I am thoroughly amazed that in this day and age – admittedly uneducated opinions such as yours (opinions born of ignorance and conjecture) are given the front pages of the news media. Having said that – allow me to educate you on the sport I love.
So who am I to educate you on mixed martial arts?
I am a near life long student of various martial arts and a part time instructor at the Binghamton location of CNY MMA: the premier MMA school in upstate New York and where Jon Jones got his start. A school where each location is deeply involved in there respective communities. Whether it be redirecting “at risk children”; law enforcement or various charities. A school where students range from 7 year old children to 40 year old mothers to 70 year old grandfathers and everyone in between. Each attend classes for there own reasons: the most prominent reason being health and fitness. Weight loss being a concern for most everyone. Children learning to be self confident; women feeling safer as they walk to their car at night, and everyone learning to defend them selves. Out of the hundreds, if not thousands of students we have had over the years, less than 5% of our students fight or even aspire to be fighters.
Which brings me to the topic of “sport”.
When the UFC first burst on to the scene back in 1993 – it was very raw. Dare I say – brutal to those without a clue. Just as boxing was in its infancy. Before Marquess of Queensberry rules being established in 1867, boxers were allowed to wrestle in their bouts. Now its the “sweet science” we know today. MMA had a similar revision of rules in New Jersey in 2000. Referees are competent, rules are very defined, and its all governed by an athletic commission in the 42 states that professional mma matches are currently sanctioned in. Participants are well versed in all aspects of combat. Be it boxing, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu or Thai Boxing.
Despite the juvenile marketing angle back in the early 90's – there has never been a death in the UFC. No deaths in the UFC since it began in 1993. Unlike boxing which has had over 68 deaths related to training or matches between 2000 and 2007. Boxing is far, FAR more brutal than MMA. You have 5 tools in boxing. Jab, cross, hook, uppercut and the over hand. Each designed to make their opponents brain bounce around in there skull like a ping pong ball. There are a multitude of tools in MMA, and a variety of ways to win. Submission (where the opponent gives up), knock out, technical knock out (referee intervening) and points assigned by judges.
As I read what I have wrote so far; and as I reread the article you wrote – I realize that you had (and probably still have) no desire to know what MMA is all about. Its easier to just lash out about something you know nothing about.
You know what can be brutal? Life can be brutal. You know whats easy? Judging something you know nothing about from the comfort of your arm chair.
But as you are mistaken about MMA, maybe I am mistaken about you – so I invite you to come to our school; talk to our students, talk to our fighters, or even try a few classes. Everyone makes mistakes.
Sincerely,
Curtis Yeomans