It's 322 PM in Portland, Oregon. My 3 y/o is napping, my boy is wandering around, pretending to be a cop, and the teen is torturing her hamster. The bride has gone to get some work done, without the distraction of being at the house. I've put the television on ESPN+, so if I can avoid getting cited by my wandering police officer, I'm gonna watch some grown men and women beat the hell out of each other. I love MMA. Well, I love watching it. Something about the consistent struggle and potential for disaster keeps me on the edge of my seat.
I really like how Dana White's decision to push ahead with fight cards amidst the sports shutdown looks like the UFC. Fighters train to dominate, subvert and submit their opponents, but they also train to defend those same goals against them. The UFC has become my lighthouse in the storm. In the vacuum created by a global pandemic seemingly set on submitting the sports industry, UFC has come to the rescue. It's defending against the hooks and jabs of an industry of players unions halting sports' comeback.
While Dana's league has been criticized for its fighters having little rights or say, this is a model that may be a way for other sports that we need back. Golf and auto racing, like MMA, are individual sports. Admittedly, I have no idea what PGA and NASCAR have in the way of players associations, but they're both planning events already. I want to be a voice that applauds Dana and the fighters of UFC. Thanks for bringing sports back!
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