Mixed martial arts seeks to answer an age-old question: What would happen if we locked a karate guy and a judo guy in a cage and threw away the rulebooks? Today, the biggest MMA league is the Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC. Its brand of fighting involves a cage, some extraordinarily muscular men and, on a good day, a whole lot of blood. Devotees see a physical chess match in which a stinging jab might be countered by a graceful judo leg sweep followed by a devastating jiu-jitsu ankle lock. Detractors see a tacky playground brawl. After a long legalization campaign, UFC is staging its first Ontario event this month. Here's a primer to help you follow along.
Georges "Rush" St-Pierre
Pound for pound, Montreal's GSP is arguably the best fighter in the world, and something of an international sex symbol. He has multiple action figures in his likeness, considers himself a nerd (citing an interest in paleontology) and never indulges in trash talk. Currently the welterweight champion, he'll be defending his title this month.
Jake Shields
St-Pierre's opponent previously held the middleweight belt in the Strikeforce League, which is based in his home state of California. Shields has amazing technical skills on the ground. A devout vegetarian, he posed for a 2010 PETA campaign proclaiming he packed a "meaner punch without eating animals." He'll attempt to wrest the title from GSP.
Professional MMA gloves are 4 to 6 oz. and open-fingered. These fingerless gloves sometimes lead to unintentional eye gouging.
Competitors go shirtless and barefoot with shorts. Georges St-Pierre prefers his shorts skin-tight.
A mouthguard and groin protection are mandatory.
BANNED MOVES
Head-butting
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Kicking or kneeing the head of a downed opponent
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Striking downward using the point of an elbow
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Striking the back of the head
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
PERMITTED MOVES
Covering an opponent's nose or mouth to restrict airflow
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Stomping on an opponent's feet
THE BASICS
KO! Fights can end by knockout or technical knockout, tap out (when a fighter taps the mat or his opponent), verbal submission, or stoppage by a doctor or referee.
Three ringside judges weigh in on fights that last the full time slot, using a 10-point system adopted, from boxing.
Non-title bouts go three five-minute rounds, while championship fights last live rounds.
Cage-side doctors monitor injuries. MMA proponents say that while fights can get bloody, the most common injuries are minor cuts and bruises.
ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM
Mark Bocek
The 29-year-old Torontonian lightweight has won the UFC's Submission of the Night award twice. He formerly taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu to UFC president Dana White.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Claude Patrick
Mississauga's 30-year-old welterweight is on a 12-fight winning streak. A 2008 Taser attack put him into a coma. He has no memory of the incident.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Sean Pierson
The 34-year-old T.O. welterweight applied to be a cop but was rejected by the Toronto Police last year, partly because of his fighter persona, "Pimp Daddy."
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
MMA WAS NEVER BANNED, OK?
No "ban" was ever "lifted"--all new prize-fighting sports in Ontario must be officially legalized before arenas can charge for tickets and players can get paid or accept sponsorships.
Quebec has held legal MMA matches since 1998, but here, the Liberals demurred, with Premier Dad saying that, it wasn't a "priority for Ontario families" to sanction the pastime.
UFC president Dana White--who says that MMA causes fewer head injuries than boxing--went on a Legalization mission, opening Toronto offices last May and naming former CFL commissioner Tom Wright as director of Canadian operations.
Meanwhile, Ontario figured out that a big MMA match could bring in $6 million in runoff proceeds to hotels, restaurants, strip clubs and the like. In August 2010, Ontario announced it would welcome MMA in 2011.
The Rogers Centre is the venue for UFC 129.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Originally, tickets ranged from $50 for nosebleeds to $800 for floor seats.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Once tickets got snapped up, buyers turned to the resale market, where floor seats were priced as high as $28,999 and one luxury suite at $49,000
UFC DAY: APRIL 30
Expected attendance: 55,000 The previous UFC record was 23,152 That fight card, last December in Montreal, drew $4,586,000 at the gate.
There are seven weight divisions and 7 CHAMPIONS
Fighter payouts vary wildly. At UFC 100, champion Georges St-Pierre pocketed $400,000 Claude Patrick's victorious debut at UFC 115 paid out about $12,000.
Bonus prizes of an additional $20,000 to $100,000 are awarded for Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night. The ultimate prize:
w
A win is the most important outcome, and two or three losses--or L's--in a row can mean losing status, or even being cut from the UFC. Fighters who stack up enough W's get to fight for a championship belt. Both the welterweight and featherweight championships are on the line at UFC 129.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
THE FANS
Children of all ages are permitted to attend the fights.
A 300,000-square-foot fan expo will take over the CNE grounds the weekend of the bouts. Tickets are $40 to $65. Wannabe UFC-ers can compete in a grappling competition offering $17,300 in prizes.
MMA fans are fond of T-shirt designs that resemble giant tattoos: think skull or eagle graphics by Affliction, Tapout or Silver Star.
The current Octagon Girls are Chandella Powell, Brittney Palmer, Rachelle Leah and Playboy cover girl Arianny Celeste.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
GEORGES ST-PIERRE'S SUPERMAN PUNCH
A lot of fighters throw Superman punches, but no one as effectively as GSP. Here's how it's done:
1
Stand with your left leg forward.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
2
Kick your opponent with your right leg. Make it count. Return to stance.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
3
Now raise your right knee as if to kick again, causing your opponent to flinch.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
4
As he does, shoot your right leg back, lunge forward on your left foot and throw the knockout punch.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
5
Smile for the front page of the Daily Planet.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Catapang, Jef
Source Citation
Catapang, Jef. "Fight night: love it or hate it, here comes the UFC." Toronto Life Apr. 2011: 34+. Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA256200839&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPTH&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A256200839
Mixed martial arts seeks to answer an age-old question: What would happen if we locked a karate guy and a judo guy in a cage and threw away the rulebooks? Today, the biggest MMA league is the Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC. Its brand of fighting involves a cage, some extraordinarily muscular men and, on a good day, a whole lot of blood. Devotees see a physical chess match in which a stinging jab might be countered by a graceful judo leg sweep followed by a devastating jiu-jitsu ankle lock. Detractors see a tacky playground brawl. After a long legalization campaign, UFC is staging its first Ontario event this month. Here's a primer to help you follow along.
Georges "Rush" St-Pierre
Pound for pound, Montreal's GSP is arguably the best fighter in the world, and something of an international sex symbol. He has multiple action figures in his likeness, considers himself a nerd (citing an interest in paleontology) and never indulges in trash talk. Currently the welterweight champion, he'll be defending his title this month.
Jake Shields
St-Pierre's opponent previously held the middleweight belt in the Strikeforce League, which is based in his home state of California. Shields has amazing technical skills on the ground. A devout vegetarian, he posed for a 2010 PETA campaign proclaiming he packed a "meaner punch without eating animals." He'll attempt to wrest the title from GSP.
Professional MMA gloves are 4 to 6 oz. and open-fingered. These fingerless gloves sometimes lead to unintentional eye gouging.
Competitors go shirtless and barefoot with shorts. Georges St-Pierre prefers his shorts skin-tight.
A mouthguard and groin protection are mandatory.
BANNED MOVES
Head-butting
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Kicking or kneeing the head of a downed opponent
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Striking downward using the point of an elbow
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Striking the back of the head
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
PERMITTED MOVES
Covering an opponent's nose or mouth to restrict airflow
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Stomping on an opponent's feet
THE BASICS
KO! Fights can end by knockout or technical knockout, tap out (when a fighter taps the mat or his opponent), verbal submission, or stoppage by a doctor or referee.
Three ringside judges weigh in on fights that last the full time slot, using a 10-point system adopted, from boxing.
Non-title bouts go three five-minute rounds, while championship fights last live rounds.
Cage-side doctors monitor injuries. MMA proponents say that while fights can get bloody, the most common injuries are minor cuts and bruises.
ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM
Mark Bocek
The 29-year-old Torontonian lightweight has won the UFC's Submission of the Night award twice. He formerly taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu to UFC president Dana White.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Claude Patrick
Mississauga's 30-year-old welterweight is on a 12-fight winning streak. A 2008 Taser attack put him into a coma. He has no memory of the incident.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Sean Pierson
The 34-year-old T.O. welterweight applied to be a cop but was rejected by the Toronto Police last year, partly because of his fighter persona, "Pimp Daddy."
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
MMA WAS NEVER BANNED, OK?
No "ban" was ever "lifted"--all new prize-fighting sports in Ontario must be officially legalized before arenas can charge for tickets and players can get paid or accept sponsorships.
Quebec has held legal MMA matches since 1998, but here, the Liberals demurred, with Premier Dad saying that, it wasn't a "priority for Ontario families" to sanction the pastime.
UFC president Dana White--who says that MMA causes fewer head injuries than boxing--went on a Legalization mission, opening Toronto offices last May and naming former CFL commissioner Tom Wright as director of Canadian operations.
Meanwhile, Ontario figured out that a big MMA match could bring in $6 million in runoff proceeds to hotels, restaurants, strip clubs and the like. In August 2010, Ontario announced it would welcome MMA in 2011.
The Rogers Centre is the venue for UFC 129.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Originally, tickets ranged from $50 for nosebleeds to $800 for floor seats.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Once tickets got snapped up, buyers turned to the resale market, where floor seats were priced as high as $28,999 and one luxury suite at $49,000
UFC DAY: APRIL 30
Expected attendance: 55,000 The previous UFC record was 23,152 That fight card, last December in Montreal, drew $4,586,000 at the gate.
There are seven weight divisions and 7 CHAMPIONS
Fighter payouts vary wildly. At UFC 100, champion Georges St-Pierre pocketed $400,000 Claude Patrick's victorious debut at UFC 115 paid out about $12,000.
Bonus prizes of an additional $20,000 to $100,000 are awarded for Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night. The ultimate prize:
w
A win is the most important outcome, and two or three losses--or L's--in a row can mean losing status, or even being cut from the UFC. Fighters who stack up enough W's get to fight for a championship belt. Both the welterweight and featherweight championships are on the line at UFC 129.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
THE FANS
Children of all ages are permitted to attend the fights.
A 300,000-square-foot fan expo will take over the CNE grounds the weekend of the bouts. Tickets are $40 to $65. Wannabe UFC-ers can compete in a grappling competition offering $17,300 in prizes.
MMA fans are fond of T-shirt designs that resemble giant tattoos: think skull or eagle graphics by Affliction, Tapout or Silver Star.
The current Octagon Girls are Chandella Powell, Brittney Palmer, Rachelle Leah and Playboy cover girl Arianny Celeste.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
GEORGES ST-PIERRE'S SUPERMAN PUNCH
A lot of fighters throw Superman punches, but no one as effectively as GSP. Here's how it's done:
1
Stand with your left leg forward.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
2
Kick your opponent with your right leg. Make it count. Return to stance.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
3
Now raise your right knee as if to kick again, causing your opponent to flinch.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
4
As he does, shoot your right leg back, lunge forward on your left foot and throw the knockout punch.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
5
Smile for the front page of the Daily Planet.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Catapang, Jef
Source Citation
Catapang, Jef. "Fight night: love it or hate it, here comes the UFC." Toronto Life Apr. 2011: 34+. Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA256200839&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPTH&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A256200839
United States Judo Association - USJA
No comments:
Post a Comment