MMA Sports: Gladiators or Athletes? Kevin Penny

For those who aren't men, last Saturday supposedly marked a disappointing day in UFC history. MMA superstar Anderson "The Spider" Silva went five whole rounds with his Brazilian counterpart Demien Maia and won by unanimous decision. Sounds like just another match? Not for Dana White. White came out after the main event and apologized to the fans, saying that "[He's] never been more embarressed in the 10 years of being in this business."

Now my question is, for what? It was clear watching the whole fight that Silva did not want to knock out his fellow Brazilian. It was a one-sided match from the start, seeing as how there are few, if any, fighters that match Silva's abilities right now. If the head of UFC has to come out and apologize to the fans because the match didn't end quickly and bloody (well actually, it did end bloody...), then it begs me to ask what the public's view of MMA fighters are: gladiators, or athletes?

Now, lets take a quick look at MMA fighters. These people train daily to keep in peak physical condition in order to beat the living hell out of one another for our entertainment. Sounds like a gladiator, in my opinion. But this is not Rome, and Dana White is not Caesar. These people take their sport seriously, and when you put an amateur in a ring with a living weapon, you're asking for poor entertainment.

I'm thinking Dana White imagined Silva would end it quickly, then walk around shouting "Are you not entertained!?"

This fight was blown out of proportion by Dana White, and it saddens me to see the media eat it all up. After Silva has lost thousands of fans and his ability to fight George St. Pierre, let's try to remember that he still is the greatest fighter to grace the ring and entertain us since Bruce Lee kicked the crap out of Jim Kelly in 'Enter the Dragon'.

Kevin Penny

April 12, 2010

Image taken from UFC site