The Case Against Mixed Martial Arts

Critics of MMA, and proponents of boxing particularly, have often asserted that mixed martial artists are nothing more than a bunch of thugs flailing away at each other in the cage. People like Floyd Mayweather, Jr. believe that while it takes years of intense training and attentive coaching for a boxer to rise to prominence, any tough guy can walk in off the street and become a mixed martial arts champion.

With the increase in cross over athletes, including retired and one-time prospects from the world of pro-wrestling, football, and boxing, MMA is every day closer to definitively answering such skeptics. And while anyone can point to Anderson Silva's artful in-cage performances, or the personable, athletic Georges St. Pierre as examples of MMA's worth to the world of sports, anyone intending to be truly prepared for a debate must instead anticipate their opponents' arguments.

With that in mind, here are four recent fights that serve as a black eye on the face of mixed martial arts.

4. Andrei Arlovksi vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Following an extensive, boxing-centric training camp under Freddie Roach, Arlovski used pin-point punching and fleet footwork to stagger Emelianenko. Driving his opponent into a corner, Arlovski seemed poised to knock out Emelianenko until, following a sloppy jumping knee, he was countered and sent unconscious to the mat. Had Arlovski stuck to straight boxing, he very well may have knocked out the consensus number 1 heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world.

Rebuttal: Coulda shoulda woulda. The fact remains that Emelianenko beat Arlovski, despite the Belarusian contender's extensive training camp with Roach. But if one was truly dedicated to dealing in hypotheticals, then we might as well consider the likely scenario that Emelianenko, rather than sticking it out on the feet, would have easily taken Arlovski to the ground and submitted him (a likely eventuality given Arlovski's boxing-induced tunnel vision). Regarding events as they actually transpired, one might recall that Emelianenko has been in tight spots before (in fights with Kazuyuki Fujita, Kevin Randelman, Mark Hunt, and Mirko Filipovic) and his unconventional striking, grappling acumen, and formidable instincts have always seen him through. Boxing wasn't the first technique to threaten Emelianenko, nor was it enough to close the deal in the end.

3. Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring

Carrying a slight professional record of 1-1-0 into the cage with him, former pro-wrestler Brock Lesnar was nevertheless able to thrash former PRIDE heavyweight contender Heath Herring for 3 straight rounds.

Rebuttal: Lesnar is more than just an entertainment wrestler who stumbled into the UFC. Far from simply changing gears one day from turnbuckle acrobatics to in-cage fisticuffs, Lesnar underwent a full year of intensive training with both Royce Gracie and the respectable Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts camp. Combined with his almost peerless collegiate wrestling pedigree and well of raw physical power, and a victory for Lesnar over the wrestling-prone Heath Herring, whose ring age is starting to show through his otherwise tough hide, is not as unusual as it may have seemed at first.

2. Joe Warren vs. Norifumi Yamamoto

With a record of only 1-0-0, Warren was expected by most to fall easily to the DREAM tournament favorite Yamamoto, who carried an impressive record of 17-1-0 into the fight. Instead, Warren brutalized Yamamoto at range, in the clinch, and on the ground en route to a clear cut decision victory.

Rebuttal: Warren was an Olympic wrestling candidate before his hopes were dashed following a positive drug test. Bear in mind that such high level wrestling is a skill that gives any MMA neophyte an edge, even in such a high-profile fight, provided that it is fused with the nerve and chin to mix it up on the feet--something that a lengthy training camp with Dan Henderson's Team Quest would certainly provide. Combined with the fact that Yamamoto was coming off of a year-and-a-half lay off following extensive surgery, and, in hindsight, Warren's victory isn't as shocking, or ridiculous, as it may have appeared

1. Ray Mercer vs. Tim Sylvia

Faded boxing star Ray Mercer, in his pro-debut following a loss in an exhibition match to Kimbo Slice, knocked out former UFC champion and top 10 ranked heavyweight Tim Sylvia.

Rebuttal: If we're being honest, Tim Sylvia, despite being a ranked mixed martial artist, is essentially a kick boxer with an eye for exploiting his size and reach. It's no surprise, then, that he was bested at his own game by a more accomplished striker. It's safe to say that fighters like Sylvia, with a limited skill set and an antiquated "stand-and-trade" approach, are fast becoming outdated, and are hardly representative of mixed martial arts as they exist today.