I’ve been watching The Ultimate Fighter since season 10. Some may call me late to the party but truth be told, it was the much-hyped up fight between Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson that drew me in. I had seen the original Bonnar/Griffin fight from 2005 re-aired on Spike in 2008 but it was only the one fight that I watched and thoroughly enjoyed as did anyone else who saw it.
However I do have a big problem with the show or rather, the fighters featured on the program. Every week we see the contestants getting involved in some form of shenanigans either just to get a rise out of the opposing team or because there is genuine bad blood in the air. I take issue with this because to me, this sort of behaviour is not a reflection of how a martial artist conducts himself or herself.
The martial arts involve respect and discipline, like I touched on in my vlog which I posted earlier on. I don’t see how pouring Cheerios into someone’s gear or urinating in someone’s bed is either respectful or a sign of discipline. That’s why I sometimes feel the need to draw a distinction between a “martial artist” and a “fighter”. I would argue at least 95% of the people I see compete in the UFC are simply fighters because they have egos they can’t let go of and believe they’re owed something, i.e. Frank Mir, Nick Diaz, Quinton Jackson. The other 5% are true martial artists because they don’t waste time trash talking and simply focus on evolving and staying on top of their game, i.e. GSP, Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos, Frankie Edgar.
I welcome your thoughts on the matter.
mmareportz 