UFC, the hardest sport in America (Luke Zegunis)
25 minutes — — anything goes. Punches, kicks, throws; wrestling, boxing, and even jiu jitsu. This is the UFC, the hardest sport in America. The UFC is a league of elite fighters who battle every Friday/ Saturday. Big names like Connor Mcgregor and Brock Lesnar have formed a name for themselves in this style of fighting. The fighting style is called MMA or Mixed Martial Arts. According to UFC.com it is, “a full-contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills from a mixture of other combat sports to be used in competition. The rules allow usage of both striking and grappling techniques while standing and on the ground. Competitions allow athletes of different backgrounds to compete.” It’s violent and bloody and its why americans love it so much. And now after an agreement with ESPN its going to more and more relevant by the day!
Recently there has been a ton of drama in the UFC after pro fighter Conor Mcgregor has announced his retirement from the League. He tweeted, “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later” (Twitter). This is after his many problems in his own life , including multiple arrest and assault charges. Last year around this time her attack one of his competitors busses leaving multiple injured and putting him on suspension. Since then he has also caught a charge for breaking a fans phone. Many fans believe this may only be a way to get attention or for the UFC to gain some attention. He went from being one of the UFC’s most prized fighters to a retired criminal in only a year. Now with him gone the only question is who will be next to rise to the top and also how the UFC’s ratings will be affected due to his demise.
Earlier this year ESPN were able to come to a 5 year agreement where they would host 30 fights on their channel every year. ESPN president said,”ESPN’s unparalleled multimedia platform is the perfect home for the UFC and will deliver tremendous value to both parties, UFC fans are passionate and loyal and we plan to bring the full power of ESPN’s live coverage, powerful storytelling and unmatched distribution to serve them in an unprecedented fashion”(ESPN.com). This will be a huge improvement to both the viewers of ESPN and the UFC. Dana White; the face of the UFC, said “Every year for the last 18 years, we’ve done something to take the sport to another level, and we did it again with this deal,”It’s massive on so many different levels. We’re on what everyone looks at as the world leader in sports”(ESPN.com). In fact in their debut ratings were up 83% from what they normally are! This boom of viewers had them looking amazing… that was until march madness came. March madness have taken the views of nearly everyone on TV. Many believe they are the main reason the AAF had to halt their season, they just were not making enough money to continue during this crazy season. The real question is will they be able to bounce back after March has ended? They have a very large fan base but they still have plenty of room to grow. The only way they can pull more viewers is to host major fights. They need to get new athletes with tons of flare just like Conor has.
Why do fans love the UFC so much? Because it’s real. Unlike WWE these are real fighters taking real punches. We see insane knockouts and athletes enduring grueling hits for nearly 25 minutes. It’s the toughest and grittiest sports around and athletes careers can end in just one fight. But the hardest part of the fighting isn’t the physical part… its the mental strain. Knowing you have 25 minutes locked in a cage with another world class athlete is truly traumatizing. Not to mention all the training and hard work can easily lead to injuries and body problems.Brock Lesnar said,”I felt like I was cheated out of my career in the UFC. In my mind and in my heart, I never lost to a foe. I never lost to an opponent. I lost to diverticulitis. That was my opponent that beat me. A lot of other people might have other thoughts about that”(Brainyquote.com). To be a fighter in the UFC you need to be in peak condition and even the slightest weakness or injury can set you way apart from the other competition.
So what makes a good UFC fighter? Fighters can come in all shapes and sizes. From lightweight fighters to heavyweight fighters everyone has to be crazy athletic, they also have to be tough as nails and have a never give up mentality. They also have to have a certain set of skills. The thing that makes the UFC so interesting is nobody fights the same way. You have boxers, wrestlers, and Sensei’s all battling against each other. Also people of many different backgrounds and races participate. It doesn’t matter who you are, you always have a shot in the UFC and that’s what makes the Sport so beautiful.
UFC is streaming on ESPN+ and ESPN every Saturday night so make sure you tune in to see world class athletes battle each other to see whos better. See the difficulty of the sport and maybe become inspired to better yourself. Also you know have the chance to watch young fighters grow and get a shot at the title. It is an extremely interesting time for the sport right now and you can even check to see what MCgregor does. Is he truly done with the UFC or is this just a ploy to gain more attention? All the questions and more will be answered soon so tune in.
