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Fitness: Ultimate Fighter and Guyville
Posted September 19, 2008 12:00 PM
We can't go another day without discussing UFC's Ultimate Fighter, or at least I can't and I control the keyboard today. I got hooked into watching Ultimate Fighter 7 Rampage/Forrest and now UF8 Nogueira/Mir. I was never a huge MMA fan, though I knew who Chuck Liddell was and Tito Ortiz, and a few other big name guys. I'd seen some matches and loved them. I also knew that it was going to dethrone my beloved sport of boxing, and it has. So I tivo'd Ultimate Fighter, and man, after a week, I joined a gym and took a boxing lesson from World Champion boxer and 2000 Olympian, Jose Navarro.
It is interesting how these warriors are so prepared and WILLING to get hit with flying fists, feet and elbows. They are happy to accep broken noses, jaws etc, in order to dish out what they have. So here I am, a slightly pudgy, pretty out of shape guy pushing 40, who hates the idea of ever fighting anyone, and now I'm in the ring tossing 5 punch combinations with a world champ. We're not sparring, let's be clear on that. We're moving and dancing around the ring and I'm throwing punches as hard as I can into his moving mitts. While gasping for breath, chest heaving, but digging for more, addicted to the pop-popping of my thunderous left hand, I realize what I really want to do in there. I want to fight. I want to taste his leather so I can punish him with my leather. I know he'll whoop my ass. I know I'm out of gas, but there's that thing inside of me. It's that guy thing. I get it. You lose something in that ring. It's what the film Fight Club was about. Inside that ring, adrenaline flowing, you lose your fear.
I explained this to my wife and she just shook her head. I knew she wouldn't quite understand, but bless her, she let's me do my thing, be it something she can relate to or not. I think I finally understand how these guys can shake hands, hug, beat the living hell out of each other for 15 minutes and then fall into each others arms hugging and crying as if they're best friends. The fighters love it, the fans love it. I love it. I love you Dana White. You're a damn genius!
