Mixed martial arts has now gained global attention with the exploits of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor amongst countless others being the catalyst to bring the sport into the limelight. Despite this apparent popularity, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the sport.
There seems to be a real lack of knowledge amongst the masses as to what makes MMA so special. There are many who pass judgement without ever trying to understand what it entails, blindly comparing it to other combat sports and passing it off as either “too violent” or “fake”.
Hell, even Meryl Streep decided to take a dig at MMA saying it isn’t art. Well, it is time to educate the uninitiated and bust some of these misconceptions in order to help people like Streep understand what MMA is all about.
So, without further ado, here are five dumb misconceptions about MMA:
#1 “Why doesn’t he just get up?”
This one really grinds my gears. It’s akin to nails on a chalk board when I hear this question during an MMA fight. People can’t seem to grasp the art of grappling and how it works in MMA, so they resort to loudly complaining about how boring the fight is and proceed to make inane remarks about how the guy on the ground should get up.
The thing people fail to understand at this juncture is that there is a whole different ground game involved in the sport, where the smallest mistake could result in a fighter leaving himself exposed to a potential loss.
No, he can’t just get up because there’s a guy who has Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who has him on the ground. At that point, fighters need to manoeuvre for position and control. So, please my dear friends, get into the ring with Khabib Nurmagomedov before you ask this stupid question again and you will find out exactly why.
#2 There are no rules
This is one is quite baffling.
Why would you think there are no rules when there’s a god-damned referee who’s standing inside the Octagon? But, yes. A lot of people are under the impression that there are absolutely no rules in MMA and it’s just two people trying to kill each other.
This couldn’t be further from the truth, though, as mixed martial arts is extremely regulated – both by promotions such as the UFC as well the State Athletic Commissions such as the Las Vegas State Athletic Commission – in order to ensure both the safety of the fighters and the integrity of the sport itself.
There are in-depth scoring systems and clear rules and regulations as to what exactly fighters are allowed to do and what is prohibited, along with an extremely qualified referee in the middle of every fight to uphold these rules and regulations.
This isn’t ancient Rome where we’re seeing two gladiators fighting to the death, ladies and gentlemen. It really is about time y’all learnt that.
#3 It’s a man’s sport
A helluva lot of people think that MMA is a man’s sport for some reason. Seriously, even people who got into the sport because of Ronda Rousey still consider mixed martial arts to be something reserved for men. It’s time to wake up, people. It’s the 21st century and women are just as capable of fighting as men are.
Some of the most dominant fighters on the UFC roster today are women from all over the world. Right from Rousey’s incredible run to more recent fighters such as Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz – of which the latter two put on absolute barnstormer of a fight – women have shown clearly that this is no man's sport.
If you think this is a man's sport, it's time for you to find a time machine and head back to the dark ages, my friend.
#4 The fighters are all dumb
This is another one from the archaic school of thought. Fighters by default have to be dumb. It’s just the way that the world works, right? Wrong!
MMA fighters are amongst the most cerebral athletes in the world. In a sport where the difference between victory and defeat comes down to the smallest of margins, everything needs to be accounted for. Thrown an opponent of his game plan and you’re already halfway to victory.
Conor McGregor is probably the smartest man in the world with the way he is able to market himself. People like Stipe Miocic and Georges St. Pierre are adored for the impact that they’ve had outside the Octagon. Hell, McGregor and GSP are considered national icons.
So, enough with the stereotyping. Just because someone chooses to fight for a living doesn’t make them dumb.
#5 It’s exactly like pro-wrestling
There are two ways this argument is spun. One where people who believe pro-wrestling is real (yes, they still exist) like to compare it to MMA and say that they’re pretty much the same except wrestlers are better because they can take more punishment. I won’t even address this one with a counterpoint.
The second kind, like to lump MMA in with pro-wrestling as fake. They believe that mixed martial arts is all scripted and outcomes are decided before hand and all this conspiracy theory BS.
If you’re one of these people, just watch Conor McGregor’s fight against Nate Diaz. Just watch Anthony Rumble Johnson knock out Glover Texeira and then come back here and apologise for being so colossally stupid.
If you really need me to spell it out for you, here – Pro-wrestling is scripted and MMA is completely real. There, got it? Good.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
