The UFC 70 Media Fallout
By Mark Pickering: In the wake of the world’s fastest-growing spectator sport hitting British shores at a teeming MEN Arena the dissenters have once again aired their typically misinformed, reactionary opinions in the public domain.
Across the pond the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the leading brand within mixed martial arts, has superseded boxing as the authoritative force in combat sports and propelled it’s leading combatants into becoming household names.
Their high-octane, adrenaline fuelled, brand of alluring action and spectacle has thrived while boxing battles to survive.
While the most astute prize-fighting aficionados talk about mixed martial arts in hushed tones and opportunistic promoters have made high-profile defections to the burgeoning sport, journalists persist in inking pieces clouded by misleading content.
The Ultimate Fighting Championships latest instalment was their highly anticipated return to the Britain, amid an advertising frenzy and dually generated 1.3m ($2.6m) at the gate with 14,921 fans in attendance.
Their spectacular return, which should have quelled the sport’s heated political debate within the British media, a host of shortsighted journalists have entered the fray and condemned the sport, citing sensationalist sentiments of violence and brutality.
The Daily Star perhaps offered the most irrational report on the evenings proceedings, “Brit hopeful Mike Bisping emerging from his bout looking like he had been in a car crash despite winning.”
Yet the previous evening the same publication sponsored a mixed martial arts event in South London.
“I look around, wondering if anyone is here looking at the ’skill’ involved, at the speed and accuracy of these men, or is it just the blood they want?”, declared Manchester Evening News’ Emma Unsworth.
In reality the crowd showed great appreciation of each combatants skills, applauding stand-up exchanges and takedown attempts, in addition to subtleties of groundwork that many audiences wouldn’t be acquainted with.
“How can you really assess anything other than a knockout? A win or a lose. Blood simple”, Unsworth continued.
Leaving aside the questionable structure of the sentence, all bouts that reach the allocated time limit (fifteen minutes in non-title bouts and twenty-five minutes in championship contests) are scored by judges under strict criteria set down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The writer also naively questions the extensive set of rules and the sportsmanship of the fighters.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s meticulous set of rules feature 31 banned offences in conjunction with the Nevada State Athletic Commission including head butts, downwards elbow strikes and kicks to the head of a downed opponent.
As for a supposed lack of sportsmanship, fighters shake hands before and after every contest with the competitors often embracing post-match and exchanging good wishes.
Its abundantly clear based on her futile piece that Ms. Unsworth, like many of her fellow professionals, attended the event with a narrow-minded demeanour and preconceptions on how she expected the evening to unfold.
Maybe some journalists’ aversion to combat sports accounts for their unwillingness to fairly represent the sport, but even so, their duty is to produce a professional, well-researched and considered piece.
Next weekend can we expect a football match report questioning the purpose of the sport; after all it’s just twenty-two men in shorts, running around after a ball, what’s the point, right?
These pieces of personal distain passing as journalism were frustrating when the UFC was confined to the underground scene during its inceptive years in the early nineties. Now in 2007, with the sport having evolved into a highly regulated, widely sanctioned, safe and professional sporting event it’s impermissible.
Related Posts
Posted May 3rd, 2007 l 97 views
