The UFC is a league started by the Gracie family that brings mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters together to battle each other inside an octagonal shaped cage. This sport is rising tremendously in popularity, mainly due to the large excitement surrounded by each and every fight hosted. “I believe the fact that it is such a growing sport is because of the athletes. You have fighters that go in a cage and you really don’t know how the fight is going to go,” Nick Mullin said.
Mullin is a University of Tampa student who trains at the Highlander MMA gym off of Kennedy and also helps to train people who are interested in learning the techniques of MMA. “You literally can’t blink or check your smart phone during a fight because a knockout or a submission can happen in the blink of an eye,” Dr. Jason Simmons of the Sports Management Department at UT said.
The UFC is the major league under which MMA is regulated. There are other leagues that host MMA fights, but they are not as popular. MMA consists of a variety of forms of marital arts, including Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, Maui Thai, Kickboxing and others. Fights are only three rounds long and last about 15 minutes, unless it is a title fight or main event, in which they are five rounds. Mullin didn’t start fighting until he came down to Tampa for college. “I always wanted to fight, but my ma would never let it happen. I came down to school and I met Sherman Henson at West Tampa Boxing. I had two fights under him and was in love,” Mullin stated.
The thrill of watching a fight comes from not being able to anticipate an outcome; one fighter may be the underdog, but if he gets his opponent in the right hold, the match is over. The sport really took off when the reality show The Ultimate Fighter aired in 2005. Matt Arroyo, a graduate of the University of Tampa, was on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter and suffered a rib injury during the show. Arroyo made it back in time for the championship and still feels that was his best fight yet. “I got a submission hold in the first round, my whole family was there watching me, it was on TV for people to watch, and I made $40,000 in one night,” Arroyo said with a smile. Both Arroyo and Mullin agree that The Ultimate Fighter show really sparked peoples’ interests.
“I think it (MMA) will surpass all other sports in the next 10 years, plus they just signed a deal with the television network FOX,” Arroyo said. Arroyo got his start after realizing he didn’t have much of a career ahead of him in baseball. He played for UT’s baseball team while he attended college. In 2003, Arroyo was introduced to Jiu Jitsu, and the rest is history. After training with his good friend Monster Allen, Arroyo watched him fight professionally and win. “I couldn’t believe how quick he won his fight, and I always beat him, so I looked at my coach and told him to sign me up,” Arroyo said.
Dr. Simmons is a fan of the UFC and agrees that the development of The Ultimate Fighter reality show piqued a lot of peoples’ interests, but he thinks there are other elements that add to this sports’ high excitement level. “I also think there’s a social aspect to the sport; friends get together to watch the fights.” Many of the fights are only available on pay-per-view, limiting the options fans have to watch.
“You have two options for watching: go to a sports bar or order at home. In a sports bar, you are around a bunch of other like-minded people, typically people go with a group of friends. If you order on PPV, a lot of times you watch with a group of friends and all split the cost,” Dr. Simmons explained.
As it currently stands, only men can participate in the UFC league, however there are women who are training and fighting with the same techniques. Jasmine Bienvenue is a current student at UT who trains at Arroyo’s gym in the SoHo district. Bienvenue started training in mid-November and fell in love with it. “You don’t have to be strong or big,” Bienvenue explained. She also thinks it is great for girls to learn because the whole objective of the sport is to submit your opponent; great for self-defense. “You go for the snap, tap or nap strategy,” Bienvenue laughed. “You either snap a bone or something, make them tap out or knock them out, that’s the bottom line.”
“I think it sounds pretty cool, but also sounds kind of dangerous,” UT sophomore Kathy Güvercin said. “But I think it would be a pretty cool thing to get into since I am a fan of Tae Kwon Do and self-defense.” Sophomore Zachary Lacovino agrees with Güvercin about the dangerousness of the sport, stating, “It’s pretty brutal.”
Lacovino and Güvercin are not alone. A lot of people are concerned about the injuries they see fighters sustain, but that doesn’t bother Arroyo. “Sure, I’ve broken some bones; ankles, knees, ribs, knuckles, nose, but that is part of the sport,” Arroyo said. “I’ve strained some ligaments and definitely have been concussed, but not to the point where it would stop me from training,” Mullin stated. MMA is a physical sport, it is all about contact and very little protection is worn by the fighters, yet it still has a better track record for safety than almost all other sports. “There are concussions, sometimes bones get broken; it’s a contact sport.
The referees stop the fight the second a fighter can no longer defend himself or gives up. The state athletic commission issues medical suspensions after every event to protect athletes who are injured. These fighters aren’t even allowed to train during this time,” Dr. Simmons explained. “The problem is, that these ‘violent’ acts tend to be the most exciting parts of the fight. When there is a big knockout the crowd goes nuts and these are the clips that UFC advertises. All the casual observer sees is violence. The violence, however, exists within the scope of the rules of the sport.”
MMA is a sport all in its own league and these fighters train extensively to ensure their physical fitness and safety. They learn how to execute different moves with precision to avoid any injuries to themselves and to their opponents, while at the same time achieving the goal of getting their opponent to submit. Violence is not the driving force behind MMA; rather, technique and quick thinking are. “Unpredictability is what makes a sport exciting,” Mullin said. As a fighter, Mullin knows how important it is to be able to react quickly while simultaneously thinking ahead.
“When you get on the mat or that cage door closes, or you step in the ring, no tests, no money, no work and no other issues matter at all except for that guy in front of you who is trying to beat you,” he said. “That is better than any therapy in my book.”