Mixed Martial Arts: Restoring Honor through Blood and Guts

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on November 24, 2008)

by Mark Lorenzana

I want you to hit me as hard as you can.

This is the famous line of Tyler Durden, one of the main characters in Chuck Palahniuk’s iconic novel, Fight Club. The novel was adapted into a film of the same name and starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. The book became an international bestseller and the film became a pop culture phenomenon. Both featured the same plot, white collar guys meeting up in bars after work and knocking each other’s heads off, all in the name of stress release—and entertainment.

Of course, underground bare-knuckle fighting or fisticuffs depicted in the book and in the film is illegal. And not long ago, Mixed Martial Arts or MMA had a similar problem, as it had difficulty finding its way into the mainstream audience. Take the case of the Ultimate Fighting Championship for instance. The UFC is one of the earliest MMA organizations and back then it had a few limited rules. And it didn’t help that the UFC was marketed as “no holds barred”, prompting some legislators to label it as “human cock fighting”. Eventually the UFC reformed itself and slowly embraced stricter rules (and distanced itself from the bare-knuckle label by enforcing the use of four ounce MMA grappling gloves), becoming sanctioned by state athletic commissions, and making it the pay-per-view giant that it is now.

Even so, a lot of people still think MMA is nothing but a barbaric blood sport that pits two sadistic (and masochistic?) street fighters against each other. And more often than not, they view the fighters as unthinking brutes whose only mindset is to punish and hurt another human being.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Take two of its practitioners, for instance. Chuck Liddell has a bachelor’s degree in Business/Accounting from Cal Poly. Rich Franklin was a math teacher and holds a master’s degree in education. Both could have stuck to their academic pursuits but decided to take up fighting as their profession. Collectively, Liddell and Franklin are just the tip of the iceberg.

And who can question these guys’ hearts and work ethic? It takes a lot of courage to take a pounding and never quit, to fight amid blood and guts, and it takes strong will and dedication to prepare yourself physically and mentally for a big fight much like a prizefighter does in training camp.

The goal of the honorable duel of medieval times was often not so much to punish the opponent as to gain satisfaction. Rather, it was to restore one’s honor by demonstrating a willingness to risk one’s life for it. And in my opinion, fighting in a cage or in a ring is no different.

So the first question that begs to be asked is: Why is MMA so popular and why do a lot of people watch it?

Maybe this question is best answered by other questions. Who could forget the David and Goliath battle between Royce Gracie and Dan “The Beast” Severn in the early days of the UFC? How could have the gangling Gracie, with an almost 80-pound weight disadvantage, beat the much bigger and stronger Severn? Who wouldn’t be mesmerized with the way Anderson “The Spider” Silva gracefully dismantles his opponents? Or who wouldn’t be awed by Chris “The Crippler” Leben’s courage and devil-may-care attitude each time he steps into the Octagon?

The other question that begs to be asked is: Why do MMA fighters do what they do?

Unlike the sadistic and masochistic brawlers in Fight Club, MMA practitioners don’t ply their trade just because they need to scratch a bloodthirsty itch. They are legitimate athletes and sportsmen and they passionately perform at the highest level for their audience as any rock band or performance artist.

would. They have work to do, and thankfully for them (and woefully for the most of us), it’s not a boring nine to five desk job.

This is the way they put food on the table, this is the way they pay the bills. They just do their jobs the best way they know how:

By hitting each other as hard as they can.

UFC 94: In Pursuit of Blood-Sweet Revenge

BJ-Penn-Georges-St-Pierre-1(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on November 21, 2008)

by Mark Lorenzana

If BJ Penn’s last two fights should be a gauge of what to expect from “The Prodigy” when he faces George “Rush” St.–Pierre in their rematch at UFC 94 in January, then we all should be excited.

Penn showed just how excellent his ground game is when he fought Joe Stevenson for the vacant 155-pound title at UFC 80. Penn did a good job of controlling the fight on the ground and managed to cut Stevenson’s forehead with an elbow in the first round. In the second, it was just a matter of time, as Penn continued to dominate the bloodied Stevenson on the mat. The latter eventually tapped out due to a rear-naked choke.

Penn was crowned the UFC Lightweight Champion. Then, as if to punctuate his dominance over his opponent, Penn licked his gloves, gloves that were drenched in Stevenson’s blood.

Fast forward to UFC 84 against Sean Sherk. This time, Penn displayed his strong stand up game. Penn rocked Sherk several times in the first two rounds before finally knocking him out in the third. The end came with a Penn jab followed by a right uppercut and another jab. The punches didn’t seem to land flush but they were enough to back Sherk off. As Sherk bounced off the cage, Penn greeted him with a knee to the face. Sherk went down in a heap and was pounded out. Some argue that perhaps the outcome had a lot to do with Sherk’s decision to stand and trade despite his strong wrestling skills. After all, Sherk has never been known as an explosive striker. But I beg to differ and say that the win had to do with Penn’s ever-improving overall skills.

Penn retained his UFC lightweight belt. But not before he went out of his way to go over to the fallen Sherk, wipe some blood off Sherk’s forehead, and lick the blood off his hand.

Whether Penn can do the same to GSP remains to be seen. Especially since Penn still holds the stigma of a loss, albeit a close one, to GSP in their first fight. So to Penn, nothing could be sweeter than revenge.

But this is easier said than done. GSP, the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion, has been stellar in his last four outings since his shock loss to Matt Serra. He has since won by unanimous decision against Josh Koscheck, submitted Matt Hughes, knocked out Serra in their rematch, and outfought a game and dangerous Jon Fitch.

Indeed, BJ Penn has his work cut out for him. Nonetheless, it seems he can’t wait to step into the Octagon with GSP.

Right after his fight with Fitch, GSP didn’t mince words: “I’m ready to fight everybody. Everybody who deserves a shot. I know BJ Penn wants it and I want to do it. Whoever they give me, I’ll do it. He deserves it.”

To which Penn, stepping into the Octagon in street clothes, grabbed Joe Rogan’s microphone and immediately responded: “Let’s do it. Let’s put the fight together. Let’s do this.”

GSP put in the last word: “I am not a chicken; I don’t want to duck anybody. I’m a proud champion.”

It’s safe to say that they are both proud champions. And neither one would duck anybody, especially each other.

This is the reason there’s a rematch, and this is why it’s going to be a guaranteed barnburner.

It remains to be seen whether BJ Penn has any blood-licking to do. But it’s certainly the one thing that might make revenge a little sweeter.