Has MMA done harm to martial arts

[mook jong man]

The good that it has done is that it has woken people up to the fact that you need to have some training on the ground .

The bad that it has done is the disrespect that some of the participants show to their opponents both before the match and sometimes after they defeat them .

Young people watch this stuff and think that is how you should act , I don't know if it is an American thing , I think you call it trash talking or something.

I used to see it a lot on the UFCs. I find it extremely repulsive , in Australia the quickest way for any sportsman to be hated is to be a cocky braggart , and we don't care how talented you are . As a nation it just rubs us up the wrong way .

Another thing is that over here we are starting to see a phenomenon of " Fight Clubs " amongst schoolboys , one died here a couple of days ago from injuries he sustained.
These are done after school with a multitude of people watching and recording them on their phones and then uploaded to Youtube .

I don't know if this recent phenomenon is caused by Hollywood movies glamorising violence or because of UFC type contests I suspect it maybe a little of both.

I just think that some of the people in the MMA contests should just be a little bit more aware of the image they are projecting .

Maybe try being a little bit more like Cro Cop and a little bit less like Tito Ortiz , I think that Cro Cop is a wonderful ambassador for the sport along with a few others.

 

[terryl965]

A;; it has done is make money off of sport people, just like Karate and Tae Kwon Do. MMA is about playing by a set of rules and those that can learn and adapt will help carry the image.

I have to say it is a great sport but the overall image of Martial Arts keep getting wrapped up in the sport aspect of MMA.

One day I wish for well educated people so they will know the difference between a sport and Self Defense.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I love MMA but at times I think it has done alot of harm to the martial arts world. Most people think that you have to compete in UFC to prove that your art is effective. Real kung Fu was not made for a sporting event. There are people who train in iron palm who can break 7 bricks free standing with no spacers, why would they join a fight where they have to cover up their hands? Wing Chun concentrates on strikes to vital areas that MMA events dont allow, so why the hate for the WC guys who go into the cage under rules they are not used to following?
There is so much disrespect from MMA people trying to discredit real martial artists because they wont fight in MMA.

I think that MMA has been overall beneficial to martial arts. It has certainly encouraged cross training and I think that overall, serious martial artists are much better prepared and much better educated about what is outside of their own core art.

I think that most of the MMA disrespect comes from armchair fighters. They also train as armchair quarterbacks, armchair pitchers, and armchair basketball centers. They seem to have opinions about why everything that isn't "MMA" sucks. But then, these really aren't mixed martial artists. They're just fanboys who lost their comics.

Serious MMA practitioners don't spend their time disregarding TMA's. Most have a background in TMA anyway.

Daniel

 

[Hollywood1340]

MMA is basically one step away from being a bloodsport.

Compare how many fighters have died in MMA and how many have died in high school football. I think you've got the wrong "Bloodsport". And that's with full body armor and everything. Just another uneducated, classical, opinion. You're free to it, but please do some research first.

 

[thetruth]

Compare how many fighters have died in MMA and how many have died in high school football. I think you've got the wrong "Bloodsport". And that's with full body armor and everything. Just another uneducated, classical, opinion. You're free to it, but please do some research first.

Exactly. Since 1992 there have been 96 deaths in sanctioned boxing matches. In MMA there has been 1. In Australia we hear about a jockey or 2 dying or being seriously injured in horse racing every year. The bloodsport thing will pass. It's far too main stream now to be canned. That would have happened in the early to mid 90's if ever.

Cheers
Sam:asian:

 

[Tez3]

How disappointing it must be for people who think MMA is a blood sport to know entire fight nights of more than 10 fights go without a drop of blood being seen and no injuries. Get real people, it's competition fighting, life or death? prison fighting? I hardly think so!

Have you noticed no one posts up has TKD/karate/Judo done harm to MA, should MT be banned as it's violent,Judo because it has chokes ? No it's always MMA, the sport for bad people rofl.

Very few people outside the States actually like the UFC, to us it's full of cocky Yanks. One could post up equally well "have the Americans damaged MMA and MA with their antics".

MMA is quietly going about it's business in the rest of the world yet people will still judge us by UFC and that frankly, stinks.
Groundwork....it exists in most karate styles, take a look at the katas. Iain Abernethy said that Funikoshi showed takedowns and grappling in karate yet people still deny it's existance.

I would suggest that tarring all MMA with the same brush is as pointless as saying all Chinese/Korean/Japanese martial arts are rubbish, you wouldn't do it so why do it to MMA? By all means point out instances where you have seen something you dislike but to say the thousands around the world who participate in MMA have damaged martial arts is ludicrous. Just look at U Tube and people chucking chi balls around, 5 year old black belts, people claiming to be USMC instructors etc etc to see that MMA is the least of martial arts problems. There's far more damaging things in martial arts than MMA.

 

[thetruth]

There is so much disrespect from MMA people trying to discredit real martial artists because they wont fight in MMA.

I don't think there is too much disrespect. As was said earlier a lot of MMA guys came from TMA. Given now that guys train specifically for MMA an get a good grounding in a number of art forms (BJJ, Standup/Clinch, Wrestling) wouldn't they be considered 'real' martial artists?? Generally most fighters are of a black belt standard in at least 1 area.

Muay Thai is a martial art but those fighters aren't as well rounded as MMA guys. I think that MMA guys could consider your quote disrespectful because clearly you don't consider them real martial artists.

Just like any art someone can train in MMA and not fight but still be more than able to defend themselves.

Can you define what a 'real' martial artist is??

Just to make it clear I don't fight in MMA tournaments or consider myself an MMA fighter I just found this kind of hypocritical.

Cheers
Sam:asian:

 

[jarrod]

i've met some really great people in MMA; i've also met some real thugs. i've had the exact same experience with TMA people. the only difference is that the thug element in MMA has the reinforcement of television.

but if you look at many of the champion level mma fighters...cotoure, franklin, gsp, nog, cro-cop...they are all world-class sportsman. most of the trash talk seems to come from people who haven't been around the game that long. it's not much different from a new TMAist talking about how his instructor can kill a man with his little finger, or how a samurai sword could cut a european sword in half, or any of the other silly nonsense that we've all heard in the martial arts world. myths & misconceptions aren't limited to mma.

jf

 

[LawDog]

MMA, using an earlier term, is a total eclectic system. They do what they do and the M.A. do what they do.
The only one that can really hurt a style is the people within the style.

 

[MJS]

Comparing MMA to a bloodsport....that mentality comes from the uneducated. IIRC there was a certain Senator who at one point during the early days of the UFC, that was doing his best to ban the UFC. Fortunately it didn't work.

IMHO, the UFC has fighter safety in mind at their #1 concern. Think about it...how many times have we seen a fight and we hear people say that it got stopped too early? Again, the ref is there, watching and will and has stopped it when the fighter can't defend himself.

Of course, I wonder if those same people think that boxing, football, baseball, hockey, etc. are bloodsports as well. How many times do we see players getting carted off the playing area with injury?

 

[Joab]

To be honest, I hate the UFC, MMA, and The Cage. They have enough rules to give the grapplers the advantage but enough license is left to really hurt somebody. I hate the attitude of the fighters I see in the commercials, with their tattoos and tough guy persona and arrogance, the opposite character traits that martial arts are supposed to instill. I am interested in martial arts for self defense and hope to never use any of it. Taking martial arts and turning them into a sport is the opposite of what I'm into.

But they have the right to do what they do, I wouldn't ever vote to make it illegal, I have the right to not like it.

 

[crushing]

Comparing MMA to a bloodsport....that mentality comes from the uneducated. IIRC there was a certain Senator who at one point during the early days of the UFC, that was doing his best to ban the UFC. Fortunately it didn't work.

IMHO, the UFC has fighter safety in mind at their #1 concern. Think about it...how many times have we seen a fight and we hear people say that it got stopped too early? Again, the ref is there, watching and will and has stopped it when the fighter can't defend himself.

Of course, I wonder if those same people think that boxing, football, baseball, hockey, etc. are bloodsports as well. How many times do we see players getting carted off the playing area with injury?

While I didn't necessarily agree with said Senator, you have to admit that under political pressure and threats the sport did introduce and enforce stricter rules which lead to the sport being sanctioned by state athletic commisions which then lead to increased sponsorship dollars and dramatic mainstream growth.

I don't think it a proper comparison to just ask how many times we see players getting carted off, we need to put in into perspective by looking at a percentage of participants. And, the earlier claim that there was 1 reported death in MMA v. 96 deaths in boxing since 1992 doesn't provide enough information for a proper comparison of the two sports.

 

[crushing]

To be honest, I hate the UFC, MMA, and The Cage. They have enough rules to give the grapplers the advantage but enough license is left to really hurt somebody. I hate the attitude of the fighters I see in the commercials, with their tattoos and tough guy persona and arrogance, the opposite character traits that martial arts are supposed to instill. I am interested in martial arts for self defense and hope to never use any of it. Taking martial arts and turning them into a sport is the opposite of what I'm into.

But they have the right to do what they do, I wouldn't ever vote to make it illegal, I have the right to not like it.

There is some trash talking that leads up to a fight, that's part of the marketing and salesmanship that the advertisers and executives want. But, at the end of the fight, more often than not, I see a mutual respect and genuine concern for the opponent's safety and welfare.

 

[Joab]

There is some trash talking that leads up to a fight, that's part of the marketing and salesmanship that the advertisers and executives want. But, at the end of the fight, more often than not, I see a mutual respect and genuine concern for the opponent's safety and welfare.

I'll take your word for it, I'll never watch a match, I hate even watchng the commercials.

 

[Tez3]

To be honest, I hate the UFC, MMA, and The Cage. They have enough rules to give the grapplers the advantage but enough license is left to really hurt somebody. I hate the attitude of the fighters I see in the commercials, with their tattoos and tough guy persona and arrogance, the opposite character traits that martial arts are supposed to instill. I am interested in martial arts for self defense and hope to never use any of it. Taking martial arts and turning them into a sport is the opposite of what I'm into.

But they have the right to do what they do, I wouldn't ever vote to make it illegal, I have the right to not like it.

So you are also opposed to Olympic TKD and Judo, points and continous sparring competitions.
You are also judging MMA by one promotion, do you hate cars because you hate one manufacturer? Do you avoid books because you read one by one author and didn't like it? Saying you hate MMA because you've seen the UFC is incredibly closed minded. it's like saying you hate a country because you met a few obnoxious people from there but won't open you mind enough to see that not all people are the same.
Theres more rule sets around than the UFC you know.

 

[Joab]

So you are also opposed to Olympic TKD and Judo, points and continous sparring competitions.

Joab: No, I'm not opposed to Olympic tae kwon do or judo, although I've rarely watched it. It isn't shown on American tv too often. In the Olympics it is far safer, and the athletes are better behaved.


You are also judging MMA by one promotion, do you hate cars because
you hate one manufacturer? Do you avoid books because you read one by one author and didn't like it? Saying you hate MMA because you've seen the UFC is incredibly closed minded. it's like saying you hate a country because you met a few obnoxious people from there but won't open you mind enough to see that not all people are the same.

Joab: Your right, I haven't watch any matches, I do hate the commercials. I will never watch a match, I find what I've watched on the comercials very offensive with a very negative advertising of martial arts, the opposite of what martial arts are supposed to achieve, namely a gentleman who only uses force when there is no other option.
Theres more rule sets around than the UFC you know.

Yeah, I'm pretty ignorant about the whole thing and will remain so, simply because I hate what I see in the commercials. That is my right, it is there right to act like a bunch of steroid abusing, obnoxious, junior high kids.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

The UFC and MMA has replaced the WWE and wrestling. This is actually a good thing; the UFC and other MMA orgs at least offer legit competitions. But I see ads for MMA events in magazines and on the web where the participants are dressed up in costumes, one had a guy with a top hat and fangs, for crying out loud. I couldn't tell if they were actually wearing the stuff or if it was photoshoped in by the promoters. It just screemed WWF.And this, of course brings the same group of fans that the WWE caters to, but now the UFC is "tougher" so they have drifted to UFC and MMA.

Once again, this is actually a good thing. Those fans are getting a much better product, and from what I've seen, its only the advertisements that have gone that rout. Once they're in the ring, they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. The fact that they act like athletes in wrestling and boxing shouldn't be a big shocker; they are athletes.

They may be martial artists too, but in that venue, they are athletes. Trash talk and cocky bravado and colorful personalities draws the demographic of males from fourteen to twenty five that WWE draws. It isn't about zen and honor, but about ratings and marketing. Once again, that isn't a bash. Gotta have ratings to keep it on the air.

And even so, I still find MMA competitors much, much more palatable than WWE wrestlers. They are better behaved and the matchups do not guarantee an outcome. There isn't an accompanying soap opera and storyline. It's just good fighting. Appreciate it for what it is, don't try to make into something it isn't.

Daniel

 

[Twin Fist]

When there are as many MMA matches as there are boxing matches, thenthat will bea fiar comparison, untill then, it is not.

Exactly. Since 1992 there have been 96 deaths in sanctioned boxing matches. In MMA there has been 1. In Australia we hear about a jockey or 2 dying or being seriously injured in horse racing every year. The bloodsport thing will pass. It's far too main stream now to be canned. That would have happened in the early to mid 90's if ever.

Cheers
Sam:asian:

 

[Twin Fist]

Remember Slice's last fight? remember what the stand in had to say after the fight?

premade outcomes are only a LITTLE ways away.

And even so, I still find MMA competitors much, much more palatable than WWE wrestlers. They are better behaved and the matchups do not guarantee an outcome. There isn't an accompanying soap opera and storyline. It's just good fighting. Appreciate it for what it is, don't try to make into something it isn't.

Daniel

 

[Nolerama]

Yeah, I'm pretty ignorant about the whole thing and will remain so, simply because I hate what I see in the commercials. That is my right, it is there right to act like a bunch of steroid abusing, obnoxious, junior high kids.

It's also your right to spend the rest of your life thinking within the box. I wonder how that works in your own MA training. Please lighten up! The MAs are supposed to be good for you, not a downer.

Personally, I've met the stereotypical jock in every sport I've played and every martial art I've trained in. It exists everywhere. But it doesn't stop me from practicing a MA mindset- one of seeing what works for your body type, and situation.

For some reason, in the MAs, everyone seems to hate whatever art is popular in the media; or at least place a negative stigma on it. I think it's the promoters of the art itself (maybe Hollywood practitioners that work on movie sets as action coordinators/consultants) that make a particular MA look teh d33dly.

Or the actors themselves. Which has done worse for the MA world: MMA, or Jean Claude Van Damme, who assumed a number of MA's in his movie career in pretty much the same plot line, every time.

It's the media, in general. Look at the heart of any MA gym/dojo/whatver and you'll see a positive group of people, doing great things for their body and minds. That's universal for the MAs.

Meatheads and egos are also universal to the MAs and sports in general.