UFC: Jeremy Lost

I agree with Ken's thoughts on it, but I'd like to add what appeals to me about it as well. For me the sport is so interesting because it's like chess combined with an Ironman competition. You have to be an athlete *and* a thinker in order to succeed. And then you have to have heart on top of that.

I personally don't even notice the "violence" when I watch this sport. Violence to me is bad because it's unwanted, not because it involves physical pain. Take the Liddell/Horn fight for example. After each round they shook hands as they went to their corners. Hell, they probably had a beer after the fight. They're professionals playing a physical chess match -- nothing more.

Fighting on the street for the joy of hurting people is just as revolting to me as it is to you (Carl) or any other decent person. But this is *NOT* a bunch of unskilled hooligans going at it like animals.

My advice to you would be to learn a little bit about Jui-jitsu; learn about some of the techniques used. YEARS are spent learning just the fundamentals of defense and attack. It's a thing of beauty.

So while I agree it's definitely primal in the way it's carried out, there's a whole entire world beneath the repulsive surface you're reacting to. I urge you to look deeper at it, and I'd love to talk to you more about it if you're interested. Maybe sometime when I'm in the area we can watch a couple matches together and I can narrate for you to show you what I'm talking about.

Thanks for the question, though; it's an important one.

For me it is competition. Man v man with the best coming out on top. The rules are made so that the best fighter wins. Corruption has also seemed to stay out of the MMA world for the time being. It is pure.

There is something else. For years people have wondered what martial arts where the best. Well Pride and UFC have shown what martial arts are like. They took them all and tested them in a real world combat situation.

Daniel usually explains things a lot more elegantly then I do. So maybe he can offer his view.

If you wouldn't mind ... please explain your fascination with this sort of fighting ... it is something that I do not understand at all ... I mean ... AT ALL ... not even a tiny bit.