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In recent years we have seen the irrefutable rise of MMA - mixed martial arts- both as
a sport and as a fully-fledged cultural phenomenon. Since its inception in the early nineties it has dominated our television screens, our magazines and our local club networks across the world. Some see it as the holy grail of fighting systems, a seamless mix of ju jitsu, wrestling and the striking arts that meld together almost alchemically to form “the ultimate fighting system”. Superficially, this may seem true. Because MMA appears to have all the bases covered, in purely fighting terms its proponents seem to think they have reached some kind of nadir and that all other fighting systems are, by definition, out of date and inferior. There is an undeniable aura of testosterone-fuelled arrogance and over-aggressiveness that permeates the whole scene, with the result that everything about it feels dumbed down to the lowest common denominator so that it may appeal to as many people as possible, all of which stands in stark contrast to the Bushido code.
Labelling itself a martial is also a step too far, in my opinion. MMA is not a martial art in the true sense of the words. It has as much to do with martial arts as boxing does and as long it continues to be propelled by commercialism it will never meet the standards required for it to be so.
I do of course realise that many of you reading this, and are perhaps involved in MMA in some way, will take great issue with what is being said here and this is fine. It is not my purpose to create controversy for the sake of it. It is merely my intention to put across what I consider to be a valid point of view. There are very real principles at stake here and these things need to be said.
Okay, so lets take a step back from the controversy for a moment and take a look at a few points of fact concerning the martial arts themselves and its long held traditions. As well as encompassing many different fighting systems that date back hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of years, the martial arts have been an endless source of physical, mental and spiritual sustenance for many, many people throughout the world. Far from being a mere brutal, violent, thuggish or ego driven pastime ( as some critics would have it), the practice of martial arts has the potential to be one of the most peaceful and life-affirming activities a person could hope to be involved in. With devout and sincere practice, the martial arts brings out the very best and most worthy traits in a person – integrity, humility, inner-strength, a respect for ones fellow human beings and, given enough devotion, a stillness within that allows one to connect on a much deeper level with the world (and indeed the universe) around them. Now some of you may see this as more psudo-spiritual garbage (and there has been a lot of that over the years), but ask anyone who has practiced their art (any art for that matter) long and hard enough and they will undoubtedly verify that it is indeed possible to transcend the merely physical aspects of it and move on to deeper and more meaningful levels of understanding. This is not say to say that there is anything wrong with merely focusing ones concentration on the purely physical aspects of training, and in fact most martial artists do this, turning on their “martial mind” three times a week or so for practice and then leaving it at that. It is, however, a mistake to think that this is all there is to martial arts just because you have not personally experienced anything different. The martial arts are one of the few spiritual practices left in the world where, when done properly and with enough devotion, one can move past ego and thus all the detrimental traits that stem from that including arrogance, conceitedness, competitiveness and a host of other undesirable and therefore damaging behaviour patterns, most of which are a product of the highly materialist society we find ourselves serving under today.
Which brings us back to the subject of so-called Mixed Martial Arts and the superficiality on which it is based. If martial arts can be said to reflect the very values of its creators ( and indeed of the harmony of the universe itself ) then MMA – or cage fighting, to give it a more appropriate title – so to reflects the values of its own creators and the world in which they live. Taking into consideration all the characteristics that go together to make up a true martial art, then it is hard to see, even from the most sympathetic viewpoint, what cage fighting has to do with martial arts except in its replication and utilization of the physical techniques, which as we know, should only be one part of a whole system. So in this sense alone, cage fighting cannot be considered a true martial art.
As if to make up for this lack of substance we have seen cage fighting subjected to large scale commercialisation across the world. This began when the Gracie clan invaded America, bringing with them their own brand of Ju Jitsu which they subsequently put on show in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, which was billed as “the toughest fighting contest in the world”. In reality, the tournament was a grand showcase for Gracie Ju Jitsu and the beginnings of another corporate money-making machine as a whole industry (and all of its commercial off-shoots including pay-per view, merchandising and ticket sales) quickly established itself until finally today we have the finely honed brand that is MMA.
Of course this is not the first time we have seen the large scale commercialisation and bastardisation of the martial arts. In the seventies we saw the rise of Kung-Fu and other arts thanks in part to the popularity of film stars like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. A lot of money was made of the back of this trend also, but at the same time it prompted a vast number of people to seek out traditional martial arts, setting of many on a rich voyage of discovery and personal fulfilment within a system that had integrity and noble values. These days people will watch a few cage fights on television and be taken in by the guts and glory illusion and perhaps they will think to themselves that they would like to do that as well and so they will seek out one of the ever-growing number of clubs around the world that teach MMA and they will start to learn. The same thing happened when people first watched Bruce Lee movies years ago. They sought out a martial arts club in the belief that they too could one day kick ass like Bruce Lee did on screen. However when they began training they quickly realised that there was no place in the dojo for such arrogance, aggression, or egomania. These traits were quickly dampened down by their instructor and replaced by those inherent in the Bushido code. Today however, it seems like these undesirable attributes are actively encouraged within the MMA scene, the rampant competitiveness, the do or die attitude, the ego inflating. Humility is left behind at the front door and people never get to experience the beauty inherent in a true martial arts system (which is to say one led by the Bushido code). This is a travesty and, in my opinion, detrimental to a society that is badly in need of such values as those gained through proper martial arts practice.
The fact is, whatever budo sensibilities cage fighting may once have had have now been compromised and crushed under the weight of commercialisation to the point where top level fights now resemble the purely entertainment based fights of pro-wrestling. Anyone who does not think these fights are carefully controlled are deluding themselves. The money will always come first and therefore integrity will come last. Thus we have these “modern day gladiators” (who all look the same by the way, bald, over-muscled and tattooed like they have just come of a production line) knocking lumps out of one another inside a cage whilst millions of people watch them on telly and bay for their blood. This is patently not martial arts by anyone’s standards. At best MMA is a sport and at worst, two puppets in a cage trying to knock each other out (sorry, submit one another). People are unfortunately being lured into this by the illusion of glamour put out by the media and by the possibility of achieving fame and fortune (two fleeting concepts in themselves), if even on only a small scale.
Of course people are free to do as they please with their lives and it is not my purpose here to try and tell you what you should and should not do. The real point I am trying to make is that if people were made more aware of the true nature of martial arts and the many deeper benefits that come along with practicing it, then perhaps they would not be so blinded by the false glamour and compromised ( not to mention damaging) values that cage fighting/MMA are based upon. It is a homogenised system of fighting that has taken advantage of peoples ignorance and weak egos in the name of entertainment and corporate power and it is slowly threatening the existence of the traditional martial arts. I know of many traditional clubs who have fallen victim to the spread of this false martial art, with diminished numbers and very few new recruits because people are going to these MMA clubs after watching a few cage fights on TV and have thought to themselves that they would like to do that, completely unaware of what they are getting themselves into. To my mind, MMA reflects a lot of what is wrong with today’s society – the hunger for fame and money, the lack of any real depth or meaning – and it saddens me to see so many people be sucked in by it.
In the end though, I see MMA as another trend that will eventually be usurped by something else on an even baser level. Traditional martial arts on the other hand, has existed for thousands of years and will continue to endure as long as people themselves do. Can we really say the same about MMA?
