A couple weeks ago I bashed the sport of boxing for producing headlines that included a sports journalist bludgeoned to death with a hammer and a low blow that almost sparked a riot in an arena packed with more than 15,000 fans.
However, for those of you looking for a new brand of fisticuffs to follow, there is an alternative that won't disappoint: the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The UFC, still green as a sports association because of its creation in 2001, is considered one of the world's leading mediums of mixed martial arts combat. Competitors employ interdisciplinary forms of fighting like jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, wrestling and boxing.
As exciting as boxing is to watch while two guys punch, punch, lean on each other when they're tired and then punch some more, mixed martial arts is definitely more entertaining. Because fighters are able to take certain elements from all kinds of fighting styles, no two competitors spar the same.
Big guys with a boxing background obviously go for knockouts. I am happy to say that knockouts are just as exciting in the UFC as they are in boxing, but the plus side is that in the UFC, knockouts happen more frequently.
However, this sport isn't just about punching.
Competitors with a background in wrestling ' and I do mean a serious background, some of these guys are accomplished college athletes ' usually try to take fights to the mat and attempt to submit their opponents.
Submissions occur when one of the fighters is caught in a hold that causes them to tap out, verbally or physically, for whatever reason and lose the match. Picture being choked out until you lose consciousness or having limbs being pulled and bent in ways nature did not intend.
I'm guessing right now that you are thinking that UFC bouts sound brutal (they are intense, I won't lie to you), but the sport also has a touch of elegance as well. Watching competitors with a solid command of jiu-jitsu is like seeing poetry in motion.
Fighters employ these skills in bouts that consist of three (five if it's a title bout), five-minute rounds that are scored by ring judges. Fighters can win in a number of ways including knockout, submission, technical decisions from officials or scoring decisions from the judges.
There are similarities to boxing, of course. The UFC has a range of competitors from around the globe fighting for everything from pride to fame and fortune in five weight classes: Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight.
How and why UFC fighters compete are interesting, but the 'where' is really how the UFC sucked me in when I saw my first fight.
Nuts to the ring, UFC competitors fight in an eight-sided cage called The Octagon. Just say that again, The Octagon. It just sounds awesome, doesn't it? I assure you it is.
My personal interest in the UFC began two years ago thanks to a reality series on Spike TV called The Ultimate Fighter
and it's a good place to get a first look at what the UFC is all about.
The basis of the show is simple: get a couple dozen guys together in one house, split them into two teams and at the end of every episode, throw two fighters in The Octagon and let them beat the tar out of each other for a chance at a UFC contract in their respective weight class.
Check out the third season of The Ultimate Fighter Thursday nights at 10 p.m. on Spike TV. If you like fighting, but you're bored of boxing, you will love what the UFC has to offer. 17
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Mark Shugar
