Posted on 08/30/2005 2:15:53 PM PDT by misterrob
FORT DODGE, Iowa — It's a sport where punching, kicking and slamming a knee into someone's gut are allowed. And like it or not, its popularity has surged in recent years.
Known on the street as cage fighting (search), extreme fighting or mixed martial arts, it features a combination of wrestling, boxing and jujitsu.
The goal: Knock your opponent out cold ... or force him to surrender.
"I don't think it's that violent. It's the same in football, baseball and basketball — they all get injured just as bad. It's just a sport," Fort Dodge, Iowa, cage fighter Donnie Nordstrom told FOX News.
But others have a different perspective.
"It's very violent and somebody is going to get hurt very seriously. Somebody is going to get killed or maimed," said Iowa Athletic Commissioner Dave Neil.
So far, no cage fighters have died in the United States. But it may be only a matter of time, given the lack of rules and regulation at the lowest level of this combat sport.
"The only rule there really is in the state of Iowa is no hitting behind the head. No hitting in the kidney. And no slamming of the elbow if the person is down," Neil said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
You can't elbow or use forearms in PRIDE...you can in UFC but not the point of the elbow...no hitting in back of the head in Pride but you can kick and knee while they are down...in UFC you can't...i wish they would make the rules more uniform..it's hard to sort them out when you are watching different events....but i'm a junkie so i manage. ;)
As a former wrestler, it is my observation that most fights end up on the ground--which is obviously where I'm most proficient. So I opine that wrestlers make the best fighters.
Chuck Lidell KTFO of Lidell. Wrestlers are usually good at getting the guy down but know always knowing what to do once they get there.
I love UFC though. I started BJJ and its really cool.
Which fighter?
Check out:
www.sherdog.com
Phillip Miller
On a purely anedotal note, my father, who was an All-New York City offensive lineman in high school, told me that when he used to go out with his friends who were football lineman and hockey players, they all agreed that the people you didn't mess with were the wrestlers. No matter how much bigger you were than them, they'd get you.
Gay wrestlers would be the worst to run into....
Don't mess with anyone with Cauliflower ears!!!!!!!
I love the UFC. Its true combat at its finest and safest.
Lidell fights from his feet. He has dynamite in both hand and feet. The guy is a walking, talking sleeping pill.
I started BJJ and realized how much I love a woman sitting on top of me compared to a woman.
Go ZUFFA and SpikeTV!
The MMA/UFC issue comes up every couple years. I believe UFC at least has catered to the concerns of watchdogs by lessening the high-impact nature of it all. But seriously, what is so different with this stuff from boxing? I've personally seen at least 1 fighter get killed in the ring on television. Legally too. No fouls or anything.
I got hooked on MMA watching the Ultimate Fighter, now can't get enough. I started BJJ and also do freestyle fighting. Its really invigorating.
Plus, the atheltes have 100000000% more class than typical football and basketball players.
Its way safer than boxing because the fighters take less head shots and the fights are stopped earlier. The attitude is that its better to be safe and fight another day than to risk serious head injury.
I think its great for the sport, the athletes, and everyone.
These days I do all my fighting in my basement with my heavy bag. The damndest thing is that most times the bag wins.:-}
Check out UFC #4. Kieth Hackney is in a choke hold and gets out of it by punching a guy in the nuts about 5 times. It worked!
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