Sorry to correct you, but I have fought in the cage on a few occasions now and I know of two people on here who were accepted into the UFC
Cagefighter is a term used to describe anyone who fights in the cage. MMA is a broad term that could apply to any number of martial arts
For example - Kamon could be considered MMA as it involves elements of styles from other arts, founded upon a grounded wing chun base
I think people get too worried by terminology and you sometimes just have to let it go. People at my workplace dont even know the difference between kung fu and karate, but who cares
Sorry but you have misunderstood me. When I say we aren't UFC people I mean we don't train or fight UFC, we fight and train MMA. Fighters are signed on by the UFC which is a company, they don't fight UFC, it's not a style which is how some were putting it. We've even had a post on CW asking how one trains UFC which is nonsense, you can fight on their shows but you are still fighting MMA. You don't say you are training Don King you say you are training boxing! We don't say we are watching Don King on the tele when we mean we are watching boxing. People don't fight UFC on BAMMA they fight MMA.
The words we use are hugely important when you are trying to put a fight night on, it's not a case of whether it's karate or JKD, for us it's the difference of several thousand pounds coming out of our pockets when the local council which was happy to allow an MMA show cancels because there's a protest over 'cagefighting'. Several towns such as Huddersfield, Brighton, Peterborough, Portsmouth have demanded that shows be moved or cancelled to a great cost to the promoters. People see and hear 'cagefighting' they think of something barbaric, it doesn't occur to them that it may be in a ring or even on mats, it doesn't occur to them it's martial arts, for many it's that old chestnut 'human cock fighting'.
At the moment there's a petition to the BBC to put MMA on the television, it's we push it as cage fighting it's never going to happen, as MMA we stand more chance. We promote MMA in a cage for safety and thats how we want people to see it. We need to get over the thoughts of the cage and concentrate on the martial arts.
From here...
http://www.cagewarriors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61759
I always say that their misconception is a legacy of the early pioneer's desire for tv ratings where they labelled it "Cage Fighting" where "2 men enter and only one man leaves!!!". The UFC and MMA in general are still paying for this.
I then explain the virtues of a "cage" as opposed to a "ring" for MMA and how the cage prevents them falling through the ropes on a take down and breaking their necks.
They usually start umming and awwing at that point and I know I've started to turn them....
The worst thing MMA ever did was use the term Cage Fighting.
"I always say that their misconception is a legacy of the early pioneer's desire for tv ratings where they labelled it "Cage Fighting" where "2 men enter and only one man leaves!!!". The UFC and MMA in general are still paying for this.
I then explain the virtues of a "cage" as opposed to a "ring" for MMA and how the cage prevents them falling through the ropes on a take down and breaking their necks.
They usually start umming and awwing at that point and I know I've started to turn them....
The worst thing MMA ever did was use the term Cage Fighting."
Another
I always say that their misconception is a legacy of the early pioneer's desire for tv ratings where they labelled it "Cage Fighting" where "2 men enter and only one man leaves!!!". The UFC and MMA in general are still paying for this.
I then explain the virtues of a "cage" as opposed to a "ring" for MMA and how the cage prevents them falling through the ropes on a take down and breaking their necks.
They usually start umming and awwing at that point and I know I've started to turn them....
The worst thing MMA ever did was use the term Cage Fighting.
"i often go with a reasoned approach.
When asked what MMA is i explain that it is the genre of combat sports which is currently know in the media as "cagefighting" but that we in the industry dont go by such a vulgar term, prefering the more accurate and civilized "mixed martial arts"
(I like to use terms such as vulgar and civilized, to put in the mind of my questioner that i am a civilized person, interested in distancing myself from vulgar and barbaric practices.)
When asked to explain MMA in more detail i like to draw a comparison between the mixing of the styles of martial arts, and the rigors of peer review in scientific literature. I explain that just as new theories in science are rigorously tested, and reviewed by numerous other scientists in the relevant field, attempts are made to duplicate results, and conclusions are examined for weakness. So it is in the world of mixed martial arts, techniques and the methods by which they are trained are put through the peer review process of competition to find which yield the greatest and most consistant results.
(the comparison to scientific research is a sophisticated analogy, further taking my questioner away from the idea of barbarism)
When asked why it is important to peer review or pressure test the martial arts, i explain that when coaches have a working knowledge of what works when and how, what moves require strength to perform, or what techniques require lengthy amounts of practice, they are much better equipt to produce effective training programs such as womens self defence class, or programs for security personel, police or military.
I then go on to explain that this process is enjoyable to watch, and thus enterprising capatalists have made MMA into a successful business.
Last time i was faced with someone who outright wouldnt believe that it was anything other than barbaric, i undermined his position in the eyes of everyone else in the room by pointing out that his passive aggresive attempt to make me look uncivilized to a group of people i had met for the first time was far more 'violent' than two people consenting to test their skills against each other under a predetermined set of rules and the watchful eye of a referee."
plus
"the stigma is the "2 person enter one man leaves" issue.
The term "Cage" conjures up images of confinement, criminality and barbarism in the eyes of the general public.
Me, you and everyone else on here know that this is NOT the case but that's not what average joe/josephine thinks"
the petition to the BBC
http://www.cagewarriors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61693
You will also find plenty of posts on here against calling it cage fighting and about those who do. The vast majority of those posting are fighters, promoters, refs and others with a passionate interest in MMA.
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