If you’re looking to play a game that’s easy and relaxing, there’s plenty out there for you. More and more often, however, it seems like people are becoming interested in sports that are increasingly violent. While striking billiard balls around a pool table can be some person’s idea of a fun time, there are others who enjoy hitting others in an octagon. If you’re in a pool room, you’ll see some interesting game room furniture around, but placing such things within the ring of any mixed martial art fight would probably cause serious injury and a lot of damaged goods. Why has this new kind of sport gained such a large following in such a small period of time? In this essay, we’re going to take a look at some possible answers.
UFC only started around a decade ago, with tiny crowds and only a cult following. Gradually, however, more and more people have been drawn to the brutal nature of the sport.
The game itself is in some way similar to kickboxing, except there are not as many rules involved. The gloves being worn are quite small, so getting a knock-out can be simple if a blow is landed correctly, and take-downs can be achieved so that the opponents will wrestle it out on the floor. Here it’s possible to set the competitor up in a hold that will cause them extreme pain, requiring them to “tap-out” in order to stop further injury.
Obviously, the harsh nature of this sport has caused a whole host of serious injuries to those who choose to go in the ring. Yet that doesn’t cease the increasing numbers of people who wish to take part in this violent game.
A number of years ago, the old WWF star, also a legend of UFC, Ken Shamrock, was put in a match against the person who was the dominating fighter of the time, Tito Ortiz. The match itself was violent, with Tito able to easily grapple the older Shamrock and land a huge number of blows onto him. What such an attack does to a person can barely be imagined, and it’s a wonder that Shamrock did not choose to end the match sooner.
What are the psychological reasons for people wanting to play this game and for us to witness and enjoy it? Perhaps it has a bit to do with the way we’ve come from our own primal natures, when we were forced to fight animals and each other just to stay alive. It might be that as we’re no longer in a situation where we are put in a life-or-death scenario, we look for vicarious enjoyment from other places to replicate this experience that’s lacking in our lives.
Whatever the reason, it’s unlikely that mixed martial arts will lower in popularity any time soon. With touring companies around the world constantly occurring, and pay-per-views rating exceedingly well, we’ll have this kind of game around for a long time to come.