Mixed Martial Arts Should Be an Olympic Sport

Lost amid a lot of the UFC 98 hype and other MMA news last week was an interesting opinion voiced by none other than Dana White.  Dan Patrick interviewed the always-controversial UFC president last week and asked him about the topic, and White said that he would guarantee that mixed martial arts will one day be an Olympic sport, but not necessarily during his own lifetime.

Why not, though?  Pankration, one of the oldest sports in human history, was one of the original staples of the Olympic games in ancient days, and was very similar to MMA.  With wrestling, striking and submission holds, these brutal wars between athletes were as much a part of the original Olympic legacy as track and field or gymnastics are today.

Of course, that throws the spotlight on the real reason why we won’t see MMA as part of the Olympics anytime soon…the fact that the Olympics are very slow to adopt any sort of real changes.  If you think the NCAA is dragging their feet on the inevitable decision of eventually having a college football playoff system, watch how the Olympic committee works.  With so many countries and groups involved, it is hard to really get anything done.  Worse yet, getting in is no guarantee that your sport will stay in.  Look at baseball, which is a popular sport played all around the world, but no longer an Olympic sport.

Even if mixed martial arts did get onto the biggest stage in the world of sports, would it end up being watered down to appeal to a wider (or safer) audience?  If you want evidence that this is not simply paranoia on my part, look no further than boxing.  In the Olympics, if you don’t knock out your opponent (which is very likely), the matches are no more than glorified point-sparring, like you would find in a karate tournament.  The way the sport is performed by athletes has even changed at adapt to the nutty rules of Olympic boxing, as most successful Olympic boxers are quick and simply try to outwork their opponent, rather than actually inflicting damage.

Let’s leave all of that worrying aside for the future, however.  What would make MMA a great Olympic sport?  First of all, look at the participants of the sport itself.  Athletes from Europe, North America, Asia and just about everywhere else not only compete in MMA, but have represented their countries at a high level.  This should eventually help MMA’s case as a possible Olympic sport, since there are more than just a couple of elite countries that can vie for the gold medal.

Also, MMA will work well within the already-established infrastructure of Olympic wrestling.  After all, there are already policies having to do with weight classes and team scoring, weigh-ins, and other issues in place that will apply very well to mixed martial arts.  Hopefully, the inclusion of sports such as wrestling, judo, tae kwon do, and boxing will help MMA’s case as well, since all of those sports have elements that carry over into MMA.  Some have even speculated that MMA could be included as a “division” of wrestling, which apparently is easier to get done than having it included as its own sport.

Perhaps “baby steps” can be taken towards the inclusion of MMA as an Olympic sport.  Jiu-jitsu or submission grappling would be a nice start, as they are similar to judo and wrestling but put the two together in a dynamic way.  With MMA fans being smarter about the ground game than ever, I would expect that submission grappling could be as popular a sport with spectators as freestyle wrestling or judo with a little effort.

There are some significant hurdles that would have to be cleared, of course.  First of all, is this something where professional athletes would compete, such as with most of the team sports in the Olympic Games, or would it be left to amateurs?  If it was left to amateurs, it could become confusing, as first of all, amateur MMA is really no different than professional MMA, as it’s not like fighters can wear headgear, like they do in boxing.  The rounds may be shorter, but that would be about it.  Most amateur fighters even get paid in the United States, which still makes me scratch my head.

If professionals were included, things could get messy, as well.  Why would Dana White, even as someone who calls it a dream to see MMA included in the Olympics, want his fighters to fight for free in the Olympic Games, instead of in the UFC.  Let’s say that MMA was already in the Olympics…is White really going to let Frank Mir in there to get a shot at, say, Fedor Emelianenko, instead of playing hardball and trying to make such a fight happen either in the octagon or nowhere at all?

Still, even with “amateur” fighters, MMA in the Olympics would be great for awareness of the sport on a worldwide level, and also to help provide structure to a sport that sorely needs it on the amateur level.  I would rather see young fighters working towards an Olympic dream with great coaching and guidance than fighting for $200 at strip clubs.

Let’s not forget, as a last point on this issue, that MMA athletes, personalities and fans are not the only people who have something to gain by being included in the Olympics.  The Olympic Games themselves, while still the biggest sporting event in the world by far, would still benefit at least somewhat from adding a sport with a growing, young, worldwide fan base.  Why pass up on a sport that is already part of the tradition of the Olympics themselves, is quickly becoming an extremely popular international sport as it is, and which can continue to ensure that the Olympic Games themselves are relevant and widely anticipated for decades to come?  Let’s hope that one day, MMA’s best athletes can look to add gold medals to their resumes, along with shiny title belts.

 by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Dana White, DREAM, Fedor Emelianenko, Frank Mir, UFC