MMA is not grandpa’s boxing

• By MATT RAMSAY
• Special to 2theadvocte.com
• Published: Jun 11, 2008 - UPDATED: 1:30 p.m.

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While listening to sports talk radio, I heard an elderly gentlemen call in to ask the host what he thought about “this boxing with no socks on.” I immediately knew what he was talking about. He was talking about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and I was counting down the seconds until they would compare it to boxing and how an MMA fighter wouldn’t stand a chance in a boxing ring.

Floyd Mayweather Jr, a well-known boxer, has made similar remarks, but has since retracted his take on the sport.

You will find there are two types of people when it comes to MMA -- the ones who hate it and the ones who love it.

Those who hate the sport are some of the same people who grew up watching boxing. Most see MMA as something new -- a fad -- and refuse to accept it.

In reality, comparing boxing to MMA is like comparing American football to European football.

Boxing takes place in the ring, and MMA traditionally takes place in “the octagon.” Boxing is a combat sport in which two participants in a similar weight class fight each other using strictly their fist in a standing position only. MMA is also a combat sport in which two participants in a similar weight class fight each other using fists, but they also use elbows, knees and feet.

MMA consists of boxing, wrestling, grappling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, Muay-Thai, and many other forms of one-on-one combat either standing or on the ground.

MMA fighters are sometimes seen as unintelligent, barroom brawlers with something to prove. Guys such as Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin can prove that theory wrong.

Franklin (former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion) was a former math teacher at Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati before he turned to fighting as a career. Franklin also has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a masters degree in education. Griffin (currently ranked the No. 6 UFC light-heavyweight and the next contender for the light-heavyweight belt) graduated with a degree in political science. In fact, the majority of MMA fighters are well-spoken, very humble and have earned at least one college degree.

Chuck Liddell, former light-heavyweight champion and longtime journeyman of the sport, uses more boxing in his mixed martial fights than just about anyone in the game. He also uses kickboxing, take-down defenses and several other key components to defeat his opponents. Liddell looks like your stereotypical brawler: Mohawk haircut, goatee and tattoo on the side of his head.

What you don’t see is the humble kid from San Luis Obispo, Calif., that has a bachelor of arts degree in business/accounting. The former Division 1 wrestler from Cal Poly University also has never started a fight outside of the ring.

MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world since mid-2004. Surprisingly, it happened with very little media help. This can be attributed mostly to great promoting by UFC President Dana White and great role models such as George St. Pierre, Matt Hughes, Liddell, Quinton Jackson and Randy Couture. Couture, the retired heavyweight champion, served in the Army from 1982-1988, was a three-time Olympic wrestling team alternate, a three-time Division-I All-American wrestler and a two-time NCAA Division-I runner-up wrestler at Oklahoma State University.

Contrary to popular belief, MMA is as safe as boxing and according to a study done by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, “The overall injury rate in MMA competitions is now similar to other combat sports, including boxing. Knockout rates are lower in MMA competitions than in boxing.”