MMA = legalized dog fighting?

i've studied martial artists (not the actual art itself) and I know that mixing martial arts while fighting gives face to many artists who practice one art. I also know for a fact that if you truely master one style of art, you don't need to mix in order to beat others. When I was 7, i went to japan and my grandpa took me to a martial arts tournament where it was fun. In the end, 2 masters from different countries went up and stood on the ring/fighting ground and they stood in pose for long periods of times.. once in a while, they would change positions and stand again.. 2 hours later one guy said he gives up because he cant beat the other guy. I didnt understand it at the time but I think that is probably of the coolest fights I have ever seen. its a martial arts version of chess or something.. with a mixture of technique and skill and mind control. haha.

oh well getting back to the article, I think MMA is fine. let them do it. But if they get in trouble outside the ring, have their punishment be worse than others. I hate UFC but I love K1. Its bascially a source of entertainment and also gives kids someone to look up to. I remember while I was playing with my GIJoe's when I was little, I had kids bringing their F figures and fighting with my GI Joes.. although I always won because my guys had weapons.. lol

MMA = legalized dog fighting?

So I'm following my normal Wednesday morning routine when I get to LSU: park in the Ag Lot, walk to Union, pick up Reveille and Tigerweekly (local newspapers for LSU), and then proceed to Union computer lab. Well, I see in this week's Tigerweekly that their entertainment editor, Jason Andreasen, has published an interesting article titled:

"Mixed Martial Arts = Legalized Dog Fighting"

Now, before tempers flare up, let me try to summarize (their site doesn't have the article on it yet, so I have to type this out (at least paraphrase

quoted from Tigerweekly:

"Contrary to what that frat guy next to you says, "Ultimate Fighting" or "Mixed Martial Arts" is neither a sport nor anything but people beating the life out of one another.
Remember when everyone was up in arms about the Michael Vick fiasco? Remember how everyone rightfully pretended to vomit when they talked about dogs being driven to kill each other? Why don't we have the same reaction when we watch two grown men pummel each other until one is so bloodied and dazed that he collapses?
The obvious answer is that the "fighters" choose to step into the ring and get their faces beaten in. While this is true, and is a credible distinction between dog fighting and mixed martial arts (MMA), the two are still very similar.
It is the primal urges that make us almost not human and drive the ratings for UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) pay-per-view specials through the roof. These same urges drive fans of dog fighting and cock fighting to trailer parks and professional football players' houses. We want to see blood and fighters knocked unconscious by a roundhouse kick to the head, and we want to see someone standing over their bloodied body.
The fact of the matter is that the popularity of MMA is directly tied to the society that we live in on a day-to-day basis. You may have seen a primetime news special or two about "fight clubs" popping up all around the country with members being average guys who work at a desk all day long.
At night, they go to a buddy's basement, recite some macho garbage about there being no rules and attack each other with sticks, swords, and bare knuckles.
This is in direct correlation to the fact that they have no way to let their aggression out of to let their natural testosterone levels be exercised. Instead, they end up in a "fight club" one night and parked in front of a UFC fight the next.
As for the growing popularity of MMA, now the "worldwide leader in sports" has gotten in on the act. Let's face it: When ESPN calls something a sport, America calls it a sport. The fact that ESPN has been covering MMA events, even a little, gives them credibility in the sports world.
Instead of having a serious discussion about why this is barbaric and a sign of straight-up devolution, ESPN shows UFC commentator and comedian (yes, comedian) Joe Rogan yelling and carrying on about how graceful it is when Chuck Liddell (a popular UFC fighter) straddles another guy and relentlessly beats his face in. Seriously?
Of course, how could I rant and rave about how terrible MMA is without talking about boxing and professional wrestling?
First of all, boxing is a completely different animal. Boxing is regulated by various entities like the Nevada State Athletic Commission; meanwhile, MMA organizations run from such regulation. Furthermore, greats like Muhammed Ali were graceful and cunning while Tito Ortiz, a popular UFC fighter, just tries to beat someone's head in. There is no beauty, no poetry-in-motion.
As for professional wrestling, at least that is staged. The people who watch the E do it as much for the soap opera storylines as they do for the violence. It is scripted and choreographed. I would rather live in a culture that watches choreographed fighting rather than this barbaric and senseless human cock fighting.
The fact is that MMA, while it may contain different forms of martial arts, appears to be little more than an excuse to watch someone get the crap beaten out of them. You can try and tell me about how I don't understand the intricacies of the "sport," but I know what I see.
What I see is a bunch of steroid-using guys beating each other up with little or no restriction. You call that a sport? I call it human blood-sport, and I think that it is sad that is the fastest growing "sport" in the world."
-Quoted word-for-word from Tigerweekly issue 381 (Sept. 26-Oct.2, 2007)


I think he's sadly misguided and doesn't WANT to understand the sport. What are your thoughts on this?

has the article made it on their website yet? if it has, post a link