The ultimate fight club. (Salon's take on MMA)

[Raskolnik]

Feb. 4, 2009 | The first impression mixed martial arts made on America had all the charm of a drunk knocking over a casket at a wake. Described as "no-holds-barred fighting," MMA was presented in a 1993 pay-per-view telecast pitting practitioners of various martial arts against each other in an octagonal cage. It was exactly the kind of alligator vs. shark competition that gets young men hollering. "Bruce Lee would kick Ali's ass!" "The hell he would!" The premier Ultimate Fighting Championship event was directed at exactly that testosterone-addled, free-spending demographic, and it promised that victory would only come with "knockout, surrender, doctor’s intervention or death."

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2009/02/04/mixed_martial_arts/

I'm not sure, but I think every mainstream article about MMA is legally required to include the phrase "human cockfighting" and spend at least 1/3 of its text describing a form of MMA that hasn't existed for over a decade. Oh well.

[Bake]

1. Big deal. MMA isn't my cup of tea, but it doesn't particularly bother me.

If these guys want to bash each other's brains out, fine. I just don't watch it.

Bake

[frylock]

2. word..

I have no interest either. Of course, I grew up watching those great middleweight bouts in the 80s, so I'm kinda spoiled.

[Raskolnik]

3. If you watch someone like Anderson Silva or George St. Pierre, you might change your mind.

The skill level of some of the highest level-fighters is so ridiculously high that it's like watching chess when all you've ever seen played is checkers.

[Bake]

4. I've watched several of them, including Silva and St. Pierre.

I give them credit for their skills, which are pretty incredible. The format just isn't my favorite.

I much prefer to watch boxing ... Ali in his prime was a thing of beauty to watch.

Bake