October - 2016
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
28
pleased with the UFC, for any
reason. When we can’t stand
certain rules, we say “Pride did
it better.” When a fight almost
ends at the end of a round, we
say “Pride had no rounds, no
time. Pride was better” It had
WWE-esque entrances, it em-
braced the spectacle. People
view Pride in hindsight like it
was the perfect organization.
What most fight fans fail to re-
alize is that CM Punk signing
to fight on PPV is probably the
most Pride move the UFC has
ever done. Remember, Pride
was created so a pro wrestler,
Nobuhiko Takada could fight
Rickson Gracie. Gracie finished
Takada in a similar manor in
which Gall dispatched Punk:
Took him down, punched him
to soften him up, and then
mercifully submitted him.
The cement on the new UFC
is still drying. We’ve seen
small changes in the last few
months and some big chang-
es in the last few years. Uni-
forms, fight purses, anti-PED
programs,
endorsements
and TV exposure are making
MMA fighters super stars. But
let’s not forget where MMA
came from: Ultimate Fight-
ing Championship, Vale Tudo,
Pride FC, and Shootfighting.
It came from the public be-
ing tired of pro-boxers duck-
ing and clutching their records
and reputations like newborn
babies. Mixed Martial Arts is
risk-taking. It’s seeing who
would win between Muay
Thai and Judo. It’s everything
boxing no longer wanted to
be. It’s harsh and unforgiving,
but it’s also the most fun you
can have while bleeding. We
shouldn’t look down on the
UFC for taking chances and
having fun with it, even if it
seems senseless, like having
a 37-year-old amateur fight
a 24-year-old stud chomping
at the bit to make an impres-
sion. Without this disregard
for the reasonable, you would
have never got the UFC in the
first place. It’s not reasonable
to take leg kicks. It absolutely
unreasonable for Royce Gracie
to fight a Remco Pardoel that
outweighs him by 80 lbs, and
even more weird to see Royce
methodically choke him into
submission. But a sports gem
has been made out of these
unreasonable ideas.
The UFC has some issues it
needs to fix, but that’s an ar-
ticle for another day. But what
the UFC should never change
is its spirit. The “MA” stands
for Martial Arts. In martial
arts you will be tested. Some
are failures and some are vic-
tories, but all are lessons. The
fans will decide with their PPV
dollars what works and what
doesn’t. The UFC is the pre-
mier MMA organization in the
world. They give us the big
name match ups we only saw
in 1970s Heavyweight Box-
ing. It introduced us to per-
sonalities and figures from all
around the world. They show
us what works in a fight and
what doesn’t. They’ve com-
bined sports and entertain-
ment for the 21st century.
Moving forward, the events
of UFC 203 echo the spirit of
Pride FC and UFC 1. The in-
trigue, the fun. Fighting is seri-
ous enough business, let’s not
forget the fun.
