The UFC and Their Fighters....Part I

Last night the 4th episode aired of the hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter on SpikeTV. I have to say this show is going down-hill very fast and has gone from positively entertaining to simply insulting for anyone who graduated high school (depending on the high school). Mind you I got hooked on watching UFC fights a number of years ago through the conduit of this reality show. It's literally the only reality show I've allowed my brain to melt on over the years. But no more.

Let me first say that I'm a fan of the UFC--big time. I like the sport for what it is, I like the action, I admire the competitors and the things they can do with their bodies, and I simply find it highly entertaining. This wasn't always the case, however. Back in the early 90's when it first rose to recognition, I thought it was appalling and it was.....nothing but bar brawlers and thugs in a cage. Put plainly, it was human cock-fighting. However, over the last ten years or so it has certainly become a sport with some of the most intricate and consequential strategy involved and it's been a really nice evolution to notice and be a part of as a fan.

But as I've continued to watch the show The Ultimate Fighter, I've gotten to see the culture and mindset of these fighters at a much closer range. I must say I'm growing increasingly unimpressed. Being a tremendous athlete is a great thing....not being able to read aloud as an adult?....not so great. Imbecile is the most encompassing word I can think of to describe most of these fighters. There are certainly intelligent men fighting in the UFC, some with college degrees and even a few with graduate degrees. But unfortunately these terrific ambassadors are the minority and they have to stand side by side (and toe to toe) with these other cretins that respresent the sport.

I think one would have to formulate an exceptional argument to counter the claim that something must have gone wrong in his childhood for a man to want to be a UFC fighter. For if competition was the only thing driving these men, surely they would have picked another sport? I watch these guys and I can tell right away that daddy didn't give out enough hugs and neither did mom. There was clearly no playing catch or going to the zoo or even watching television as a family. I mean, how do you explain the watching of a great show like Family Ties and then going out and beating people up? Granted, there was an episode where Alex disrespected his family upon moving to NYC, caused a little anger even in me as a 10 yr old, but they settled it, he apologized and it was a great season finale!

No sir, these fighters generally come from really screwed up households and upbringings that have led to a leniency towards violence. Most of them grew up fighting in their neighborhoods and just generally being thugs with clearly no parental authority teaching them respect, patience, self-sacrifice, or humility. For most (not all) of these men, the innate human need to feel worthy of attention and respect has found its vehicle in violence; and by no fault of their own.

How hard is it to avoid a fist-fight really? I mean, I don't consider myself a tough guy by any means, I've had a couple fights in my life, but I can honestly say that all of them could have been avoided if I wasn't so prideful or had simply used better judgement at the time. My fight count should be zero. But nor do I consider myself a wuss when it comes to standing up for myself. I live in the Big Apple where people are pissing me off on a daily if not hourly basis. I've been absolutely enraged by some of the things I've seen and experienced...but not once has it come to blows.

Fortunately many of these men, once engulfed in the sport, have turned their attitudes around and have found an outlet for this anger through the sport of mixed martial arts. But it really is a shame that it took cage fighting to actually calm them down in normal society! I'll give credit here where credit is due, but I still contend that even this positive strain of the fighting culture is overshadowed by what we see on a show like The Ultimate Fighter.

to be continued....