01/02/09
I was the guy who started this sport and let me say, for the record, that I love MMA. But, I'm not the only one or the first one to say that the MMA seems to have has lost its way. MMA, and specifically the UFC, have stopped delivering the kind of extreme fighting sport that fans have come to expect. Some are saying now that the UFC has de-evolved. First it was a spectacle, then it gained acceptance as a sport and now it's back to being a spectacle.
Recently John Perretti called it, "a fossil of what is was." And journalist Eddie Goldman, the 'Conscience of MMA', says that real technique in MMA is gone. He says, "today you push 'em up against the cage, tumble to the mat, throw punches and elbows on the ground....that's called technique."
Not too long ago the UFC really cared about putting solid fights together. Now, they seem more interested in providing a neat, corporate package like the WWE with their stable of entertainers. They've become a business looking to sell their groomed fighters. What does it say about the UFC when you have a pro wrestler, with a 2-1 record, beating their hall-of-fame Heavyweight Champion? And I don't even want to get into the farce that was ProEliteXC. Some are saying that the UFC is fast becoming just like the WWE……pure entertainment and less of a SPORT.
When I created the UFC, the boxing community and martial artists, from karate to taekwondo, said it was too brutal and a freak show….a "unicorn sport". Now some in MMA are taking shots at my new sport, XARM - saying it's too extreme. Oh, how history repeats itself! What XARM does is take the best three minutes of any MMA fight – removes the ground game…and gives fans what they want – raw, uncensored, nonstop action!
Get off the ground and step up to the table. That's my thought….
Peace,
Art