To be a complete fighter, you have a have a full set of tools. You have to be able to grapple, wrestle and strike at a very high level. As we (the fans) follow MMA and combat sports in general, we begin to feel more knowledgeable about the nuances of what makes a good fighter. More than just identifying who won the fight, we can pick out who is a good striker, who is a good grappler and what makes them that way. With this knowledge comes a greater appreciation for the sport in general. When I see two fighters rolling around vying for position to get a submission, its what I imagine watching chess is like for people who watch chess matches. But after these past two weekends of fights, I have come to a conclusion that most of my friends find down right sacrilegious (and have told me as much). The truth is: I don’t like watching chess matches.
And by that I mean, watching submissions is boring.
While I understand the mechanics, technique, and finesse it takes to get a good submission, I’ll take a hard Mike Tyson-style knock-out any day.
Oddly, I came to this epiphany while watching a non-MMA broadcast. Glory World Series held its Glory 12 tournament where we saw six light-weight brawls that came to climax when Andy Ristie knocked the crown off of the king Giorgio Petrosyan, a man who had never been knocked down before in his 81 fight career. Even my most adamant MMA fan-boy friend was on the edge of his seat yelling “bromstiken knockout” because before the fight, I lied and told him that’s how you say “knock-him-out” in Dutch. Then, in the same night, we saw Joe Schilling and Wayne Barrett exchanging knockdowns like two pissed off high school kids who happened to both be really good at Muay Thai. I haven’t been this excited about east coast vs. west coast since the early 90’s rap scene.
Then, the following weekend was the finale of The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC reality show that usually shows 40 minutes of emotions and 10 minutes of actual fighting. However, the finale was a night of scrapping that was almost tear-free (nobody can stop Jessica Rakoczy from crying). First, we saw Juliana Peña become the first female Ultimate Fighter by pounding Jessica Rakoczy’s face into the ground over and over like only someone with the word “Ultimate” in her title can do. Then we got the grand finale: a Nate Diaz punch-onslaught on a dazed and confused Gray Maynard. And let’s face it, that’s why we love Nate Diaz.
This past weekend, we saw Demetrious Johnson land a strong right hand to challenger Joseph Benavidez, and follow it up with a series of hammer fists, ending the challenger’s night in dominating fashion.
After all of this, the only thing I could think was “isn’t this how it’s supposed to be?” While I understand that groundwork is essential to have in your arsenal as a mixed martial artist, doesn’t everyone, fighters and fans, really just want to see someone get knocked the hell out? And honestly, is there anything wrong with that?
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Main Photo: Tony L. Sandys, Washington Post,
