Extreme Fighting A Sport?

Wondering why they let Slice in the ring with an ear looking like that. Didn't some trainer see fit to have the thing drained, or pinned back, or cut off?

 

If anyone wants to check out real MMA -- and if you don't that's cool -- and not some sideshow geared only towards drawing eyeballs to the screen, check out the WEC fight between Pulver and Faber from Sunday night. It's re-airing right now on VS. The Pulver-Faber fight starts about 1:15 in, so it'll be coming on around 11:15 ET.

This is the real stuff and I think anyone watching it would be hard-pressed to dismiss this as simply barbaric. There is a great amount of skill on display. Some of the combinations Faber throws are as good as any boxer's and the fact that Pulver is able to withstand them, coming from the far less padded gloves, goes to show how tough these guys are. I'm sure some will dismiss this as some fan boy rant but really all I'm trying to do is give people an opportunity to check out real MMA and not the weak stuff from the other night.

 

I don't dismiss what you're saying as a fanboi rant. I'd be watching it if I could.

 

Good to hear. And don't get me wrong I'm not trying to convert anyone. I'd just like people to have an idea of what MMA really is -- Saturday night wasn't it -- before bashing it. If you see it and don't like it no problem here.

And if you really do want to see it I'm sure VS will be replaying it all week. Like I said the Pulver-Faber fight starts about 1:15 into the 2 hour broadcast.

 

Gotta love those who take the "CBS hits a new low by airing MMA" approach. You know, because Duk Koo Kim wasn't murdered live on CBS or anything ...

 

No, he wasn't.

 

I believe Hemingway said it best in a famous quote and I agree -- "There are only a few real SPORTS: bullfighting, boxing, motor racing and mountain climbing... the rest are merely GAMES."

He defined true sport as any contest where a competitor has a very real chance of paying the ULTIMATE price at any given moment.

The imminent danger requires total and complete concentration for the task at hand and the risk of death is prevalent at all times. I know we are all really Day-to-Day when you break it down, but in organized versions of the activities above the competitors must sign waivers that state they acknowledge the dangerous and sometimes fatal consequences.

I think MMA and Extreme Fighting do qualify as a SPORT.

 

Hemingway forgot about horse racing. Risky for both the horse, and the jockey.

 

Mr. Coolbaugh spits on your shoes from beyond.

 

The sad thing for Coolbaugh is that he wasn't even an active player on the field. He was coaching.

Freak, tragic accidents happen in every walk of life, in the arena and out. No one is exempt, not even spectators.

Not to say that in the NFL you can't get jackhammered by a flying 275 lb linebacker, or beaned by a wild pitcher in baseball or get your nose bashed in by a flying elbow and bleed to death in basketball. Heck, even golf can put you six feet under in the right conditions: Tiger hits ball hard and it makes contact with soft part of your noggin. Instant death.

Not saying that GAMES don't have set ups for freak tragic accidents. They do, and often happen. But in those four SPORTS the Grim Reaper is on stand-by for the full length of the contest just waiting to claim a participant.

Definitely, Horse Racing and Bull Riding should be added to the SPORTS list too.

 

And the announcers got eviscerated in the NY Times.

 

The auto racing fans can read. I bet the MMA folks can, too.

Crossover. Big crossover.