Gymbo Knows

Should Mixed Martial Arts be allowed on Prime Time Television?

The sport that was once called “human cockfighting” by Presidential candidate John McCain, finally made its national television debut on Prime Time television. It was a major step for the sport of mixed martial arts, but MMA still isn’t getting the respect it deserves. Should MMA even be allowed on broadcast television?

Of course Mixed Martial Arts belongs on network television. MMA fighters are some of the greatest athletes in the world and they deserve to be seen by the world just like every other athlete. There is nothing wrong with two professionals going toe to toe in the ring or the cage. It’s a sport and it deserves national attention just like every other sport in the world.

Is MMA to violent for national television? There are hundreds of violent shows regularly on network television. Why all of a sudden is MMA too violent? You flip through your basic cable channels and you will find plenty of violence. I’ve seen stuff 10 times worse on a regular news broadcast.

Most of the old school sports broadcasters like (Bryan Burwell) refuse to give the sport a chance. They make comments like “The sport is too violent. People are kicking one another in the head.” That right there is just an uneducated statement. These ignorant columnist like Bryan Burwell are just stuck in their old school views. I bet Bryan Burwell has never actually been in mixed martial arts gym or fighting gym. Bryan Burwell hasn’t seen the dedication and skill required to get in the cage. He thinks these guys are all bar room brawlers with no training.

Here are a couple paragraphs taken from Bryan Burwell’s article Lastest Bout with Insanity Comes to CBS:

—”This crazed, unrestrained violence allows men with thinly padded leather on their fists to pummel each other nonstop, even when your opponent is on the ground. It allows you to knee your opponent in the groin, then while he’s prone on the ground, pound him in the head, choke him, or squeeze his torso with your legs locked around him, attempting to rupture kidneys and squeeze the air out of lungs.”—-

Obviously his statements are from someone who knows nothing about the sport.

1. The fighters are not aloud to pummel each other non stop for one. Their is a referee and he steps in to stop the bout just like boxing when one fighter is unable to defend himself.

2. Two the sport does not allow groin shots. If someone is hit in the groin they are allowed ample time to recover just like in boxing. MMA use to be anything goes but has evolved since the days of UFC 1.

3. Squeezing someones torso with your legs is really not that painful. Its uncomfortable but obviously Bryan Burwell has never grappled or wrestled before so he wouldn’t know the feeling.

Heres another quote from Bryan Burwell’s Article:

“Ultimate fighting and all the other ultimate fighting leagues want the world to embrace their bloody human cockfighting as a replacement for boxing as a real combat sport, and now they have CBS as a co-conspirator in this fraud. They reason that the world has proclaimed them as legitimate, simply because their barbarism is now on network television.”

1. Boxing and Ultimate fighting can coexist in the world. They are two completely different combat sports. Boxing is the sweet science and it will be around forever. MMA is a combination of all the martial arts in the world. Boxing enthusiast are obviously threaten by Mixed Martial Arts.

2. Mixed Martial Arts actually involves more skill then Boxing. MMA fighters must train in multiple disciplines of martial arts. Boxers only have to train for one martial art. MMA fighters are not barbarians, they are highly trained athletes.

3. Boxing enthusiasts should put more energy into talking about their sport of boxing rather then bash mixed martial artist. Columnist and Broadcasters should actually study the sport and know what they are talking about before they go on rambling ignorant comments.

MMA belongs on network television, its been in the dark far too long. CBS was the only network brave enough to broadcast mixed martial arts on national television and it will pay off for them in the long run. Mixed martial arts is the combat sport of the future and look for it to stick around for a long time.

Related articles:

• CBS to broadcast first live MMA fights on May 31