Features M
ixed martial arts (MMA) allows any combination of combat techniques to be used to win a rigorously supervised competitive fi ght. T e sport can loosely be likened to boxing, but the rules allow additional skill sets to be used. Technical kicking, wrestling, grappling (specialised
fi ghting on the ground) or any other martial art that the fi ghter adopts can be used to win the fi ght. Contests can be won by knockout, points decision, referee stoppage, or tap out, where the beaten fi ghter basically submits with honour by tapping on the ground with their hand during the fi ght. T is form of fi ghting is one of the world’s fastest
growing sports. Celebrity fans, such as Beyonce, Jay-Z and Demi Moore and an increasing media exposure have raised its profi le, and it cannot be long before the UK’s leisure centres and health clubs provide specifi c training facilities and equipment for those interested in MMA. Unfortunately, in the UK there
are still some negative stories about the sport, and in this article I shall try to refl ect the real nature of the sport, and its impact on future leisure provision.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN Originally, MMA was intended to ascertain which was the best combat martial art. It now appears that this has been established – three disciplines dominate.
Many leisure centres shy away from offering ultimate fi ghting training or facilities, but Michael Cassop- Thompson thinks they might be missing a marketing opportunity
T ese are: stand-up striking (almost exclusively muay thai or boxing), wrestling, and brazilian ju jitsu (or grappling). T e best fi ghters are those that utilise these combined skill sets most eff ectively. To be successful in modern day MMA, a contestant must be profi cient in all three areas. Some sections of the media would have us believe
that mixed martial arts is a brutal activity. Two thugs (male or female) are locked into
a cage from where they cannot escape. T ey then
fi ght with no rules until one or the other is rendered unconscious.
Added to this, the participants are portrayed as being little more than criminals or deviants, and it is certainly not an activity that ‘normal people’ would train or compete in.
One female fi ghter, the UK’s Rosie Sexton –according to the Daily Express: ‘broke a
Japanese opponent’s ankle by wrenching it with her bare hands.’ Further investigations fi nd that this is far from the truth. In fact, academic and businesswoman Dr Sexton was involved in a contest
during which her opponent fell awkwardly and broke her ankle. T ere are exceptions. T e Daily Telegraph sports
correspondent Gareth Davies writes knowledgeably and positively about the sport, while established and articulate British MMA stars such as Dan Hardy and Ross Pearson gain increasingly positive media coverage. T ey can be seen regularly on television competing in the ultimate fi ghting championship (UFC). T e UFC is a worldwide, televised promotion,
which can compete with boxing in terms of revenues generated from pay-per-views. In addition, the reality television programme T e Ultimate Fighter is about to commence its 13th series, and other promotions, including Bellator and Strikeforce are receiving TV coverage.
Anything
36« May 2011 Sportphysical activity &
GOES
www.imspa.co.uk
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