Let me start this post out with two brief disclosures:
- Probably any MMA fighter working today could turn me into a bloody pulp in less than half a round.
- This commentary is in no way intended to question the sexuality of MMA fighters (not that it really matters anyway).
However, that being said, I think it is about time for a normal I stop and watch a UFC fight from time to time when it’s playing at my local sports bar or when I’m flipping channels and see it on TV person addresses the sweating, leg-locked elephant in the corner.
What is that issue? Simply put, the “Missionary Position” seems to be the Definitive image of the sport. Every sport has a particular image that you conjure to mind when someone mentions watching a game. It is usually the image that captures the majority of a sporting event’s TV time. When you think football, the first image to mind is a panned out shot going straight down the line of scrimmage. You see the offensive line, backfield, and a couple recievers on one half of the screen, and the defensive line, backfield, and one or two corner backs on the opposite side. When you think baseball, the image that usually appears on screen is a medium shot, coming from just behind (and at an angle) of the pitcher, with the catcher, batter, and home plate umpire fixed just to his right.
When you think of Mixed Martial Arts competitions like UFC, you conjure to mind the image that is predominately on screen: that of two sweating, muscular men locked in the missionary position. One lays on his back with his legs wrapped tightly around the opponent’s waist, who is perched on his knees as the two tightly embrace.
Even though this position takes the majority of the camera time in MMA fighting, I had to flip through almost 20 pages of Google Image results to finally find some that would illustrate my point here. Why is that? Obviously, even though it is so common in fights, it is not the image that fans are lining up to show on their blogs and Flickr feeds. They’re interested in the boxing and kicking and more interesting feats of wrestling/submission. In other words, the fans don’t really care for this image either.
It seems almost any fight will start with boxing, and then degenerate until the two men are locked in Missionary. I know that UFC is no-holds-barred… But maybe, to add interest in the sport, we should consider barring this one.