My Favorite UFC Light Heavyweight

             Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport of the 21st century. Ever since the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was founded in 1993, it has become the largest MMA promotion company in the world within a decade, and is continuing to expand to other countries such as Europe and Asia. There are 7 different weight classes that are featured in the UFC. The Light Heavyweight division is one of the most exciting and competetive classes they have to offer, from the long time reigning champ Tito Ortiz to the legendary Iceman Chuck Liddell.

           Mauricio Rua  is one of the top fighters in the world. Famous for his wild and aggressive style, Shogun quickly became a fan favorite. During his days in Pride, Shogun became the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix winner. By the time the UFC brought out Pride, Rua was ranked #1  light heavyweight in the world. He later made his debugt against one of the UFC's favotie sons, Forrest Griffin. Due to his poor condition(resulting from knee injuries), he suffered a 3rd round submission loss and later a lackluster victory over fromer heavyweight champion Mark Coleman.

          After a rough start in the UFC, Shogun reinvented himself and returned in excellent shape, with improvement in his overall game. He faced the divisions former king, Chuck Liddell and struck the knockout artist, eventually TKO'ing him in the first round. Mauricio Rua earned himself a title shot due to this impressive victory.

          At UFC 104, he fought against then champion, Lyoto Machida, who was described as a puzzle due to his unorthodox fighting style. Both men fought to the decision in one of the most technical fights I've seen. Although Shogun fell short in the judges scorecards, he was given an immediate rematch with Machida. Shogun would later knock out Machida, giving him his first loss and was awarded the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Belt (the 11th in the division).

       Although Shogun would lose his title to Jon Jones, he would knock out Forrest Griffin, avenging his loss. He would remain one of the top 10 Light Heavyweights in the UFC. He is scheduled to fight former Pride Champion and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson.

      Ever since his loss in the title fight against Lyoto Machida, I've been a fan of "Shogun" Rua. He displayed disciplined yet aggressive striking against Machida. It was some of the most technical and beautiful Muay Thai I have seen.  I attended UFC 128 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, headlined by my favorite light heavyweight. Although the outcome was disappointing, Shogun would still have a place on my list as one of the greatest fighters ever.





Why Should New York Legalize Mixed Martial Arts?

The legalization of mixed martial arts in the state of New York has become a hot topic for the past five years.  Each year numerous states are legalizing this once banned sport because of the lack of rules and no holds barred mentality attached to it.  In November of 2000, the UFC broke ground by establishing unified rules to the sport and getting sanctioned by the state of New Jersey.  This has of course become a growing trend for the past eleven years due to increases in safety for the fighters and of course the increasing amount of revenue that is generated by the sport.  States on average earn about         $5 million dollars in economic activity from hosting a mixed martial arts event by the UFC.  As of the writing of this article only three states have not legalized mixed martial arts and in fact made it illegal: Vermont, Connecticut, and New York. 

            Politicians in the state of New York have been at a tug of war over whether to legalize mixed martial arts in the state of New York.  Some politicians argue that to legalize mixed martial arts would open the door to “giving them clubs with spikes on the end.” said by Herman Farrell chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.  The media also portrays mixed martial arts in a negative light by showcasing it as a brutal blood sport with no rules.  A recent segment on Fox 5 news by Andrea Day took a look at an underground mixed martial arts club (http://www.mmafighting.com/2008/09/11/fox-5-does-its-part-to-keep-mma-illegal-in-new-york/).  The whole report focused on the injuries to the fighters such as a swollen eye or a broken nose, injuries very common in hockey and boxing. 

            The positive effect of mixed martial arts is the amount of economic revenue a state can obtain from one event.  New York in an essence could hold three to four events a year plus a fan expo thereby achieving economic revenue of $20-$30 million.  Mixed martial arts have had two fatalities since the sport has been on sanctioned ground.  Mixed martial arts though are not the only sports in the United States to have fatalities.  American Football since 1976 has had over three hundred fatalities but yet it is still considered an American past time next to baseball which has had more fan fatalities than player fatalities.  No fans who observe a mixed martial arts event have to worry about hockey pucks or baseballs traveling a hundred miles an hour at them.  Mixed martial arts are also different to boxing in relation to the knock down rule.  When a fighter in boxing is knocked down they receive a ten count but in mixed martial arts the fights over.  Mixed martial arts have been noted to have a reduced risk of traumatic brain injury because of this practice.  Underground fight clubs are seen as a negative because of the lack of regulations applied to them.  They are only underground though because a sport pretty much legalized across the country has still not found a home in New York.  If you watch the bold link in the previous paragraph you would see that the underground fight club reported for Fox 5 news looks very similar to amateur mixed martial arts events held in other states that have legalized mixed martial arts and thus regulate these events.

            Why should mixed martial arts be legal in New York? Why do you think it is illegal at this point in time? Please feel free to comment.