UFC is Not MMA
We still have a long way to go in MMA’s growth
The UFC is not MMA.
Their success lately has a lot of recently introduced fans to the sport thinking the other way around. Maybe it’s my old age because the discussion and confusion has come up a lot in the sports young, 30 or so year history. I never liked the term “mixed martial arts”, and before that, the one we all went with was called “Vale Tudo” and “No-holds-barred fighting.
MMA works, it has alliteration, looks good on a logo, and slides off the tongue (I guess) easier for marketers. To me, just saying “martial arts” already classifies all of them, but in the world of sports, three three-letter acronyms just work. But I digress, this was recently asked on Quora:
What is the difference between mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters in terms of ability, skill, and training?
My answer, which will follow below comes on the same week A24 announced they will have Benny Safdie direct the film based on Mark Kerr who was the subject of the 2002 documentary, “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr.”
