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Keith Strudler: The Rules Of UFC

One of the strangest constructs is that of the rules of war. War itself is a barbaric exercise predicated on killing large groups of people. So adding any pretense of restraint or decorum to the practice seems odd to me, even if I know it may be one of the few statutes preventing human extinction. That said, and on that uplifting note, I’d much prefer a world where we need not qualify the ways in which we might assassinate one another.

Which naturally brings us to the sport Ultimate Fighting, or UFC, the most prominent league for mixed martial arts competitions. In UFC, competitors basically try to beat each other into submission with no conditions, even though I’m sure some do exist. The sport has grown both exponentially and steadily in the past 20+ years, moving from a fringe experiment to mainstream entertainment, complete with huge stars and massive paydays. People seem to enjoy UFC just as they do baseball or football, following their favorite athletes and making time for must see fights – often by pay-per-view.

Last Saturday was one of those event, a lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas. McGregor is one of the sport’s more household names, both for his competence in the octagon as well as his bombastic style outside of it. McGregor is something of a crossover star, having boxed Floyd Mayweather last year in an event that grossed more than most Star Wars films. And even though his shine has faded just a bit with some critical losses, his fight against Nurmagomedov was both highly anticipated and, as it turns out, well contested, assuming you like this kind of thing. McGregor submitted in the fourth round, making Nurmagomedov the undefeated champ at 27-0. All of which made for a big night for the Russian fighter, as evidenced by his welcome home both by adoring fans and Vladimir Putin, who probably never met a street fighter he didn’t like.

And it was, with the exception of the after party. After the fight ended, both fighters, their trainers, and some folks sitting in the crowd ended up in a post event melee – which, not surprisingly, looked a lot like the fight itself. Security eventually stepped in, took control, and sent everyone to the showers – accompanied by streaming boos from the largely pro-McGregor crowd. Supposedly, this tantrum marred what was otherwise a wonderful evening of fighting, at least according to those that cover the sport.

It’s not entirely certain what caused the chaos, especially since it seemed precipitated by someone who had just won a title and made a lot of money. Supposedly this was all caused by months of very personal trash talking before the event, and a few finger signals directly after it. It’s hard to know the trigger word for someone who beats up people for a living. But it’s clear that rendering someone nearly unconscious was just not enough for one night.

Perhaps that’s my takeaway here. Not that a hard-fought UFC match was marred by thuggish behavior in the afterglow. Not even that athletes crossed the line when they went into the stands, which, let’s be clear, is not highly encouraged. It’s that in UFC, there’s virtually no distinction between clearly criminal activity and the sport itself. UFC, or mixed martial arts, is a sport that encourages participants to not simply outperform or overpower their opponents, but to actually beat the hell out of them. To the point that they either have to surrender or, perhaps are simply unconscious. That’s the goal. And yes, there is a nuanced difference between that and boxing – not that I’m a fan of boxing either. So to all that are surprised that a sport that essentially looks like a bar fight might become an actual bar fight is like being surprised that a dog might eat a sandwich you drop on the floor. And the fact that UFC is suspending both athletes and standing on ceremony is, while expected, also comical. The same goes for fans who seem to enjoy the blood bath when the clock is running but recoil afterhours.

Which is also why the best way to end melees after UFC matches is to simply not have UFC matches at all. It’s a sport that should have never been sanctioned in the first place, and perhaps speaks more to who we are – or perhaps have become – than we’d care to admit. It’s barbaric, impressionable, and should be criminalized inside the ring just like it is clearly outside of it. It’s like war. We don’t need rules of engagement. We just need to end it altogether.

Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him on twitter at @KeithStrudler

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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