Ronda Rousey gets pummeled by Amanda Nunes�
Legal issues aside — I suppose there is no lawful recourse to ban women from participating in fight sports — , what are the cultural consequences of entire societies, even the whole world, taking delight in the spectacle of women beating the crap out of each other? Is it related to recent decisions to allow women in combat roles? In the past, even without legal restrictions, female fight sports hardly existed because they were deemed culturally crude, morally distasteful, and unbecoming for women. So much of civilizational do’s and don’ts are a matter of cultural norms and social taboos than legal prohibition. It’s like there’s no law against loudly burping or breaking wind, but most people don’t do that in public because it’s deemed vulgar and coarse.
What’s truly depressing is even Russia and China take part in this neo-savagery. As the West has gone totally berserk and degenerate with celebration of tattoos, piercings, and general pornification of culture, it’s hardly surprising that sports culture has also become awash in all manner of trashiness.
While athletes through the ages have hardly been exemplars of refinement, there were some standards to maintain a minimum of dignity in sports culture, if only for the sake of children who look up to sports stars as ‘heroes’, even ‘role models’. So, while boxing was always a brutal and even bloody sport, there was a clear division between the fighters in the ring and the spectators in the seats. The focus on the ring allowed for a degree of athletic purity. It wasn’t like the Roman gladiatorial games where the bloodlust of the crowd bled into the brutality on the field. It was as if the gladiators were flattering and channeling the worst and most debased passions of the mob.
The so-called MMA fights are, at least in spirit, closer to gladiatorial games than to the established sporting events of the 20th century, including boxing. UFC arenas are more like Rock Concert venues, and the event is promoted more like Professional Wrestling than serious sports. If boxing matches took place in Las Vegas, MMA is pure ‘Las Vegas’, wherever the event is held.
Especially with the fighters hemmed inside a cage(or ‘octagon’), it has the feel of cock-fighting and dog-fighting. It’s like the two praying mantises in the wooden cage on the rickety boat in ENTER THE DRAGON. Also, there is no pretense of honor, dignity, or much in the way of respect. Perhaps, this is refreshing for some because, boiled down to essentials, sports is a form of barbarism, not about gentlemanly virtues, which can be dismissed as pretense with roots in Anglo culture.
MMA is to boxing what heavy metal and punk are to Sixties Rock. In its shameless promotion and sensationalist presentation, it’s like a caricature of sports though, unlike Professional Wrestling, fighters with genuine skills are involved, intensely so. Maybe, as a business model, it was a kind of genius move to combine the circus antics of WWE with the demands of a real sport.
Women acting worse than wolves�
Boxing was never lacking in thugs, cretins, and lunatics, some of whom were the biggest champions, but there was a sense that it was rather unfortunate that someone like Sonny Liston or Mike Tyson became champion. Muhammad Ali was tolerated for his antics because he had genuine flair for entertainment and could back his talk with his walk — by some miracle, he even managed to KO George Foreman at his peak — , but the general pressure was for boxers to exhibit at least a modicum of sportsmanship-like behavior. Boxing favored the golden boys, like when Oscar De La Hoya put nasty and rude Ricardo Mayorga in his place. In contrast, the likes of Conor McGregor seems to be favored and even encouraged in MMA. The more outrageous, the better.
Fight sports are so brutal that there have been calls to ban it even for men. Dignity, honor, and respect are irrelevant in a sport where the purpose of the contestants is to bash each other’s brains out. Boxing has been, by far, the most damaging sports. One only needs to consider the fates of Muhammad Ali and Jerry Quarry. Still, boxing is limited to strikes with gloves and traditionally was limited to men.
In contrast, MMA looks downright ugly and barbaric with fighters allowed to use elbows, knees, and to ‘ground and pound’ the opponent. It’s like humans reduced to the level of beasts.
Now, some have defended MMA as the most advanced form of fighting incorporating all schools of martial arts, and its athletes are among the most skilled fighters in the world. Surely true, and its value in the military and security training is undeniable. But as sports/spectacle, its overall effects seems desensitizing and dehumanizing.
Defenders say that MMA is actually less harmful than boxing because matches tend to be much shorter due to the wider array of arsenal. Whereas boxers routinely go the distance getting hit in the face countless times, MMA fights often end with choke-hold or ‘armbar’ with far fewer strikes to the head. On the other hand, a kick or knee to the head is likely to have long-term consequences.
Women acting worse than gophers�
MMA is closer to pure fighting than boxing is, but that robs it of anything resembling grace. In boxing, a felled opponent is allowed to get back on his feet in a ten-count, whereas the MMA fighter is eager to finish off his prostate opponent by smashing his face in. Why not go all the way and allow for groin-punching-and-kicking as well?
Anyway, just think. There was a time when boxing was considered too much for women. But now, all the world rejoices in the sight of women punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, slamming, ground-and-pounding, and strangulating one another. How is this good for civilization? What does it do for young boys and girls all over the world to grow up watching women, often covered with ugly tattoos, acting more savage than wolves & gophers and in front of thousands of people in the stadium and millions around the world screaming at their big screen TV’s?
There is also the matter of aesthetics as women are deemed the fairer race. Men being less pretty and even ugly, what does it matter if they bash each other’s face in? But should women be punching each other in the face? Some will argue that it doesn’t really matter in MMA because most women in it are dogs or hags anyway, and maybe being grounded-and-pounded will even improve their looks. But still, it’s the idea that is troubling: women beating the crap out of each other and all the people, men and women and boys and girls, cheering on this mayhem. It can’t be good for our souls, and shame on Russia and China for taking part in this culture of beastliness.
Here’s are some examples of women in UFC. One woman looks like a barracuda and seethes at her opponent who looks like a sleepy cartoon cat. How did they, especially the cartoon cat, come to make MMA their career choice?
A woman named Holly Holmes goes by the nickname “Preacher’s Daughter”. What exactly did her father preach and impart to her that she has made it her calling to kick other girls in the head?
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