And we think our Yankee friends can be a little insular…
What the hell have we been doing for the past 24 years not to cotton on a little sooner to this mixed martial arts stuff?
As my sons were playing gentlemen’s games like cricket, football and tennis – gentlemen’s games if you forget the sledging, the swan dives and the tantrums – in the U.S. and South America, guys and girls were punching the hell out of one another in a cage until the referee called time. That’s hopefully before there was some serious damage done to one hapless participant.
Teenagers now, my two sons are regularly watching UFC, one does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the Gracie Academy, and the other is learning boxing at the local PCYC. Occasionally, they’ll take a friendly swing at me or throw me onto the ground and have my arm bent over double in what is fittingly called an ‘arm bar’ which I’m told is a signature jiu-jitsu finishing move.
I’m getting super-fast at tapping out.
They’re fit as, ripped, and both talking about one day entering the ring or, in the case of UFC, the cage. I really wouldn’t like to see that eventuate, but right now, they’re exercising heaps, expending energy, eating right, and taking care of themselves. That’s gotta be a good thing.
And before you start saying to yourself that this isn’t for your kids – boys or girls – then you might want to read on a little further.
A few years ago now I was mugged by three guys as I was walking to the train station on my way to work. I won’t tell you where I lived because it doesn’t matter. It can and does happen anywhere. I was walking casually past a house that was being built, saw these three guys get out of their car and presumed that they were going to work on the house.
I presumed wrong when one took a swing at my head and connected. After that it was all over red rover.
Now, I’m not saying that if I had learnt to fight I would’ve done any better than I did, which was pretty poorly. What I do know is that I certainly couldn’t have done much worse.
Over the Easter long weekend I sat down with my eldest in a club on the south coast and we watched New Zealand born Sydney-based Robert Whittaker catapulted to a third place ranking in the middleweight division after a second round knockout over the frightening looking Brazilian Jacare Souza.
I predict that with Whittaker’s win on Sunday, UFC in this country is about to take off. Big time.
After the fight my son asked me how much it would cost to go to Las Vegas to watch Whittaker if his next bout was over there. Ah, I remember those days when I had no debts and a disposable income.
I will be watching. But just from a pub close by.
Next week, if you’ll have me, I want to talk about why I love Conor McGregor.
Let’s get ready to rumble! Pick a fighter and place your bets with PlayUp for great odds. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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