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Going back in ancient times of flourishing civilizations, you'll find one thing that stays somewhat consistent in sports.

It's not a basketball or a maple wood bat or a pigskin football. No it's not even whiny, overpaid athletes or juiced-up freaks of nature.

Go back all those years, and it becomes clear that the basic instinct and test of skill is a one-on-one fight between two people.

In the early Olympics, wrestling, boxing and pankration were all a part of the action, and although pankration was dropped, wrestling and boxing have withstood the test of Father Time, and judo and tae kwon do have since joined the proverbial fight.

All of this history lesson just leads me to one simple question.

Why, when you combine a group of Olympic sports into one, do you not have another spot in the Olympics to support this combination?

The sport I'm talking about is mixed martial arts (MMA). It's a combination of wrestling, judo, boxing, jujitsu, tae kwon do and muay Thai. It's the pentathlon of fighting.

Some say it's too brutal for our society to handle. Most just don't know that there ARE actually rules that competitors have to follow.

Taking a quick peek at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) rule book would dispel most of the myths people believe about the sport. Contrary to what many think, there is no head butting. There is no hair-pulling. There is no eye-gouging. There is no groin strikes. There is no small joint manipulation (So you can't break your opponents fingers and toes like twigs underneath a heavy hiking boot).

With that list alone, half the people reading this were probably proved wrong about one or more of the rules that govern MMA.

I'll tell you what is allowable in MMA, however. Skill, determination, heart and toughness. These athletes usually come from one focused discipline, like boxing, wrestling, jujistsu or judo. They discover the world of MMA, and then they slowly incorporate other skills into their arsenal. It's like building a small house and then adding on rooms every so often until you have a giant house.

The beauty of a fight is that even if your opponent has more skill than you, if you beat them out in heart, determination and toughness, you just may be able to beat them in the fight.

I watched UFC 87: Seek and Destroy from the Target Center in Minneapolis two weekends ago from about 20 rows away, and it was some of the most heart and determination I've seen in sports in a long time.

Think a rough drive down the lane wears on Allen Iverson's body? Think a big tackle on Adrian Peterson stings him a bit? What about a body check from Derek Boogaard?

Try an overhand right from behemoth Brock Lesnar, who may have been an entertainer in the World Wrestling Federation, but has won an NCAA national championship in wrestling and mixes size and speed like no other fighter, or a blurring right cross from the ultra-quick Canadian Georges St. Pierre, or even a head kick from the physical specimen that is French kickboxer turned MMA heavyweight Cheick Kongo, a six-foot, four-inch, 240-pound package of muscle, bone and ice-cold blood. The guys that step into that octagon or ring show more heart in one fight than Iverson does in a whole season of drives.

Isn't that the personification of the Olympiad? A true show of skills, heart, determination and toughness? There's no better sport that puts all of those characters on display than MMA.

Is it bloody? Yea. Violent? It's a fight, of course it's going to be violent, go pick up the newest Grand Theft Auto video game, or see the new Batman movie like most have. Both are violent and/or bloody.

But, is it any more dangerous than the individual arts? Not really. Not the striking arts at least. Boxing, muay Thai and tae kwon do can all be just as dangerous, if not more.

MMA should be appreciated as a major sport in our culture, and within the next few years, should get consideration as an Olympic sport.

The thing with mixed martial arts is that it's not just a sport, it's the definition of what sports should be all about. It's a one-on-one battle that incorporates skills with only your god-given traits and abilities.

You can't have a more expensive fist than another guy. You can't get a carbon fiber leg for more flexibility and a lighter feel to it. You can't choose between a wooden head or an aluminum head. You don't need to pick up a racquet or a club, you don't even need a ball or a basket.

The only thing that's required in MMA is something every person is born with. Your head and your heart.

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Chisago County Press

Attn: Jeff

12631 Lake Blvd.

Lindstrom, Mn 55045

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Sports stuff would be great, but, please do not limit yourselves. Politics, religion, culture (pop or otherwise) are welcomed. Please do not feel offended if your contribution is not included.

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