Mixed Martial Arts goes Desi

If you like WWE then you will love MMA, for it is the real deal. For the ones who have never heard of it, MMA is Mixed Martial Arts. It is a full contact combat sport where two fighters take on each other under a liberal set of rules allowing striking as well as grappling techniques including punches, kicks, knees, elbows, wrestling etc. MMA evolved in the 1990s in the USA and later stormed into Brazil, Japan and Thailand. It attracts martial artists of Muay Thai, Karate, Wrestling, Taekwondo, Wushu, Brazilian Jiu Jutsu, Kick Boxing, etc.

(R) Vitor Belfort trains with (L) Rashad Evans at the Jaco Hybrid Training Center.

MMA is rated as one of the toughest sports in the world. It not only needs great physical strength and conditioning but also detailed knowledge of various techniques and practice. A MMA fighter usually has to master two or more different martial arts and use both of them together. It is common for these fighters to learn wrestling and karate after being a boxer most of their lives. Even after all this, they go in an arena with their opponent learning a different set of styles and be ready to get pounded. The fighters undergo rigorous training and conditioning, making them really tough. Recent studies have put injuries due to MMA fights as comparable with other combat sports like boxing and karate. Even though MMA is a full-blown combat sport, it is quite safe with no reported fatalities in professional circuits but two deaths reported in underground unsanctioned events in USA. Hence, the rules have become very clear since the advent of the sport, clearly laying down what is allowed and what is not.

UFC or the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the first and biggest MMA competition in the world as of now. It staged the first MMA fight in 1993 terming it as a ‘there are no rules’ fight although it had rules preventing eye-gouging, groin shots or biting. Unified rules of MMA were formed in the US in the late 1990s and early 2000s and are generally accepted as the benchmark for most professional MMA competitions.

UFC events started becoming popular since 2006 rivaling the viewership of the biggest professional boxing and WWE events. Brazil and Japan were the other two countries where MMA became very popular and got their championships rivaling UFC. India has joined in a bit late but now people are warming up to India owing to the large youth market. Bellator is a US based MMA organization. Fights from Bellator started airing in India on new BIG-CBS channels that started some time last year. I enjoyed watching them.

SFL 3 Lightweight Action: Lakhwinder Sekhon giving ground and pound to Vladamir Byandov (Source: www.superfightleague.com)

Super Fight League was the first pro-MMA organization in India. They got some top of the line fighters from across the globe and some home-grown talent for 3 world-class events. And now they are doing some good work by conducting weekly events streamed live on YouTube like their previous events. However poor public response has ailed them. The bottom line is India does not know about MMA. For a nation crazy about one sport, several other sports trying hard to gain popularity and money, one would think MMA doesn’t stand a chance. Wrong, think again. WWE has enthralled a generation of kids and adults alike. WWE ground events held in India had good turnouts. People love to see people fight. Indians are no different. SFL fights were not as good as the world class events in UFC, but it is a good start. The Indian fighters did gain some useful international experience but SFL was criticized by fans for putting inexperienced fighters in the cage with the fighters from west. The quality of events is highly debated.

Now, the world leader UFC has announced its foray in India. The Ultimate Fighter, TUF is a popular reality show created by UFC to develop MMA talent. The first season was a grand success back in 2005. They have had 16 seasons till date and in the process getting lots of new talent. Experts tell that TUF actually saved UFC from repetition and lack of fresh talent. After a successful TUF: Brazil, TUF: India was announced a few weeks ago to develop some local talent in the country. Maybe a ground event in India from the UFC stable will change a lot of things. The guys from SFL are confident of UFC not affecting their fortunes as they are a ground event unlike UFC (whose events are aired on recently launched sports channel Sony Six).

So suit your tastes. Grab a soda and a snack. Enjoy watching UFC, Bellator or SFL (take your pick).