MMA/UFC Overlooked

Every so often, an athlete will come along that dominates their sport.  Lawrence Taylor during the 80s, Michael Jordan during the 90s.  They do things in their sport that no one had ever seen before.  They became unstoppable forces of nature that players, coaches, and fans could only hope to defeat.  In the 2000s, there have been many candidates for dominant player in their respective sport.  Tom Brady in football, LeBron James and/or Kobe Bryant in basketball, and Tiger Woods in golf.  One sport that seems to get overlooked in this argument is mixed martial arts (MMA). 

I believe the UFC offers two athletes that should be in the running, if not leading, any conversation about the best in their sport.  I would be talking about Georges St-Pierre (GSP) and Anderson Silva.  GSP has an overall record of 24-2, with Silva boasting a 33-4 record.  They have three UFC title wins between them and 18 title defenses.  Unfortunately, neither gets the credit I think they deserve in the world of sports and it's about time their dominance is brought to your attention, if it hasn't already.

GSP
St-Pierre, a Canadian welterweight, is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, pound for pound fighter in the world.  With his win over Nick Diaz Saturday night, he became tied for the most UFC wins of all time (18).  He hasn't lost a fight since 2007; a fluky fight against Matt Serra in which he lost the title.  Serra is a decent fighter in his own right, but not a true welterweight champion, which GSP reminded him of the following year by beating him for the title.  Since he has been the champ for so long, the only opponents he faces are the best of the best.  No Charlotte Bobcats or Jacksonville Jaguars to be found here. 

From Nick Diaz to BJ Penn to Matt Hughes, many have tried and failed to take GSP's welterweight title.  Imagine that every game you play is the Super Bowl and that's the magnitude faced by champions in the UFC.  These fights happen on the biggest stages such as Las Vegas and Montreal (GSP's hometown) against the best in the world.  A win means a continued title run, a loss could mean one or two fights just for a shot at the title.  Not only is he winning these fights, but he is doing it in convincing fashion.  The Diaz fight last night was a unanimous 50-45 decision, in other words, a blowout.  It was amazing watching the fight because Diaz knew what he needed to do (stay on his feet and make it a boxing match) but GSP just didn't allow it.  It's the same feeling defenders get when Lebron is running a fast break.  You know what's coming, but there's no way to stop it. 

Having proven his worth against a long list of talented fighters, the fans worldwide have been clamoring for a super fight between GSP and Silva.  The problem so far has been scheduling and figuring out weight classes.  GSP is in a lower weight class than Silva so either GSP would have to move up in class or Silva move down (Silva has gone up in weight class before).  What will probably end up happening, if the fight happens, is a catch weight.  This is an agreed upon weight limit that doesn't fall into the traditional classes.  If this fight happens, it would certainly be the biggest fight in UFC history and would be more relevant, exciting, and electric than the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight people have been demanding. 

Anderson Silva
Speaking of the super fight, here is what Silva brings to the table.  While he doesn't have as many UFC wins as GSP, he has more overall MMA wins with 33.  The Brazilian middleweight/light heavyweight has a black belt in four disciplines (Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Taekwondo), the record for most consecutive title defenses with 10, as well as the most consecutive wins with 16; both streaks that are active.  Seven of his 10 title defenses haven't even made it to the Championship Rounds (rounds 4 and 5, non-title fight is 3 rounds).  He's faced Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin in Franklin's hometown, Forrest Griffin, Yushin Okami (who defeated Silva earlier in his career), and Chael Sonnen twice. 

Silva's long limbs allow him to be dangerous standing up or on the ground.  If anyone's actual fighting style could ever be compared to Muhammad Ali, it would be Silva.  Not nearly as outspoken as Ali outside the ring, Silva would do his fair share of taunting inside the octagon.  He will frequently drop his hands, daring his opponent to hit him.  He'll dance around and tell you to get up if he wishes to keep the fight standing up.  He'll duck, bob, and move his head every which way, knowing that you aren't fast enough to catch up.  Then, without warning, a sudden flurry or front kick to the face, and the fight is done.  He's the only fighter I've ever heard of that has been criticized for not ending fights.

During a couple of his title defenses, Silva would refuse to engage his opponent since most of his damage comes on the counterattack.  This, as you might expect, produced a lot of running around the ring, staring each other down, with little action going on.  Silva still won the fights, but the boos from the crowd were loud and it made President Dana White furious.  He knew Silva had the skill to absolutely destroy his opponent, but was more than a bit frustrated when Silva refused to.  When he turns it on though, it is a ballet of destruction.  Every punch and kick lands exactly where he intends it to.  If an opponent is rocked, you'll see him get position over him, but calculate his shots.  Some fighters will go crazy and throw 20 punches to end the fight when their opponent is down.  Anderson could throw three good ones and have the same effect.

Even though I am a fan of both, I would probably put Silva over GSP as the best fighter in the world, if not ever.  I know that ever is a long time, but Silva's dominance is insane, and can really only be appreciated if you watch the fights.  Watch one of his fights, particularly either of his ones against Rich Franklin and especially his Vitor Belfort one if you want a good knockout.  Observe how relaxed and confident he is and how frighteningly accurate his strikes are.  Ridiculous.

So why aren't these two generally in the greatest athlete conversation?  There are quite a few reasons, but I'll highlight three right here.

Misunderstanding Of The Sport
This is probably the most significant thing that turns viewers away.  Everyone is all for the first round knockout and the swing for the fences punches, but to win in MMA, it's more than likely you'll have to grapple and use some wrestling.  This is when people lose interest.  All they see are two sweaty dudes grabbing each other, with no visible harm seen unless a submission hold is attempted.  My brother has this same view and he's a black belt in karate.  He enjoys fighting, but can't relate to the smaller, technical stuff.  While it's true that I would much rather see the fists flying, you have to appreciate the grappling for what it is.  A perfect example of this would be in basketball during the last minute in a close game.

With all the fouls and timeouts, it can take 20 minutes just to get through one minute of game action.  Is it boring?  You bet it is.  I'm sure everyone would like to see up and down the court action with final scores looking like 180-172.  But guess what?  A team is trying to win.  That's why a coach will foul.  That's why he'll call a time out after every dead ball.  That's why he'll sub players constantly.  While it's not flashy or entertaining, it goes a long way in securing a win.  Grappling is the same way.  Will a knee or punch to the ribs in the clinch win the fight?  Probably not.  But doing that over time will help to wear their opponent down and could open up their defense. 

When watching MMA, people need to understand that there will be lulls in the action.  I've seen street and bar fights where two dudes will swing wildly and be gassed after 30, 40 seconds.  These fights can go for up to 25 minutes.  Unless you were born with four lungs and two hearts, it would be wise to not go for broke in the first round.  Viewers need to understand that all the holds, grapples, and dirty boxing are simply building up and are stepping stones to their ultimate goal, a win.

Exposure
While watching college basketball today, I saw commercials with Shaq, Peyton Manning, and Joe Mauer.  I can't remember the last time I saw a commercial with a UFC star, especially not GSP or Silva.  Chuck Lidell, Randy Couture, and Rampage Jackson are the three names that come to mind when it comes to any kind of media exposure for the UFC.  Unfortunately, all three are out of the UFC and may be remembered more by future generations for their movies (The Expendables, A-Team) than their fighting skills.  The UFC has its fair share of promos on all the major networks, but it is not enough to match seeing a sport star in a car or food commercial.

The media in general seems to not be aboard the UFC train either.  ESPN, the most significant sport network in the US, barely covers the UFC.  I understand that they can't show nearly as many highlights due to the UFC's contract with FOX and the main fights being on Pay-Per-View, but they could still cover it more.  I don't care that the Broncos fax machine isn't working.  I care much more about what the consequences would be if Diaz were to upset GSP.  I'm not saying they have to devote a whole hour to it, but given the power they have over sports fans, it seems to reason they could increase interest by giving the UFC more coverage.

Violence
In order for a sport to be extremely popular, it needs to be accepted by a wide range of people.  Due to the violent nature of the sport, I feel like it deters a good number of them.  I think that perception is key here, however, as a reasonable argument could be made that the UFC is sometimes safer than popular sports such as football.  Even though football players aren't throwing punches or kicking (rivalry games may contain such elements), they're still colliding with other full grown men at high speeds.  The damage caused by a helmet to helmet hit can be the same, if not greater, than a knockout punch thrown by Shane Carwin.  Because of this perception, however, football is widely accepted and welcomed into living rooms.

People see Brian Urlacher and think great player, smart, good role model.  The same might not be said for Silva after he just left a guy on the mat a bloody mess.  It doesn't change the fact that he can be viewed in a good light and is probably the most respectful fighter out there.  He bows to his opponent and never hesitates to give them credit after a match.  He hasn't had any personal life messes that have been made public or gotten into trouble with the law.  Silva makes one heck of a role model, but doesn't get credit because of the sport he is associated with.

Next time you and your buddies are debating the most dominant athlete, don't forget these two guys.  Although their sport is not as prominent in our culture as football or basketball, it doesn't change the fact that their accomplishments are historic.  Watching these two at their best is a sight to behold.  They compete against the best until they lose or retire.  So check out their next fight, whether it's on Fox or Pay Per View.  Similar to the Jordan's of the world, once they're gone, it'll be a long time until someone surpasses them.

Matty O