Is Mixed Martial Arts Still Comparible to human Cockfighting?

Mixed martial arts has quickly become one of the most popular sports in the world in the last few years, although before this the sport faced numerous problems. Famously the sport was compared to 'human cockfighting' by senator John Mccain, who was also instrumental in getting it banned from many states. More recently however the senator has publicly stated that the sport has made great progress, and it is now being accepted more readily in most states and provinces.

Many people likened mixed martial arts to human cock fighting in the early days of the sport, when it lacked many of the nuances and regulations of most combat sports. For example there were no weight classes, gloves and for the most part, any kind of move was allowed. This coupled with the fact that the fighters often tended to be simply thugs and tough guys meant that human cock fighting became synonymous with mixed martial arts in the opinion of many people.

More recently however the sport has been transformed, with the inclusion of new weight classes, a complex rule system, and also the use of gloves. This as well as many other changes has meant that the sport of mixed martial arts has now achieved mainstream success, and as a result is now allowed in many states. In the past nearly all of the United States had banned mixed martial arts, largely due to pressure from detractors such as John Mccain, as well as certain people within the boxing ruling bodies.

Cock fighting itself of course is illegal, and involves the use of roosters which fight to the death for the amusement of spectators, who would often bet o the result. It was considered a genuine sport until fairly recently, and is now illegal in many countries including the United States. The roosters themselves are conditioned before the fight, and are then fitted with spurs in order to do more damage to each other. Despite that fact that it is illegal in most of the developed world, there are still many places which allow it to continue.

The fact that cock fighting was first compared to mixed martial arts is probably due to the fact that many people felt that the athletes taking part were being exploited. This was largely due to the fact that many of them were older, and had already retired from their original sports, and were usually not paid very well considering the danger of injury involved. The fact that the sport was poorly organized and produced also gave it something of a side show feel to its events, and that the aim was to shock an audience rather than actually display skilled sportsmen.

Secondarily matchmaking meant that some fighters were brought in specifically to lose, and one sided mismatches were commonplace. The lack of any weight classes would mean that matches such as Emmanuel Yarborough against Keith Hackney would occur. This match pitted the 5,11, 200lb Hackney against the 6,8 and 600lb Yarborough, (which Hackney miraculously won). Matches like this made many people turn against mixed martial arts, as it was seemingly more of a spectacle than a genuinely skilled sport.

Obviously the fact that the fighters were complicit in competing, as well as the fact that they were being paid makes mixed martial arts a lot different from cockfighting. As well as this the fact that mixed martial arts bouts aren't to the death as cockfights are means that the sport is actually not as dangerous as it might appear. There has still yet to be a death inside the cage or ring of mixed martial arts, making it a lot less dangerous than sports such as boxing, which has several deaths in the ring per year. Also unlike the anything goes image that the sport used to have, referees are now quick to step in if a fighter is on the wrong end of a beating.

The sport of mixed martial arts is now beginning to be accepted by even its harshest critics, and has a set of rules and regulations like any other professional sport. Gone are the days of mismatches and one sided beatings for a baying crowds amusement, and the focus has shifted from trying to shock the audience. The fact that mainstream sponsors are now attracted to the sport, and that the top fighters can make millions for a single fight is testament to this, In short even if mixed martial arts was once comparable to cockfighting, today it has been completely reformed into a genuine and accepted sport.