Issue 026

June 2007

By Hywel Teague

Sometimes I worry if I’m becoming a little jaded. I’ve been around the world of mixed martial arts for quite a bit now, and I’ve seen plenty of the good and even more of the bad. I fear the older I get (and the longer that I stay in the game) that I risk losing the ability to look at things objectively. All of us know its all too easy to carry around preconceptions based on our past experiences, and to look at something with a truly objective standpoint is near-enough impossible. 

But I’m a journalist, and it is my job to maintain an air of detachment. Though I may be very familiar with the people and the places, I need to look at them with as fresh a set of eyes as possible. It is not always easy to do, but it has to be done. I find that a good way to do so is to take a break away from the scene, and to approach it with fresh eyes. 

Sometimes though, life gets in the way and you have to take an enforced sabbatical. I’ve not been hitting the live events like I used to, and while I guess this is no bad thing, its something I still feel guilty about and it is something I am keen to rectify. You see, I’ve been increasingly occupied with tasks that require a large amount of attention and as a result I’ve been chained to my desk. Getting away from home is something I’ve found really difficult to manage. Consequently, I’ve been missing out on one of my favourite aspects of MMA; the travelling. 

As well as you may think you know MMA, knowing it in an informed manner (by reading, watching, analysing it) is different to knowing it via experience. Getting out there and actually going to the shows, meeting the fighters and their coaches, seeing who is working with which teams and catching up on the latest gossip is one of my favourite things about following MMA. For me, this is where I prefer to get the majority of my insider knowledge from, not by simply calling up or emailing my various sources and contacts. Plus, watching a good fight ringside is almost always more enjoyable than watching it from your sofa. Hearing the impact of meat on meat is a thrilling sound and one you almost entirely miss out on when watching it on TV. 

The experience of watching a fight is a relatively small part of going to a show though, as a MMA event offers all manner of entertainment and distraction for someone like myself. First, the social element is one I am in love with – the people in MMA are what make it so special for me, and I have made not only some firm friends but I’ve also been lucky enough to meet people who I respect and admire in many different ways. 

The entertainment of a live combat sports event is the most obvious appeal, but it can get a little stale sometimes, depending on which events you go to. If you are consistently going to low-level amateur affairs with low quality matches, then its can becoming boring very quickly. As my friend and colleague Jim Burman once said to me, “There’s only so much half guard you can take.” Jim may have the driest sense of humour in UK MMA, but he makes a good point. If you were to constantly eat steak sandwiches, you’d get bored of steak sandwiches. But if you mix up your steak with a varied diet, the steak doesn’t lose its appeal.

That’s what I’ve had to do in recent months. I got pretty sick of the same old same old, so I mixed it up a bit. I’ve been going to Thai boxing shows, K-1 events and grappling competitions. I’ve noticed a few things while I was ‘away’. Go to any fight show regardless of the combat sport and you’ll see people sporting MMA clothing (showing how far we’ve come) but also as I’ve noticed the not-so-good things about these other events, I have seen where MMA is succeeding. 

MMA is at an all-time high right now, and the momentum is strong. With impetus and force, we continue to grow. The time off has recharged my batteries somewhat, and as I write this I’m only days away from the most highly anticipated and eagerly awaited event in god-knows-how-long. UFC 70, a mere stones throw from my house (I can walk to the MEN in five minutes) is almost upon me, and believe me, I am very, very excited. 

But more than being excited about simply going to a show (albeit a potentially amazing show) I’m pumped that MMA is moving in a direction that is exceeds all expectations. I almost can’t believe my refreshed eyes.