One Man’s Brutal Spectacle Is Another’s Eden: New at Reason

Ultimate Fighting Championship was bought last week by talent conglomerate WME-IMG for $4 billion.

A. Barton Hinkle writes:

MMA has come a long way since its early days, when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) condemned it as “human cockfighting” and lawmakers in New York banned it outright. When it first began, it seemed like the result of a beery dorm-room debate over who would win in a fight: a boxer or a wrestler? A judo master or a karate black belt?

There were no weight classes, and only a handful of rules: biting and eye-gouging were forbidden, but strikes to the groin were not. One of the earlier matches pitted Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenomenon Royce Gracie, at 176 pounds, against Akebono, a 500-pound sumo wrestler. Gracie won lying on his back with Akebono on top of him, in the first round, by forcing Akebono to submit with a shoulder lock.

The sport has matured considerably since those circus side-show days. The competitors today are more well-rounded: Even a kickboxer will have some grappling skills; even a wrestler will have learned how to throw a punch. The UFC also has weight divisions now, and a few more rules—but not many. (A knee-strike to a downed opponent’s face is not allowed, for example, but a knee-strike to his torso is.)

It also has a women’s division, which includes Ronda Rousey—the once-unstoppable bantamweight who has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and in several movies. Rousey is one reason UFC president Dana White, who once said women would never fight in the league, is very happy he changed his mind.

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