Michael Gonzalez

Prof. Andersen
ENG 101-23
12 November 2015
Media and Politics on the Portrayal of Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) has found great success as a combat sport in the world today
yet, with all its fame comes backlash. However, MMA has not always been a sport made for
media and commercial potential. Martial arts or combat sports had been around for centuries, and
in many instances, it was utilized for the training of individuals or as a peacetime sport. Since its
birth various different styles of martial arts have been created in various parts of the world. It
should be noted that martial arts has no center of origin because forms of it have always existed.
In other words, to address the misconception martial arts did not start in Asia. Centuries later we
now have lawmakers, media, and broadcasting corporations in a constant struggle with one focal
point at mind, the presence of violence within MMA. A vital question to be asked is, To what
extent is mixed martial arts affected by politics and media coverage, and does it affect the
broadcasting of the sport within North America?
Combat sports at one point or another develop regulations to protect those involved and
for the most part, these regulations do live up to standards. In an article by Varney Geof, titled
Fighting for Respect: MMAs struggle for acceptance... he firmly addresses the controversy of
rulesets within martial arts that lead to negative connotations. Specifically he does a good job
representing the contradicting positions that occur. When mixed martial arts is compared to other
competitive/combat sports martial arts is one of the safer sports, it is deemed otherwise mainly
due to its nonadherence to the traditional boxing ruleset and leads to the opinionated response

that the sport is far too dangerous (Varney). The broadcasting of mixed martial arts in many
states have been stunted due to policy makers believing the sport is too brutal for display on
television, and in some drastic circumstances have tried to (loosely) ban the practice in martial
arts schools for children. Mixed martial arts continues to be shunned in politics mainly due to
this intense nature and as it turns outs, many politicians arent utilizing any solid facts for their
harsh positioning. The Mohammed Ali Boxing Act would enable mixed martial arts to possibly
be widely accepted, mainly because it is still seen as relatively unregulated. Varney argues,
The same types of unfair and anticompetitive practices are taking place in MMA as they
were when Congress decided to pass boxing reform. The Ali Act would provide MMA
with contract requirements to ensure fair contracts for fighters, an objective ratings
system to ensure the best fights are taking place regardless of the promotion, and require
an increased focus on safety through uniform standards. However, MMA is still not
accepted by many and is widely misunderstood, as well (Varney, 304).
Despite the two combat sports having different names, they find themselves once in a similar
predicament which is the need for regulation in order to make the brand safer and trustworthy. If
this misconception of deregulation within the community continues to occur, mixed martial arts
may disappear from the already small amount of networks who host it on television but also
schools that teach mixed martial arts as well.
Our neighbors to the North seem to have an even bigger problem with the mixed martial
arts establishment. Canada currently has been in a battle between mixed martial arts promoters
and lawmakers. In fact, lawmakers have been blindly following a consensus with little
questioning on their effort. In fact in areas where the practice of mixed martial arts is prominent,
there is no hospital admittance for injuries which may be related to mixed martial arts (Ball).

This can translate to two things, either mixed martial arts is generally safer now as a sport or
regulations within the sport has enabled individuals to be more aware of their physical
capabilities. Though it goes without saying that mma fighters face zero risks in their fights, that
is simply untrue. There is a present risk of concussions and broken bones yet, statistically these
occurrences do not happen often. Ball argues, Medicinal practices should be evidence based and
the immediate assumption of mixed martial arts as a dangerous bout is downright emotional in
nature (Ball, 2). Doctors backed by Canadian officials do their best to simply brush the issue
under the rug. To no surprise the sport finds itself at a standstill where it can either give in to the
assumptive nature of the sport or rebrand itself.
The perception of violence in the sport is something that needs addressing before any
significant change can come about in terms of portrayal. One of the most common areas where
mixed martial arts gets the worst rep is in mixed martial arts schools. These schools are found to
be extremely competitive with those nearby which has affected the way children can compete.
Currently, only one well-known regulation for children fighters is in the Unified Rules, which
prohibit an underage child fighter from competing in a professional MMA bout (Neyra, 1). This
being the only nationally recognized regulation is a very huge problem. Many schools can
partake in inter county competitions where fighters can be susceptible to face injuries. These
competitions are often between rival schools where

In the years there has been growing concern over regulation within the sport. Indubitably,
through regulation mixed martial arts have come a rather long way since the early broadcasting
years of Pride FC as well as early UFC. Lets just say Pride FC was the melting pot for martial
arts fighters, in an area of anything goes or fight to prove oneself. In Japan, Pride FC was

filling up upmost of 50,000 seats while all in all rivaling American based UFC (Mayeda).
During its reign, Pride had scouted and acquired individuals of many talents from different parts
of the world which kept the fights fresh. This also meant that due to the diversity of the fighters
despite being a championship event came the usage of various techniques. UFC began in 1993
and was originally a small fan base organization with original intent to take fighters from many
backgrounds in the United States, place them in a ring, and see who came out victorious. The
broadcasting of these events soon started a craze for mixed martial arts and as it turns out mma
had become a huge success soon after and it came with a cost of course.
Competitiveness within the sport has made for another interesting dilemma. As a result of
the broadcasting of the sport, pockets of influence have occurred. One of the most interesting
pockets are the small amounts of fight clubs which have arisen throughout the years.
Particularly in New York, there has been a rise in amateur bouts in which uncovered some
grueling constructs. In a forum written by Jim Genia of DeadSpin he uncovers the truth about
New York's amateur fighting scene which is actually pretty disgusting and concerning, The
problem is that while these fights are nominally regulated by private organizations, some of them
are, in practice, not regulated at all. That's why fighters can compete in New York with HIV,
hepatitis C, and other conditions... (Genia, 3). This unregulation has become part of a focal
point to where promoters have to go to the few remaining private organizations to attain fighters,
coaches, and other merchandise. All due in part of bills passed in the 90s government
involvement in these bouts or anywhere near them for that matter is very skewered.

Mike I can see that this is unfinished, but you have a terrific start. Your paper is focused, and
youre doing a great job with source integration in your discussion here. As you revise for the
second draft, take into consideration some of the comments Ive left above. It seems as though

your biggest concern moving forward is taking the time to add in necessary details. Youre an
expert in this topic, but your readers might not be. Its your job as a writer and researcher to
provide your audience with contextual information to help them fully understand the problem
youre addressing here. This might mean defining terms, as well as bringing in specific
examples to illustrate your points. Looking forward to the next draft!

Bibliography
Geoff Varney. (2009). FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: MMA'S STRUGGLE FOR ACCEPTANCE
AND HOW THE MUHAMMAD ALI ACT WOULD GIVE IT A SPORTING CHANCE. West
Virginia Law Review, 112, 269-1139.

Ball, Chad G., & Dixon, Elijah. (2011). The consensus statement on mixed martial arts: Emotion,
not evidence-based.(CORRESPONDENCE/CORRESPONDANCE). Canadian Journal of
Surgery, 54(1), 1.

Mayeda, David. 2008. "Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in
American Society." [Google Books ver.] Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?
id=_MuxPfFkpWEC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=mayeda+pride+fc&source=bl&ots=W7A6DRc
2eN&sig=zQWuAKanF-UNG-Rhbvf27JZeCY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgqZXDnKPJAhXJdT4KHUIUDUgQ6AEIKjAC#v=onepage
&q=mayeda%2050%2C000&f=false
Genia, Jim. 2014. "HIV, Hepatitis C, And More: New York's Amateur MMA Scene Is A
Disaster." Deadspin, 21 May 2014. Retrieved from: http://deadspin.com/hiv-hepatitis-c-andmore-new-yorks-amateur-mma-scene-1578988576