Mixed Martial Arts has quickly come into popularity in the past 10 years, and with that has come a new breed of fan known as the “Casual fan”. We can point to Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s fight as the one that likely saved the Ultimate Fighting Championship and propelled the product to what it is today. Although, without the people watching, talking, and most importantly buying the product, it wouldn’t matter. Many of us have loved MMA since before we became UFC fans, having watched all the classic cards and fights. We know the legends, even though we never saw them live. So what distinguishes a fan as “casual”?
Perhaps while watching some pay-per-views, you have heard comments such as these, which I vividly remember:
“Stand ’em up!” – Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitinov 2011 – Really? I think it was just fine, thank you very much.
“All he has to do is *stupid leg movement* and he can submit him” – at a bar watching Fight for the Troops 3. That “stupid leg movement” this fan did wouldn’t KO a flamingo.
“I could kick his ass” – Every time I go to Buffalo Wild Wings and watch fights. Note to self: Find somewhere else to watch fights.
Sadly, those quotes are real, and the first one was repeated right until Josh Barnett choked Sergei Kharitinov with an Arm Triangle. Then the fan clapped – the same fan who moments before begged for the two to “stand up”. Clearly these fans are what we would consider casual. They aren’t the people who will buy an extra cable package just to watch some minor event or go online and watch the post-fight press conference. They mainly focus on the entertainment value but don’t really care about knowing the techniques. These fans are peaceful and usually aren’t eager to learn about fighter history or even techniques and arts they have no clue about.
Contrasting those fans are the ones who want to be entertained the right way.
Ask yourself, why is Pro Wrestling still around? People don’t believe it’s real of course, but the shows and characters are written to please them, the viewer. At some point in every show, the viewer will be addressed and happy. MMA on the other hand, is not written to please everyone. There are grapplers and wrestlers who don’t want to strike and would rather take an opponent down and punch their face for 15-25 minutes. In the very next fight there just might be a Jiu Jitsu practitioner who would rather get to the ground and work towards a submission rather than trying to stand up with a better striker.
Some are not intrigued at all by the ground game and would rather watch two strikers battle it out. They are not to criticized because they pay to watch, therefore, they have a say in what they want to see. I don’t have a problem with fans who favor one style to another, but what I do get upset with is the times I am watching a fight and fans decide to speak out loudly, usually while intoxicated, at an event just because a fight doesn’t cater to their particular tastes, as if just because a fighter has a different style that it gives the right to degrade. That is justifiably one of the most ignorant things I’ve witnessed, and I really wish it would stop as it is incredibly disrespectful to those fighters who have trained in this art form. Clearly they have no idea what MMA is all about.
On the opposite side of the spectrum we have the hardcore fan. This is someone who lives “MMA” and doesn’t just focus on UFC or one fighter. He or she is an Encyclopedia of MMA history, records, title fights, who fought who and when, how they won, and what ranking they are. They own DVD’s, VHS, and online documentation of all fights just because they can, and they have the time for it.
Many of these rabid fans can seem elitist to others, but most are just really into the sport and want it to flourish. There is a segment of these hardcore fans who act condescending toward those who aren’t as interested in MMA as a whole – the casual fans. I’ve been corrected many times by a Jiu Jitsu instructor when I speak incorrectly about a certain hold or transition when we are watching an event. That’s okay because I was wrong and he corrected me politely, therefore, I’m learning to see something in a different viewpoint. When that becomes hostile and degrading, it crosses a line. Just like the fan who yells ignorant comments about styles they don’t favor, the fans who degrade other fans because they don’t know a fighter well enough or how to perform a heel hook should also be stopped. These fans love this sport, but almost too much as if they didn’t want any new fans to be allowed into their inner circle.
Can all fans, whether hardcore or casual, not just get along?
When you care about something so much that you consider it a lifestyle, you instantly develop a common bond with everyone else who enjoys it as well. It shouldn’t matter how you interpret the show, that is a personal thing. All that matters is that you are entertained and you have the opportunity to talk, debate, argue, or yell at/with any other fan who is willing to do the same.
We are all here to enjoy these fighters and watch them put all their training and preparations into one night, 15 or 25 minutes. It’s interesting when you think about how we argue amongst ourselves about things like why George St. Pierre is retiring, or how Anderson Silva is too old to fight. Or why we hate Jon Jones, or how Brock Lesnar was the biggest joke in MMA.
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