Monday, July 07, 2008
UFC
Here's something on TV I discovered since getting my digital converter box. And to tell you the truth, I'm a bit embarrassed to be watching it. UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is just one minor step removed from the Roman gladiator bread and circuses fights. In one of the matches I watched a couple of weeks ago, the blood ran so freely, the fighters were literally fighting in a puddle of it.
First, let me say, the I realize these are mostly superbly trained and conditioned fighters. Six pack abs and bulging biceps are the norm and there is without doubt highly trained combat moves going on during a fight. It looks like several minutes of free-form mayhem, but you can see the skills there. They may squirm and tussle about on the mat for several minutes and all of a sudden one guy is tapping the other guy because he's in a hold he can't escape.
Secondly, however, I'm a little ashamed I'm enjoying this. Many of these guys have bizarre haircuts and tattoos ranging from mom on a shoulder to practically full body artwork. At the end of a fight, they are often blood spattered and the loser is often barely able to get up. I've seen cuts over their eyes so large, they look like an extra mouth. It makes you wonder just how bizarre people will behave to make a few bucks. It's actually pretty shameful that we are willing to pay to watch events like this.
The only thing we're missing is a thumbs down signal from the emperor watching in his private suite for the winning gladiator to finish his opponent off with a trident. I can see in a year or so, when the UFC seems everyday and is losing their audience, that they'll go to the next level and have them fight until the loser is unconscious. And then how long before they have a celebrity sitting in a box suite giving the thumbs up or down for the losing fighter.
