Posted on 08/30/2005 2:15:53 PM PDT by misterrob
FORT DODGE, Iowa — It's a sport where punching, kicking and slamming a knee into someone's gut are allowed. And like it or not, its popularity has surged in recent years.
Known on the street as cage fighting (search), extreme fighting or mixed martial arts, it features a combination of wrestling, boxing and jujitsu.
The goal: Knock your opponent out cold ... or force him to surrender.
"I don't think it's that violent. It's the same in football, baseball and basketball — they all get injured just as bad. It's just a sport," Fort Dodge, Iowa, cage fighter Donnie Nordstrom told FOX News.
But others have a different perspective.
"It's very violent and somebody is going to get hurt very seriously. Somebody is going to get killed or maimed," said Iowa Athletic Commissioner Dave Neil.
So far, no cage fighters have died in the United States. But it may be only a matter of time, given the lack of rules and regulation at the lowest level of this combat sport.
"The only rule there really is in the state of Iowa is no hitting behind the head. No hitting in the kidney. And no slamming of the elbow if the person is down," Neil said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
1) are less dangerous than knockout punches, and
2) most fight end with the loser conceding (tapping out) rather than sustaining an injury.
BTW, John McCain has come out against MMA prizefights. Care to guess who get money from boxing interests.
I think 'no holds' is the synergy of cock fighting and the show that exploits the bums to do stupid things...
There are many rules in mma....it is the only sport i keep up with...there's some great sportmanship believe it or not.
This is such nonsense. MMA is safer than most sports because:
1. There are basic rules for safety;
2. They stop the fight long before any serious damage is done.
3. Many figths end with non-injurious submission holds
This is more nonsense from the nanny state looking to keep boxing alive which is more dangerous than MMA, Hockey, or Football.
So far there has not been one death in MMA.
If this is the same as Ultimate Fighter, I actually have become hooked on it and it doesn't seem all that dangerous, since the refs are pretty quick to stop a fight when someone stops defending.
Whatever... nobody forces the guys to fight each other.
MMA is the most entertaining skilled sport, period. You have highly trained martial artsits of all disciplines competing against each other. No one has ever died or been paralyzed, unlike football or other sports.
You have no t a clue at to what MMA fighting entails. Its not toughman or anything like that, its highly skilled trained athletes competing in a sport like in the ancient Olympics.
truth bump
Ultimate Fighter got me into Gracie Jui Jitsue. Its the best sport around, and boxing fans are petrified that it will overtake boxing, and it will.
Its safer than boxing,
More entertaining than Boxing
More versatile than Boxing or Wrestling
Have you ever watched a cage Fight? Probably not!
These guys are all there of their own free will and they are all HIGHLY trained ATHLETES, something you probably know nothing about.
If you don't like it, DON"T WATCH!!! What a concept!
Its just amazing that the same people who will cheer on Hockey and Football will talk trash about MMA.
I don't watch...but thanks for the tip anyways...
Go rent "The Smashing Machine" about Mark Kerr. You will love it!
I don't know about more versatile since most of the world champions have been Ex-collegiate wrestlers. If I am not mistaken, Randy Coutere, ex-wrestler at Oklahoma State is a 3 time world champion.
So...MMA should be outlawed because it "might" be dangerous? Even though no one has been killed "yet"??
Great logic. By that standard, let's outlaw electric can openers. No one's been killed "yet", but...
I saw Grace break a fellows wrist in a submission hold. It was amazing. Before Big John McClain could call him out or the other fellow (White Tiger Karate) could tap out.
I agree...if you aren't very good at wrestling it would be hard to good at UF, Mark Coleman was a good example. Your body needs to learn balance gained from wrestling...I don't any champions who gained that strictly from jujitsu, but I don't keep up with it all that much either, it's too expensive.
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