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ATTN MMA Fans: A Call to Action

Fans of mixed martial arts sure have a lot to say. We talk excitedly with our friends
about the great fight we watched and argue on message boards about who would win if
Fedor fought Godzilla. And we become particularly vocal when politicians, famous boxers,
or moms starts spouting off saying that MMA is not a sport or call it human
cockfighting. And we digest a lot of content, which is the gas that keeps our motor
mouth running. We read blog posts, listen to MMA radios shows, watch fights on the
computer, on TV, at the bar.

But despite how dedicated we are to this amazing sport, the truth is that MMA
struggles. It struggles for respect. It struggles for recognition. In many cities,
states and countries it struggles to exist. But guess what, Sports Fans? You can do
something about that. Here are some ideas.

1 ) Pony up. If you can.t afford the $50 for every UFC event then
support the little guys. The cost of buying a regional pay-per-view is usually around
$10. Regional promotions are the middle men between amateur events and the big show.
Sure the quality of the stream may not be as good as a UFC or Strikeforce pay-per-view
but what.s lacking in quality is often made up in quantity. I purchased AFC 3 on July
17th and they streamed 13 fights.

2 ) Support companies that support MMA. It was kind of easy for me
to rag on TapOut when I saw them as just a big chain in a mutually beneficial
relationship with the UFC juggernaut. And then I noticed that they sponsor local amateur
fighters. Kids putting long hours in at the gym to fight for free and to whom a little
corporate sponsorship goes a long way.

3 ) Go to local shows. I live in Vancouver where we.ve had one
professional MMA event in 3 years. Fortunately, there are some well run amateur shows
held periodically, which are always exciting. Sports are meant to be enjoyed live. Check
out your local circuit.

4 ) If MMA if unsanctioned where you live, phone your local political
representatives. Email them. Ask them their opinion on sanctioning the sport
and let them know it.s important to you. Some of the councilors who voted to allow
professional MMA in Vancouver in December had said less than a year before that they
were against it. People bugged them and they changed their minds. Politicians do
that.

5 ) Vote. This is always important, of course, but you need to pay
special attention to what is happening with your local and/or federal representatives if
MMA is unsanctioned in your city, state or province. When MMA was approved in Vancouver
the vote was 6-3. Nine people decided whether this city would get live professional MMA
and watch Cro-Cop, Chuck Liddell and Rory Macdonald in our backyard. The citizens of
Vancouver voted in those 9 people. I just don.t know how much straighter I can draw the line.

6 ) Demand local media coverage. Sarah Kaufman is the belt wearing,
number one ranked 135 female fighter in the world and a life long resident of Victoria,
BC. The Victoria newspaper doesn.t tell their readers anything about her, and it isn.t
because the readers wouldn.t care. When I write about Kaufman for the Vancouver Sun website, her articles rank among the top read for days in a row. Email your newspaper.
sports editor and tell him you want to know what.s going on with local MMA and request they cover it.

7 ) Represent the sport. People who are afraid of MMA think of it.s
fans as gang bangers and hooligans. Macho, aggressive meatheads. I.m not asking that you wear collared shirts to the bar and golf clap your approval when your man wins, just look in the mirror and ask yourself how you are representing the sport.

8 ) Understand what opponents of mixed martial arts see. They see
people trying to kill each other and young people getting excited about it. Young
spectators who might be influenced by the violence they see and adrenaline they feel and
look to take that out on someone. They see society going to hell. They see young
athletes developing brain damage and then tax payers footing the medical bills. We can
cut through these concerns using logic and fact, but not without first genuinely
understanding the fear.

9 ) Get involved. Find out what it takes to become a judge and see
if you can.t get started. Contact your local promotion and help out in exchange for
behind the scenes access to events. Get creative and find out how to put your passion to
use beyond arguing on message boards about the number one pound for pound fighter.

Or don.t do anything and just keep bitching amongst yourselves on the internet. But
know that you have the power to affect the growth of the embattled sport you profess to love.

Can’t We All Just Get A Thong?

I’m a lesbian…

Actually, I’m bisexual, but I’ve been in a long term relationship with a woman for a few years now so if we’re talking about practically applied sexuality; I’m a lesbian.

fan of mixed martial arts.

I consider it mine. Not mine alone, but mine in a sense that I love, honor and cherish the sport in tandem with millions of other people around the world. The controversial nature of this sport inspires it’s fans to bind together in an effort to defend what we know to be a beautiful, honorable sport from those who wish to take it away from us.

It may shock you to learn this, but I am not the only homosexual fan of mixed martial arts. I’m not even the only lesbian fan of mixed martial arts. In fact, many of the women who report on or participate in mixed martial arts are queer. Lucky for me, I don’t hear fighters, promoters or fans going around calling each other dykes. Instead, their homophobic statements reflect a disdain for male homosexuality.

Logic leads me to believe that perhaps these fighters wish to distance themselves from the obvious initial observation of the casual sports fan of nearly naked men entangled on the mat in positions that remind them of sex acts. Judging by the homophobic comments I’ve heard from fighters, they would surely be disgusted by the thought of a gay man becoming turned on by watching their sweaty muscled body rub up against another man.

Assuming this is true, isn’t it amusing that they might prefer a straight man become turned on by the thought of them getting knocked unconscious?

I admire fighter’s bodies as much as any fan; male, female, gay or straight. I might even like a fighter more because I think they’re sexy and have little celebrity crushes. But do you know what keeps me hot for this sport despite the fact that I get the feeling by some that I am invading macho sacred grounds?

It’s heart. The heart we witness when fighters stand up after a knockdown, wobbly, knowing full well they could get leveled again in seconds. Fighters who are dominated, bleed like faucets, tear muscles and break bones but answer the bell for the next round because they have the heart to fight until their bodies won’t go anymore.

It saddens me that so many people who love this sport don’t appreciate the heart and courage required to live a life as an out gay man. Sexism is still deeply entrenched in our society and many people cannot accept gay men who behave on the streets and between the sheets in a way that they qualify as female. I guess they don’t consider the balls of steel required to be openly gay in a world where you are continually ostracized, a frequent target of violence, not protected by your government and told you are a gross, hellbound abomination.

Like casual straight MMA fans who are in it for the gore porn, perhaps it’s true that casual gay fans are in it for soft porn. Who cares? Like their straight counterparts, many of these pay-per-view buyers will eventually grow to fully appreciate this beautifully complex and compelling sport. Isn’t that what we all want? More fans, more money, more fights?

This sport is mine, and I fully intend to let my gay brothers know that it can be theirs, too.

Notes From UFC 114: Let’s Get Mental

The pay-per-view kicked off with the weirdness of watching Diego Sanchez play counter
fighter for 3 rounds. Remember what he looked like as he prepared to begin the 5th round
against BJ Penn? His face was busted and he.d been thoroughly destroyed for the previous
twenty minutes. And yet his posture and expression seemed to scream I can do this.
Five minutes left. Miraculous come from behind victory. This is mine. I marveled at
his mental toughness. Even after losing and while recuperating from surgery he seemed in
good spirits. This guy can.t be broken, I thought. Amazing. But
something in his mind must have shifted somewhere along the line because the brazen,
confident, courageous zeal that typifies his fighting style was nowhere to be seen on
May 29th.

UFC 111 Newb’s Guide: Fake it Real Good

With two title fights
headlining UFC 111 the evening of March 27, casual combat sports fans will run in
droves to their local watering hole. Maybe you are one of these stoked guys or gals. You
haven.t gone out to watch the fights for a few months because, let.s face it, they.ve
had a bunch of nobodies headlining the cards. But now you.re set to get liquored up and
party with your boys to the tune of good old fashion meaty destruction. For you I.ve
compiled the following list of Do.s and Don.ts for impressing your MMA wrecking
crew.

DO: Express the most interest in the
early fights. If the guys in the second fight of the night don.t look too old say .Oh
this is the one I.ve been looking forward to!. Everybody knows the main event guys. Only
those in the know know the upcoming prospects that nobody knows including
you.

DONT: Say you.ve been into MMA since
UFC 1. Don.t regale people with stories of renting VHS copies of early UFC events. No
one cares, Sweetie.

DO: Mention another MMA promotion
besides the UFC. This may require a little research.

DON.T: Go so far as to say that
Strikeforce has a better product than the UFC. Just& no.

DO: Two words: lateral movement. They
sound technical. Use them when one guy is dodging a lot of punches. Ex .He.s has great
lateral movement!.

DON.T: Two Words: Athletic,
Explosive. Do not, whatever you do, utter Roganisms.

DO: Slow your roll. Don.t be so excited. Jordan Breen and Luke
Thomas are the knowingest and they are just so over it already.

DO: The above rule can be broken when the action hits the mat. Show
some excitement when a fighter secures a submission. Arm bar! Neat!

DO: Figure out a way to mention that
you listen to MMA radio and/or podcasts. You don.t, of course, but you.ve been meaning
to. There are a billion MMA radio shows so you can just make up the name, say,
Bone-Crunching Blood-Splashing Talk Radio. No one will know the difference.

Remember these simple rules and you will be sure to impress your beer-swiling homies.
And maybe even that cute girl sitting all alone at the bar. Doesn.t she look lonely? I
bet she.d love it if you shared your insights.

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