Mike Brudenell is a moron

The state of Michigan is working on a bill to allow mixed-martial arts events. From what I'm told, it's passed and is only awaiting the governor's signature.

Then there's this shallow piece of work by a DFP sports writer, taken from WrestlingObserver.com:

Today's Detroit Free Press has an article called "Thumbs down on mixed martial arts in Michigan." Writer Mike Brudenell, who said he likes football and motor sports and is a boxing writer, explained he respects boxing because the aim of the spot is to score enough points to win with a knockout a possibility, but in MMA, the object is to inflict serious punishment to the opponent with first, elbows, feet and forearms like a pub brawl. He said the fans in MMA hope to see injuries and referees and officials don't care about the welfare of the fighters. I guess this wins today's award for a writer not even realizing how shallow he is. As I've always said, if you are going to say MMA should be banned, and also say boxing and kickboxing should be banned, I will never argue the point and respect you for consistency as all are dangerous and can be brutal. But to say a sport that leads to more brain damage shouldn't be banned while another should is hypocritical. The only reason to ban any of these sports is the danger to the participants. There is a line of what our society can accept as legitimate dangers in contact sports. If you ban all sports with an equal or greater serious injury rate as MMA, that's consistent. If you even ban all fighting sports with an equal or greater serious injury rate. But you can't make a case for thinking MMA should be banned as a sport while praising boxing and not going after kick boxing.

Anyone that believes MMA should be banned and not boxing is as out of touch with reality as anyone.

 

MMA is not a sport. Period.

Not sure it should be banned, but it's not a sport.

 

If there's a place for boxing and auto racing, a place for horse racing and figure skating . . . then there's a place for MMA in our sporting society.

I don't personally like it, but I won't argue against its status as a sport. And I certainly don't think it should be banned.

 

So much for that bubbly attitude thing and all....

 

MMA is a sport, plain and simple.

Just because you have to be more athletic and know some submissions and stuff, instead of standing there trying to bash a guy's brain in, doesn't make it less of a sport.

 

MMA is much safer than boxing, and the statistics prove it.

There has been just one fatality (a few weeks ago) in more than 10 years of MMA history. Boxers die at a rate of almost one every year or two.

The reasons MMA is safer than boxing:

The gloves: MMA gloves, with the thinner, fingerless hands, keeps fighters from hitting full-force because of fear of breaking a bone. With boxing gloves, you can poound a guy into brain damage without so much as a red knuckle.

The refs: MMA officials are much, much more quickly in stopping fights than boxing refs.

The strategy: A boxer's strategy is NOT to "score points" -- what a stupid thing to say. A boxer's strategy is to knock a guy out, pure and simple. How many times have you heard a boxer in an interview say something like, "I'm going to go in there and just give it all I've got -- score as many points as possible ..." Hell, no. They go in there to "eat someone's children".

A MMA fighter's strategy is to either knock a guy out or make them tap out. Most fighters are smart enough to know that when a hold is locked in (rear-naked choke, triangle choke, various armbars, knee and ankle locks, et al), they tap immediately. To not is to risk severe and/or permanent injury.

 

There's MMA. Then there is ultimate cage death fighting (I have no clue if that is a real name) and what the UFC was/is. That's a bloody, murderous sport.
The fact that we put two grown men in literally a cage and cheer as they attempt to inflict harm on each other is the sign of a society that is on its way down.

 

The Ultimate Fighting Championships (octagon) and Pride Fighting Championships (boxing ring) are the top two forms of Mixed Martial Arts on the scene. Anything that calls itself blood fighting or anything like that is no better than backyard wrestling.

That said, the octagon is safer than a ring, and holds the fighters in better than the ring. You might be able to box in a ring, but ground fighting is tough to do when there are ropes and somewhere that you can fall from.

To say that UFC and/or Pride is a bloody, murderous sport is just as ignorant as what Brudenell said.

 

Well, of course it's a humane sport if the goal is to give the opponent the choice of submitting or breaking a bone.

 

Expecting HH to deal in anything but hyperbole and gut reactions is expecting a bit much...but I know Mike Brudenell. Mike Brudenell is a highly intelligent man.

Just because you disagree with a column does not make him a "moron."

Thank you.