Recreational Holidays

Why Mixed Martial Art Fighters Are Pursuing Sport And Not Art

I know that whenever I write one of these pieces on Mixed Martial Arts I am going to get hate mail, but the truth is the truth, and one can only hope to rescue the misbegotten. That bit of drab aside, I actually love MMA, especially the UFC grudge fights. There is enough Roman in me to enjoy the circus.

Now, the main reason such contests as offered by Strike Force and the venerable Ultimate Fighting Championships aren’t art is because of a lack of control. When Joe Beatemup is mounting Billy Mouthpiece and the announcer is praising his control, take his words with a grain of salt. The contest, you see is real, and the fact of control is shaky at best.

Real control means that you are controlling the other person so well they don’t even know it. There is no wrestle for control (a superior position), but rather an actual technique wherein Mr. Victim feels like he is in a whirlwind, and Mr. Incharge is definitely and surely and without a doubt taking the other fellow for a ride. True control is control without doubt or contest.

This is like the difference between a fellow painting a house and a Van Gogh. Yes, the house painter is using the same materials, and he may even get a calm and peaceful and artistic feeling about what he is doing. But he is not controlling the tools of his trade in any manner comparable to a Van Gogh.

Now, let’s not take it away from the MMA-ers. To say there is no art in the execution of their technique is silly. But, and this is a big but, it does lead to the big and most important difference between the Mixed Martial Arts Masters and the True Art. The difference is that in the true art there is no contest.

In the true art an opponent is considered only as a training aid. The contest is not to beat up one’s fellow man, you see, it is to quell the desire to fight (and have enemies). And here comes to mind the old saying, ‘To know yourself is to know your enemy.’

If you are engaged in beating people up…you are not seeking peace within your own soul. And, one can hope that, eventually, the young turks of the gladiatorial ring will one day renounce their brutality and search for the true art. They will seek to understand their drive to contest with others, and realize that the truth is within themselves.

Then all of their prowess will be turned to beneficial ends. Then their sport will become art, and the circus will become an event of significance. The real joy for me, you see, is when one of the Mixed Martial Arts fighters has an artistic moment, and the true art shines forth.

be you a brute or a mannerly fellow? If you be a mannerly fellow, head on over to Monster Martial Arts. If you be a brute (grin), head on over to Punch ‘Em Out. 1