For the past four years, I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for a sport that, as recently as ten years ago, was a pariah in most of the
United States and was struggling to earn legitimacy in mainstream sports.
The sport of mixed martial arts, or
MMA for short, has come a long way in the past couple of decades since jiu jitsu ace Royce Gracie first made a name for himself at the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, known to most simply as
UFC with its world-renowned Octagon, began as a tournament-style format, without weight classes or time limits.
MMA, then known as ‘NHB’ or ‘no holds barred’ quickly became popular.
Because of the sport’s brutality in the early years, it gained the attention of several politicians who passed legislation to ban the sport in most American states. Arizona Senator John McCain famously referred to the sport as “human cockfighting”, and even today six states, most notably
New York and
Michigan, continue to maintain its ban of mixed martial arts. McCain has since altered his stance in recent years following regulation of the sport, even stating in 2008 that “the sport has grown up. The rules have been adopted to give its athletes better protections and to ensure fairer competition.”
Today the
UFC is the most popular and profitable of the large-scale
MMA promotions. The company struggled for viability and fiscal survival until the company was purchased by casino owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who along with former personal trainer and current
UFC President Dana White, realized the significance of working alongside state athletic commissions and sought to clean up the barbaric image and rules of the sport.
Today’s
MMA is regulated in a similar fashion to professional boxing and kickboxing organizations. There are rules of combat in place which are strictly enforced and weight classes, and with the legalization of
MMA, many state athletic commissions have opened the door for smaller scale local and regional fighting promotions and training schools to flourish.
North Carolina passed legislation governing Mixed Martial Arts in 2007. The rise in fighter safety along with state rules and legislation has helped to fuel a major interest in the sport and helped the
UFC and other major fighting promotions to become bigger than ever and a billion-plus dollar a year business.
Mixed martial arts have become an interest as a profession to some local residents. One such individual is my friend Luke Moody who resides in Crossnore. Luke has been participating in
MMA sanctioned events in multiple states, and has a passion for the sport that I have seen in few folks.
“I personally became interested in the sport back in the late 1990’s but only as a fan. It was not until
June 6, 2003 that I saw
UFC 43 when Randy Couture defeated Chuck Liddell to win the
UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship and become the first man to ever hold a title in two divisions that I became interested in fighting,” Moody shared with me recently. “The drama around the Couture/Liddell fight was huge. The fight was so exciting and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I had done some wrestling but that fight and the allure of what it would be to have the opportunity to get into the cage with another fighter and prove that I belonged to be there, that is what made me want to compete in a big show and take part in mixed martial arts.”
Kris Vance, an
Avery County native who currently plays semi-pro football with the Carolina Golden Knights, also participates in
MMA and is training for an upcoming fight in
Kentucky. He echoes a similar passion and dedication to the sport.
“The reason I became interested in
MMA is because I wanted to try something with a lot of discipline and courage. The first fight I took was in 2006 against a former
Kentucky state trooper on short notice who knocked me out in about 45 seconds,” Vance shared regarding his experience in the sport. “After that I told myself I would commit myself to getting better, so I have been learning new moves, working with other fighters, and watching training videos. Being a fighter is a thrill, and when you to go to the arenas kids look at fighters as heroes.”
MMA has skyrocketed in popularity in the past five years, as live events held on a monthly basis routinely sell out large arenas, with hundreds of thousands of fans purchasing events via pay-per-view.
For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of watching virtually every
UFC event with avid
MMA follower C.J. Laws and his family at their home in the Heaton community. C.J. has been an
MMA follower since its inception in the early 90s. He participated in martial arts at a younger age and was attracted by the various disciplines involved in the sport, telling me that he would have been a fighter had the sport been available at the time.
“Mixed martial arts incorporate all the martial arts and fighting skills,” Laws stated. “You have grappling, karate, kickboxing, wrestling, and punching. Back in the 80s when I was in martial arts,
MMA had not been developed. I took part in karate tournaments, but it wasn’t until Royce Gracie came along that mixed martial arts came along and eventually you had the stricter set of rules and multiple fighting styles.”
Mixed martial arts has reached the mainstream in recent months, as ESPN and other networks are covering events and are airing shows dedicated to the sport. Chances are mixed martial arts will be worth checking out if you’re a fan of boxing or wrestling. Like any sport,
MMA isn’t for everyone, but as the sport continues to grow one thing is for certain: the Octagon won’t be going away anytime soon.
For the past four years, I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for a sport that, as recently as ten years ago, was a pariah in most of the 