MMA Is Safer Than Boxing

This started out as an email reply to a friend. I noticed it was becoming long (I tend to do that sometimes ☺) so I figured I’d put it in a Word document. We were discussing a piece we’d seen on TV about the increasing popularity of the UFC. The show included some opinions which reminded me of similar views held by many in the general public, and I ended up writing about them. Man, it’s best to just not get me started on this stuff…☺. But seriously, I think this might help with some common misconceptions. Rock on!...E

…I think one of the things the piece also showed was how ignorant many in America are about the sport. To be honest I think it may show how many Americans think their cultural norms are more valid than others, without evidence to support it.
Barbarism might reasonably be defined by the amount of long term damage to the fighters involved. By that definition there is NO evidence that MMA is more barbaric than boxing; in fact, the evidence shows just the opposite. One gets a hint of this by watching a retired boxer talk and comparing it to a retired MMA fighter.
Bernard Hopkins called it "bar fighting". How in the world could you call world-class Martial-Artists like Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, and BJ Penn bar fighters? One thing some may base that on is that some MMA fighters don't have expert punching like boxers, and they use kicks, knees, and elbows, which many in American culture consider dirty. But that means they don't understand the sport: of course many MMA fighters aren't going to have great punching skills; punching is just one of MANY skills they have to learn, in other skills, most noticeably ground fighting (Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu,etc.), they are WAY better than boxers. Saying MMA fighters are bar fighters because some don't have great punching is like saying boxers are bar fighters because they don't have ANY ground skills.
The fact that they use kicks, knees, and elbows instead of just punches doesn't immediately mean it's more barbaric; anyone who knows different Martial-Arts knows those are legitimate tools practiced in those disciplines. Just because America doesn't have a history of using those tools in combat sports doesn't mean they're "dirty". They probably make it easier for a fighter to get cut and so people might see more blood but again, that doesn't mean they're dirty tactics.
There’s also the notion that MMA fighters are “unskilled” when compared to boxers. People who aren’t knowledgeable of what is happening when an MMA fight goes to the ground may allege this; to them, it just looks as if two people are clumsily wrestling around. But that just shows they don’t understand Jiu-Jitsu; the “wrestling around” is actually a tactical series of almost endless moves and countermoves which have proven to be very effective. Anyone who doubts should watch how easily skinny, 176 lb. Royce Gracie routinely defeated muscular opponents outweighing him by fifty and seventy-five lbs in the first UFC events. Just because understanding exactly what’s happening as fighters compete using Jiu-Jitsu can take some time DOES NOT mean it’s unskilled; it’s only one of the single most efficient fighting techniques on the planet.
MMA rules actually protect fighters more than boxing rules. MMA fights are stopped when a fighter "cannot intelligently defend himself.” There are plenty of moments in boxing when a fighter can't intelligently defend himself. Often he falls down, but if he's not completely out, the referee gives him a count, allowing him to regain his senses. The fight, which would've been over in MMA, then continues, allowing him to receive more punishment. And consistent, prolonged punishment is what causes future brain damage. In boxing, all your scoring must be done by punching, some to the body, but most often to the head. This also results in fighters receiving more brain trauma than in MMA, in which blows to the head are only one of many ways to score (because of submission holds, chokes, etc.).
By the way, the chokes are another part of MMA some people may think of as barbaric. But from what I've heard, there are no long-term damages sustained from them. The vast majority of fighters usually tap (concede defeat) way before they would lose consciousness. The ref would usually stop the fight before then also. In the rare case a fighter does lose consciousness it's because his brain isn't receiving enough oxygen; when the hold is released his brain starts receiving enough oxygen again and there shouldn't be long term affects from it.
Even the much larger gloves that boxers wear is considered more civilized by some. But the large gloves are designed to protect the fighter's fist, not his opponent’s head. This fist protection again allows boxers to dish out more prolonged head punishment.
All this hasn’t been to say MMA isn't violent, it definitely is, and it's not for everyone's tastes. But real life has shown that boxers endure far more long lasting damage.

Article Source: http://MMAWriters.com

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