BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
For years I kind of blindly hated on the UFC. I say “kind of” because I knew enough about it to have a valid opinion, but I didn’t know enough about it to know that my valid opinion could have been wrong.
It’s not that I feel like I'm above the UFC but I just felt that the people who glamorized the "art" of it were full of shit. I don't care what anyone says, MMA is two people in a cage trying to win via worst beating or injury possible. No one can deny the sentiment and basic simplicity of it.
But yeah, I was a dick about it. I was closed minded about it. There IS an art to the process. The same way I have to defend wrestling to naive non fans, I should have respected the debunking of stereotypes a bit more. Eventually after gaining an appreciation for Joe Rogan through his podcasts and comedy I got a tad more open to it. The MMA related guests he had seemed like interesting dudes and the way they speak of their profession made it seem really different than that primal war aspect.
It's never going to replace wrestling in my heart, but I can see things differently. Here are a few things I’ve learned:
1. THE FIGHTERS DO HAVE PERSONALITY.
From the outside they all look like soulless blockheads on par with the non-Mayweather side of boxing. Some of these guys cut better promos than some people in the WWE and most people in TNA. Guys like Sonnen have enough personality to be legit stars in WWE.
2. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
We've all seen that fight where it looks like two mostly naked dudes are hugging each other for 30 minutes. It’s not all like this at all. Sometimes a fight ends in like 30 seconds or sometimes it goes the distance. You just never know.
3. NOT AS BARBARIC AS WE THOUGHT.
Sure they are still fighting in a cage, but they stop things before it gets really bad. It’s still a war!
4. THEY HAVE GREAT PROMO.
They still can’t compete with the WWE in terms of production, but I can fairly say that the MMA is better than TNA wrestling and has a sharp and defined look to it. The promotional packages are getting great and the advertising is engaging. As a non-fan, these commercials really show me who is worth checking out and gives me a little 30 second history lesson of where things were to lead up to now. This is part of the UFC that people seem to be sleeping on.
5.) IT’S ALWAYS ON NOW.
One way to really get into it seems to just jump in and start watching. Now, more than ever, you have the options to check it out. They have pay per views like every other weekend anymore, but if you don’t want to invest your cash just yet into something you can watch one of their many shows. They have “The Ultimate Fighter”, which is a reality show/fight show hybrid. They have stuff on Fox Sports all the time. They show old classic fights, news, promo packages, and just tons of content. They are slowly and surely getting more and more out there. It’s only a matter of time before they’re in a place like a WWE or TNA where they can put on weekly shows and just rotate through all their talent that way.
It’s there. If you want to check it out, go for it. Going into it with an open mind, I’ve started to enjoy aspects of it and appreciate the product a lot more. I’m not completely sold on it. Nothing has gotten me to get super excited like a football game, a basketball game, or even a professional wrestling match. It’s still something to take in. I’d just recommend being more opened minded to it. It’s NOT the crazy cage fighting you’d see in a Van Dam movie from the early 90s. It’s a legit sport. Treat it accordingly.
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