Are Olympic honchos gearing up to embrace MMA by mid century? It’s not nearly as far-fetched as it sounds.
Few know it, but MMA was on the Olympic program one and a half thousand years before the recent move to drop wrestling. So it’s not as if this martial arts ‘baby’ has to pass any pedigree test.
Ancient MMA, aka ‘Pankration’, permitted both wrestling and boxing in an all-in spectacle which barred only biting and eye gouging.
There was no Dana White, no UFC or Pride, but there was Pankration on the 648 BCE Olympic program and thereafter.
These days, only sporting Luddites, martial arts purists and outraged civic leaders resent MMA’s march up the pay per view rankings.
Though its early local billing as ‘cage fighting’ probably mitigated against it in Australia, MMA now reaches far beyond the slick UFC format into suburban promotions in almost every nation with even a sniff of martial arts culture.
Even the UFC is broadening its recruitment beyond the traditional sources of America, Brazil, Japan and Russia to include exciting new prospects from places as far flung as Scandinavia, Korea, Serbia and China.
At least three Australians have featured on its cards.
It would not surprise me at all if Olympic chiefs were currently scrutinising the sport’s progress. It ticks all the boxes of the IOC’s new forward-looking ‘popularity test’.
If a so-called ‘core sport’ like wrestling can be given the flick, you know the Olympics are deadly serious about their new agenda.
The UFC has demonstrated its growing maturity, coming from what were almost martial arts freak shows in the ‘nineties (such as 70kg boxer versus 150kg sumo or 60kg capoeira versus 100kg wrestler) to competitors with complete skill set in both ground and stand-up combat.
Lachlan
Guest
MMA in the Olympics would be great! Australia could do quite well with some of the talented fighters we have in this country. Check out www.ozmmacentral.com.au, they are a big supporter of Aussie MMA.
mushi
Roar Guru
the Pride format was pretty brutal i thought? something like 16 fighters and plenty of tournaments decided in early match ups. I think that would be even more the case with third tier guys unless you give them Michelin man protection. I just don't see the impetus for the IOC to make the decision to include the sport if they don't get the top guys and don't get a reasonably similar quality product.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Yes Brad, Pride has used the tournament format in the past. same as prize fighter in boxing really. Tbh, I think it's feasible over two weeks. We talked about that here on the roar a few weeks ago and I just think the world and especially the IOC isn't ready for it yet. I think we need more federations, countries to be involved. From Australia or the USA, Japan or Brazil MMA is a big, rising sport, but for many other countries, it's still a circus type of event unfortunately.
Brad Cooper
Roar Guru
You guys are right. It'd be sanitised allright - for family consumption. Maybe modified rounds, modified gloves - and no elbows on the ground to turn the cage into a winery. But from memory, I think Pride had a modified round-robin contest which went down pretty well. I'm not sure if that was when Mark Hunt beat Vanderlei. There may well be third or second tier guys involved, but lots of future champions are that level on the way up anyway. At the moment I'm not sure if some of the more talented continental Europeans are getting a good look-in - so maybe the 'Big O" might be a foot in the door for them. (Sweden's Gustaffsen and Iceland's Gunner Nelson are two examples of European talent) I'm not necessarily an advocate for MMA in the Olympics. It woudn't bother me at all either way. (I still haven't watched an Olympic tennis match, though I watch every grand slam final). I'm just glad people like Dana and the Furtita brothers had the vision and determination to bring it this far. At the moment I can't think of a UFC division that isn't dominated by a genuine super-athlete.
Ronnie Liddle
Roar Rookie
all true... plus how many countries are going to compete in MMA that are competitive? depending on the weight divisions maybe 2 or 3.
mushi
Roar Guru
Yep that was my first thought. How the hell is this going to work. Like amatuer boxing you would need to shorten the bouts and ramp up the protective gear which would make it a joke contest worse than anything we saw in the 90s. The other point being does anyone think Dana White or any other slave trader, sorry fight promoter, is going to let their fighters go to the Olympics and watch cash slip out to another party? So we get to watch a whole lot of third tier MMA guys in some watered down version of the sport. Woohoo!
Symbolsoup
Roar Rookie
It all sounds good in theory, but how would these guys have multiple fights in as little as two weeks to determine an overall winner. It's not how this sport operates by nature. They get banged up to within an inch of their lives and then have to turn around in two days and do it all again. The idea of this makes all other sports sound easy.
Johnno
Guest
It will happen, the TV ratings will demand it too, like golf being added it rates well on tv.