Mixed Martial Arts has received bad press since day one. Partly due to the aggressive nature of the sport and partly due to idiots walking around saying I’m a ‘cage fighter’ and can destroy anyone. In reality its one of the most exciting sports in the world and home to hundreds of sensational dedicated athletes. Here’s what UFC star Dan Hardy had to say on the matter when speaking to GQ; a great interview which highlights all the reasons why I rate Hardy so highly.
1. We're all thugs
"A lot of the people involved in the sport are well educated. There are guys qualified as lawyers, teachers etc. One of my team-mates is a chemical biologist. I consider myself a very professional athlete, as does everyone else on my level. I don't drink - I haven't had alcohol for ten years - and I don't go out. I'm strict with my diet. You have to have a certain level of intelligence to stick to your training sessions and understand what the sport involves. If you don't have that discipline, there's no way you're going to progress."
"A lot of the people involved in the sport are well educated. There are guys qualified as lawyers, teachers etc. One of my team-mates is a chemical biologist. I consider myself a very professional athlete, as does everyone else on my level. I don't drink - I haven't had alcohol for ten years - and I don't go out. I'm strict with my diet. You have to have a certain level of intelligence to stick to your training sessions and understand what the sport involves. If you don't have that discipline, there's no way you're going to progress."
2. The sport is lethal
"Because we wear small gloves that aren't as padded as boxing gloves, and we use elbows and knees and can strike opponents on the ground, people often think that mixed martial arts is by far the most dangerous sport there is. It's not really. We are highly trained, we work a lot on defence (head movement, blocking and parrying), and the number of medicals I have to go through in order to fight is unbelievable. This next fight is my 30th, and I've had nothing worse than a broken finger or a broken nose. Early in my career I once got cut and needed three stitches. But no one has ever died in a UFC fight."
"Because we wear small gloves that aren't as padded as boxing gloves, and we use elbows and knees and can strike opponents on the ground, people often think that mixed martial arts is by far the most dangerous sport there is. It's not really. We are highly trained, we work a lot on defence (head movement, blocking and parrying), and the number of medicals I have to go through in order to fight is unbelievable. This next fight is my 30th, and I've had nothing worse than a broken finger or a broken nose. Early in my career I once got cut and needed three stitches. But no one has ever died in a UFC fight."
3. Mixed martial arts is human cockfighting
"No one's forcing me to do this sport - it's a personal choice. In society nowadays you can have a job where you completely avoid any conflict. But some of us choose to go and find that conflict. At the end of the day, it's human nature. Some people like to play chess, some people like to play badminton. I like to test myself using my fighting skills. My intention is to get in the octagon and beat my opponent within the rules of the sport and within the confines of my ability. I'm not picking fights with guys in the street. I'm doing it because it's my job."
"No one's forcing me to do this sport - it's a personal choice. In society nowadays you can have a job where you completely avoid any conflict. But some of us choose to go and find that conflict. At the end of the day, it's human nature. Some people like to play chess, some people like to play badminton. I like to test myself using my fighting skills. My intention is to get in the octagon and beat my opponent within the rules of the sport and within the confines of my ability. I'm not picking fights with guys in the street. I'm doing it because it's my job."
4. Brazilian jujitsu is the most effective fighting style
"A lot of MMA fans are quite stubborn about Brazilian jujitsu being the best fighting style. But you can't win with just Brazilian jujitsu. Every fight starts on the feet, and if you're a jujitsu specialist, at some point you've got to get the fight on the ground. You can specialise in one style, but you can't be ignorant of everything else. I'm predominantly a striker, but if I had no wrestling skills I'd get put on my back. If I had no jujitsu, I'd get tapped out. I have to cross-train. That's why it's called mixed martial arts."
"A lot of MMA fans are quite stubborn about Brazilian jujitsu being the best fighting style. But you can't win with just Brazilian jujitsu. Every fight starts on the feet, and if you're a jujitsu specialist, at some point you've got to get the fight on the ground. You can specialise in one style, but you can't be ignorant of everything else. I'm predominantly a striker, but if I had no wrestling skills I'd get put on my back. If I had no jujitsu, I'd get tapped out. I have to cross-train. That's why it's called mixed martial arts."
5. There are no rules
"In my contract, I have pages and pages of rules. A lot are things that shouldn't need to be said between sportsmen: you don't poke eyes, bite, strike to the groin, strike to the back of the head or spine. But there are several rules people aren't aware of: you can't knee the head of an opponent who has anything other than just the soles of his feet on the floor. You can't strike downwards with the point of an elbow. You can't stomp on a downed opponent. You can't pick someone up and slam them on their head. No head-butting."
"In my contract, I have pages and pages of rules. A lot are things that shouldn't need to be said between sportsmen: you don't poke eyes, bite, strike to the groin, strike to the back of the head or spine. But there are several rules people aren't aware of: you can't knee the head of an opponent who has anything other than just the soles of his feet on the floor. You can't strike downwards with the point of an elbow. You can't stomp on a downed opponent. You can't pick someone up and slam them on their head. No head-butting."
