in using that weapon. Just that if you have something bigger/better/whatever and the proper knowledge to use it you can win against a large group all by yourself. Something that may take a skill set completely different from a one on one fight.
Regardless. If you don’t agree with the fights, watch or don’t watch. That’s your business but just don’t bother me when I am watching. I enjoy them and will continue to enjoy watching them when I can, reveling in the feelings of the test of skills before me hoping for a good matchup and not a very one sided battle that leaves one untested.
-Santa’s Fallen Angel