Take an MMA History Lesson
It’s impossible to truly appreciate any sport until you know its history.
Of course, you can watch most contests – say, a football game or tennis match – and come away wholly satisfied from the experience. But when you know your history, each and every contest has context, significance and drama.
Without Diego Maradona taking on entire teams at Mexico ‘86, how can we gauge the greatness of compatriot Lionel Messi?
With no Borg versus McEnroe final at Wimbledon in ‘81, how can we completely appreciate the epic contest between Nadal and Federer in the ‘08 showpiece?
The same goes for Mixed Martial Arts.
While watching George St. Pierre knock the snot out of an opponent or Anderson Silva pound another fighter into next week is great fun, knowing who blazed a trail for MMA in its “dark days” is arguably just as important.
If you don’t know who Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock or Dan Severn are, then not only are you unlikely to truly appreciate the depth and intricacies of the sport, you’re missing out.
So hit up YouTube for some classic old bouts, or better still, buy The Last Word – Mixed Martial Arts from this website or all good bookstores and take a history lesson.
You’ll thank us for it.
Paul Hansford is the Denmark-based co-author of The Last Word – Mixed Martial Arts.
Comments
On Tuesday, November Nov 2011 simonwebb said...
“Sorry mate, I enjoy sport for sport's sake. If it's on, I watch it, if it's not I'm at the pub. Fuck the history!”
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