Mixed martial arts — worldwide and in Winnipeg

NICK DANZINGER

If you’re wondering what mixed martial arts is right now, don’t be ashamed. MMA has only recently begun to explode in popularity, particularly because of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) show The Ultimate Fighter (Thursdays on SpikeTV). Being the premier MMA production in North America, the UFC has done an excellent job in taking the sport mainstream. The UFC has earned many new fans due to its television show and it’s easy to see why. The Ultimate Fighter shows that an MMA fight can end a number of different ways, including punches, kicks, knees, elbows or technical submissions. Some fighters may be knockout experts, while others have years of submission experience. Certain fighters with such submission experience are able to apply a choke or a joint lock the instant the fight hits the ground. The sport is enthralling to anyone who watches.

There are so many different styles of martial arts it’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t in a real situation. Mixed Martial Arts has answered a lot of questions as to the effectiveness of most styles, in a most fan-friendly way. Seeing how each style matches up with another is what makes MMA such an interesting sport, one that has far more depth than boxing.

Fans around the world have also caught onto this phenomenon, as MMA is extremely popular in Brazil, Russia, Hawaii and most notably Japan. Top fighters in the Japanese PrideFC league can make upwards of $200,000 per fight, entertaining stadiums filled with more than 60,000 fans. If you want to find out more about MMA, the fighters, or various organizations, then a quick visit to the website sherdog.com is helpful, as is doing a search for MMA on Wikipedia.

This month, however, the MMA spotlight is on mainly U.S. soil. On Oct. 10, UFC fans were treated to four free fights on SpikeTV, most notably the third encounter between two of the sport’s most recognizable faces, Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz. Despite Shamrock losing the first two fights between the two, this third fight was brought on because of the questionably early referee stoppage in the second fight. Unfortunately, this final showdown (or “Final Chapter,” as the event was titled) wasn’t much different than the previous two encounters. Ortiz took Shamrock down, and Shamrock was content to take punches and elbows to the face before the fight was finally stopped. Overall, the SpikeTV event was lacklustre, no more than a mild warm-up for UFC 64-fight pay-perview only four days later.

UFC 64 had its fair share of surprises and upsets, the major one being Rich Franklin’s loss to Anderson Silva. Silva came in as a relative unknown, with his only notable North American win being his one-minute knockout over Chris Leben. In this fight, it didn’t take him much longer to finish off Rich Franklin, as the main event of UFC 64 was over in four minutes. Utilizing a muay thai clinch, Silva unloaded a barrage of knees to Franklin’s chest, winding the champion and setting him up for a final nose-flattening knee that signaled the beginning of the end of the fight for Franklin. Franklin staggered away, seemingly confused as to why he was struggling to inhale through his nostrils. One high kick and a final knee brought Rich to the canvas, putting the watching audience in complete awe. This quick finish came in stark contrast to the previous title fight, where Sean Sherk took Kenny Florian through five intense rounds to win the vacant lightweight belt.

As for future MMA events, there is no need to worry, as the remainder of October is full of upcoming shows. On the worldwide front, there is the Pride: Las Vegas show. PrideFC is the largest MMA organization in Japan, where MMA is far more popular than in North America. The American show is an attempt to bring more North American fans to order their pay-per-views. The card will feature the number 1-ranked Fedor Emelianenko, who many MMA enthusiasts claim is the best fighter in the world. He will be facing UFC 10 tournament and Pride 2000 champion Mark Coleman. This matchup is mainly a tune-up bout for Emelianenko, who broke his hand in his last fight when he knocked out his 400-pound opponent in 26 seconds.

Besides pay-per-views, we have the pleasure of enjoying a number of MMA shows here in our own hometown. On Oct. 28, Winnipeggers will be treated to Ultimate Cage Wars. This event will showcase younger and upcoming talent, with the majority of fighters from around Canada and Northern U.S. states. Ex-UFC heavyweight champion, famous fight commentater and IFL coach Bas Rutten will be there, lending his star power to publicize the show. It promises to be an entertaining night.





Volume 94 Issue 9	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	October 18, 2006

Home About Us Advertise Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Personals Volunteer	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Mixed martial arts — worldwide and in Winnipeg NICK DANZINGER If you’re wondering what mixed martial arts is right now, don’t be ashamed. MMA has only recently begun to explode in popularity, particularly because of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) show The Ultimate Fighter (Thursdays on SpikeTV). Being the premier MMA production in North America, the UFC has done an excellent job in taking the sport mainstream. The UFC has earned many new fans due to its television show and it’s easy to see why. The Ultimate Fighter shows that an MMA fight can end a number of different ways, including punches, kicks, knees, elbows or technical submissions. Some fighters may be knockout experts, while others have years of submission experience. Certain fighters with such submission experience are able to apply a choke or a joint lock the instant the fight hits the ground. The sport is enthralling to anyone who watches. There are so many different styles of martial arts it’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t in a real situation. Mixed Martial Arts has answered a lot of questions as to the effectiveness of most styles, in a most fan-friendly way. Seeing how each style matches up with another is what makes MMA such an interesting sport, one that has far more depth than boxing. Fans around the world have also caught onto this phenomenon, as MMA is extremely popular in Brazil, Russia, Hawaii and most notably Japan. Top fighters in the Japanese PrideFC league can make upwards of $200,000 per fight, entertaining stadiums filled with more than 60,000 fans. If you want to find out more about MMA, the fighters, or various organizations, then a quick visit to the website sherdog.com is helpful, as is doing a search for MMA on Wikipedia. This month, however, the MMA spotlight is on mainly U.S. soil. On Oct. 10, UFC fans were treated to four free fights on SpikeTV, most notably the third encounter between two of the sport’s most recognizable faces, Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz. Despite Shamrock losing the first two fights between the two, this third fight was brought on because of the questionably early referee stoppage in the second fight. Unfortunately, this final showdown (or “Final Chapter,” as the event was titled) wasn’t much different than the previous two encounters. Ortiz took Shamrock down, and Shamrock was content to take punches and elbows to the face before the fight was finally stopped. Overall, the SpikeTV event was lacklustre, no more than a mild warm-up for UFC 64-fight pay-perview only four days later. UFC 64 had its fair share of surprises and upsets, the major one being Rich Franklin’s loss to Anderson Silva. Silva came in as a relative unknown, with his only notable North American win being his one-minute knockout over Chris Leben. In this fight, it didn’t take him much longer to finish off Rich Franklin, as the main event of UFC 64 was over in four minutes. Utilizing a muay thai clinch, Silva unloaded a barrage of knees to Franklin’s chest, winding the champion and setting him up for a final nose-flattening knee that signaled the beginning of the end of the fight for Franklin. Franklin staggered away, seemingly confused as to why he was struggling to inhale through his nostrils. One high kick and a final knee brought Rich to the canvas, putting the watching audience in complete awe. This quick finish came in stark contrast to the previous title fight, where Sean Sherk took Kenny Florian through five intense rounds to win the vacant lightweight belt. As for future MMA events, there is no need to worry, as the remainder of October is full of upcoming shows. On the worldwide front, there is the Pride: Las Vegas show. PrideFC is the largest MMA organization in Japan, where MMA is far more popular than in North America. The American show is an attempt to bring more North American fans to order their pay-per-views. The card will feature the number 1-ranked Fedor Emelianenko, who many MMA enthusiasts claim is the best fighter in the world. He will be facing UFC 10 tournament and Pride 2000 champion Mark Coleman. This matchup is mainly a tune-up bout for Emelianenko, who broke his hand in his last fight when he knocked out his 400-pound opponent in 26 seconds. Besides pay-per-views, we have the pleasure of enjoying a number of MMA shows here in our own hometown. On Oct. 28, Winnipeggers will be treated to Ultimate Cage Wars. This event will showcase younger and upcoming talent, with the majority of fighters from around Canada and Northern U.S. states. Ex-UFC heavyweight champion, famous fight commentater and IFL coach Bas Rutten will be there, lending his star power to publicize the show. It promises to be an entertaining night.


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