Fuel TV

Home
Fuel TV
UFC more than bloodshed, broken bones

What is this UFC beast? We tell you ahead of UFC 127 featuring George Sotiropolous, Kyle Noke, James Te-Huna

By Jack 'Jitsu' Bullen
Fuel TV
February 23, 2011 3:59PM

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Ultimate Fighting Championship ... George Sotiropoulos headlines the card at Acer Arena. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

What is this UFC beast that's rapidly growing worldwide?

You’ve seen the clips on TV. You’ve seen huge guys strutting around in "Tapout" t-shirts. And more and more often in a pub, or at a club or party, you’ll hear someone strike up a conversation with "light heavy title shot this weekend, wonder if the (insert UFC jargon here) will be able to handle the (more jargon)".

To the uninitiated, it all seems to be a mixture of gladiatorial violence, where brutality reigns supreme and the fans wait patiently for a broken bone or a fountain of blood. But the truth and science behind Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and its primary supplier, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), runs deep.

Its origins lie in Brazilian tournaments called Vale Tudo that grew popular in the 1920s within the travelling circuses that roamed the countryside. Televised in 1960s, shows like Heroes of the Ring grew wildly popular and introduced Brazil to a family called the Gracies.

Led by the patriarch Helio, and with the help of a Japanese prizefighter (whom the family helped when Helio was a child), this sporting brood invented a fighting style called Brazilian jiu jitsu.

What do you think of the Ultimate Fighting Championship? Leave your comments at the foot of the story and join the conversation.

Heroes of the Ring would end when one competitor trained in Brazilian jiu jitsu found himself in a dominant position and his opponent, refusing to tap out (submit), had his arm promptly broken. This proved a little too much for the TV companies to stomach; they dropped the show for a more theatrical option.

However, Vale Tudo wouldn’t die; it was forced underground and wouldn’t resurface until 1993, when a son of Helio migrated to the United States and founded the UFC.

Running on a Brazilian "no rules" paradigm, the company wilfully promoted itself as the most violent sport around; it proved to be too easy a target for public servants to score political points in damming it.

Sponsors ran, cable companies folded under pressure to drop the sport, and none of the phenomenon we see today would exist if not for a boxing promoter named Dana White and his childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, who just happened to own a few Las Vegas casinos and a billion-dollar bank account.

Along with Lorenzo’s big brother, Frank, they snapped up the UFC and worked tirelessly to dispel the myths of MMA’s image of giant Neanderthal men brutishly attacking each other, wearing nothing but fingerless gloves and a jockstrap.

The UFC has exploded globally since the takeover.

MMA is the fastest-growing sport in the world, with their pay-per-view events available in more than half-a-billion homes (this figure is soon to be doubled with a push into China). It has pushed out ice hockey in the US as the fourth-most popular sport, and it continually breaks venue records as the company travels the earth - inching its way into the mainstream in places such as Canada, Germany, England, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Japan and most importantly (to us) Australia.

This Sunday marks the second time the UFC has graced Australian shores. Their last visit, in February 2010, saw record-breaking ticket sellouts, millions of dollars in merchandising, and an enthusiasm that took the UFC president totally by surprise. They were bound to return. Australia’s physical culture, athletic nature and competitive spirit are a winning trifecta for the UFC, and the country caught the attention of the men in charge in a major way.

UFC 127 at Acer Arena boasts Australia’s best fighters in the competition, and has them placed in do-or-die positions where wins will propel them up the ladder already crowded with fighters from every corner of the world.

Australia’s top UFC fighter at the moment is George Sotiropolous. A man, who holds a Bachelor of Business in Banking and Finance, an Associate Diploma of Business and International Trade, he has been training fanatically in every form of unarmed combat for close to 15 years. Primarily a Brazilian jiu jitsu fighter and boxer, he has been polishing his stand-up fighting techniques for a decade in the hopes of turning himself from a world-class grappler to a world-class mixed martial artist.

This weekend George "Sotts" will find himself in the Octagon with Dennis Siver, a ball of muscle who can confidently call himself one of Germany’s best kick boxers. Siver is known for a spinning back kick (imagine a donkey kick with a spin) that seems to find his opponent’s liver almost every time, and with a force that ends fights.

Sotiropolous ’s striking is good but his advantage will definitely be on the ground, where his amazing Brazilian jiu jitsu skill has ended half of his 16 professional fights with his opponent forced to submit.

Sotiropolous shares the card at Acer Arena with Kyle Noke, formally Steve Irwin’s bodyguard, and James Te-Huna, a 100kg Maori who, when asked who he fights for, Australia or New Zealand, responds with "In World War II my grandfather fought for New Zealand and Australia, and so do I".

Also featured is seasoned fighting veteran Anthony Perosh, whose last fight was against a former Croatian SWAT team member and legend in the sport, Mirko Filipovic, with only two days notice. Plus, there’s Mark "Super Samoan" Hunt, a 120kg monster of a man who commands respect from his performance in K1, the world’s most well-recognised kick-boxing tournament.

All face tough opponents; all stand to gain international prestige and recognition with a win; and all are hungry for an opportunity to showcase their skills, amassed over a lifetime of dedication, in front of a deafening home crowd.

If MMA isn’t your thing, so be it; it’s not for everybody.

But a further, more detailed look into this juggernaut of the international sports world will reveal an intricate, physical game of chess, involving some of the most highly trained athletes in all sport, who take pride in their craft and have dedicated their lives to become the best.

That’s what competition is at its most basic form, a clash of wills and resolve. It is two parties who apply athleticism, ingenuity, skill and tenacity in the hopes that one day they can look back on the days of competition past and confidently say they gave everything they had to the goal of being the best they could be.

Fuel TV will broadcast the preliminary cards for UFC 127 from 1pm (EDT) on Sunday, February 27, before Main Event broadcasts the main fights on pay per view. Contact Foxtel or Austar to book it for your place. Win, lose or draw, you won’t be disappointed.

Follow the action. Like Fox Sports.

Have your say

Skip to:: Read comments; Add comments

19 comments on this story

Joe of sydney says… February 23, 2011 at 5:37 PM

Fastest growing sport in the world, enough said. This sport might not be for everybody, but if you do indeed grasp the concept its very exciting to watch. And this is coming from a man who comes from an upper middle class family and holds a Bachelor in business and a Masters in Finance, so people who wish to state that this sport is only for thugs, think again!!!! Best sport in the world, after Rugby League of course.

1
Chris P of Brisbane, Australia says… February 23, 2011 at 5:56 PM

Understand it may not be for everyone, but neither is jazz/ballet. UFC and more importantly MMA is here to stay. The sport needs your support at the grass roots level. Make sure to check out promotions near you. These events are the same type of shows that the likes of George Sotiropoulos, Kyle Noke and James Te Huna started off in. They will continue to breed the next Aussie UFC star. Event Calendar: http://www.fightnewsaustralia.com/events/year.listevents/2011/02/23/-

2
Mat says… February 23, 2011 at 6:04 PM

Good to see an honest article free of hyperbole; it is a combat sport and combat sports aren't for everyone. Too bad Australia is still lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to accepting the "fastest growing sport in the world". The UFC can only hold events in NSW. They wanted to go to Melbourne, the so-called sporting capital of Australia (tell that to F1 fans), but Victoria's laws prevent them from using the trademark Octagon; Victoria only allows mixed martial arts to be competed in a roped boxing ring. QLD has no governing body and is self regulated which is not how the UFC operates. WA was going to have a King of the Cage event, but both sides of WA government intervened. SA's regulations are still in their infancy, merely mixing two rulesets, one for kickboxing.san shou and one for mat wrestlingjuijitsu. All this while opponents cling to arguments Senator John McCain was making in the US over a decade ago. If you don't like it, you don't have to watch.

3
Peter of Sydney says… February 23, 2011 at 7:25 PM

Just because its the 'fastest growing sport in the world' doesn't mean it doesn't work to normalise violence and desensitise people to something that should be seen as deeply concerning; that its a sport to see people slowly attain long term brain injury. Another one for the Darwin awards...

4
Will of Canberra says… February 23, 2011 at 7:42 PM

Can't wait for this weekend, it will be my 3rd live UFC event i am attending MMA - Best Sport Around I've been a fan since the early days of the UFC (seeing it evolve to what it is today), the rise and fall of PRIDE (best promotion ever) I also follow Strikeforce and international MMA promotions. Once you get to know the depth of the sport, the rich history (even at around 20 years old), the many different fighters that come and gone, you'll be hooked....i know i am :)

5
Brad of Geelong says… February 23, 2011 at 7:51 PM

all I wanna know is when is it coming to Melbourne, Australia's sporting capital would be a much better venue

6
Wayno of Perth says… February 23, 2011 at 9:23 PM

My wife and I both love it. It is one of the only sports we watch together. We are both in our fortyâs and donât ordinarily condone any form of violence but we find UFC irresistible. For me it is the raw competition and realism of the fighting (unlike the wrestling), which she also enjoys with the bonus of all the hot bodies. This in turn has its own spin off for me. She loves gladiator movies too so I guess its similar really. AFL is getting too soft so it has become an alternative for us.

7
brent of Melb says… February 24, 2011 at 9:07 AM

Yeah sure it it good to watch, but you have to wonder about the thugs around town. Now the off duty bouncers who beat up people on chapel st at 3am are not just boxers, they are UCA wannabes that will do the hammer fist on some poor backpackers head until he passes out. That isnt cool.

8
Mat says… February 24, 2011 at 10:20 AM

@Brad of Geelong; as I mentioned earlier, you wont see UFC in Melbourne until the state regulations allow them to use a cage. Currently in Victoria MMA is only allowed to be competed in a boxing ring (unless that's been changed in the last 12 months). They wanted to hold this event in Melbourne, but quickly scrapped that idea when it was apparent they wouldn't be allowed to use the octagon. @Peter of Sydney; you sound like the broken record that stopped playing 10 years ago. Yes brain trauma is a certainty, just as it is in any high impact contact sport (rugby, AFL, Ice Hockey, and especially Gridiron), no one is stupid enough to deny that. As for desensitization, show me a peered reviewed study that conclusively shows popular culture desensitizes people to violence and I'll agree. The debate has raged for the last 20 years over video games, and just a recently as Feb 2011 a Canadian study as shown that violent video games might actually not have any impact over the long term.

9
Belle of sydnye says… February 24, 2011 at 10:59 AM

I thought Roller Darby was the fastest growing sport in the world

10

Did you want to make a comment? Use our form below…
Will of ACT says… February 24, 2011 at 11:42 AM

yeah VIC is a nanny state when it comes to these things. MMA only legal if in a ring...it's ridiculous. The VIC government have a very ignorant view on the sport. The cage is there to contain the fight and with the unified rules like no stomps or kicks to grounded opponents, makes it more safe in that setting. Victorian government probably think of a cage as like if people are in a streetfight with fences, or they think the cage can be used as a weapon like in cage matches in the WWE. They need to be educated.

11
Bullo of Sydney says… February 24, 2011 at 11:56 AM

@belle. Roller derby girls vs. UFC boys, on skates, in the octagon. lets settle this once and for all

12
Russ Neil of Japan says… February 24, 2011 at 7:47 PM

Peter of Sydney, you seem well informed and appear to have done extensive research. I was wondering if you could tell me the number of Boxing related deaths and brain injury in comparison to MMA?

13
Rickson Gracie of Eastern States says… February 28, 2011 at 2:03 PM

Peter Of Sydney, please accept your "Pot, Kettle, Black" Irony award for 2011. For desensitising yourself to life & the human race so-much that you think it should be bleached white for all. You seem to have slept through history lessons, and all conversations with rational humans. Violence is part of who we are, and it happens to/with 90% of us at some point in our life, in this pristine society of yours. It's amazing what humans are negatively & positively capable of, regardless of your approval. Meanwhile, this is the safest & most accurate way to assess things. Both, the attack/defence of physical techniques, but-also, the human mind's ("heart") way of doing it. There's a time & a place, along with education, and discipline. If you still can't grasp the concept, you need to educate yourself & maybe even evolve, or remain in the dark with your rose-tinted blinkers. Best of luck in your perfect life.

14
Matt of Gold Coast says… March 21, 2011 at 9:46 AM

Rickson Gracie of Eastern States...I couldnt have said it better myself! Too many people these days think that they are better than everyone and that there half baked 'politically correct' opinion is the be all and end all. Peter of Sydney you are a loser. If you have soo much against this sport why would you take the time to read an article about it??

15
Colin says… July 08, 2011 at 7:34 PM

Given that football codes, particularly AFL, are becoming soft MMA offers the physical combat that most guys and some girls really like. It will therefore continue to flourish. We need more action on free to air though. Given australian tv's slow uptake, I'm not holding my breath.

16
jon doe of bondi says… July 18, 2011 at 10:25 AM

fighting in its self takes heart brains not just big balls the time and effort thay put in to be the best ..... fight fan 101

17
Matt Coates of Sydney says… July 30, 2011 at 9:49 PM

Mixed martial arts in the UFC format is an awesome spectacle if you can handle the raw brutality. At first I couldn't watch it but after watching a few fights and observing and following some of the fighters I couldn't help but appreciate the skill and commitment possessed by them. The other thing I like about the UFC is that unlike professional boxing these days the fighters DO NOT organise and promote there own bouts meaning that the UFC is free to match fighters up based on skill and technique and promising fighters are not held back or dodged by title holders. This has become all to common in pro boxing and is probably one of the main reasons fans have turned to the UFC to get a there moneys worth! I know I have. I do take some people's point about over exposure of this kind of sport BUT I believe any intelligent human being can differentiate between having it out in a controlled environment with a referee that will stop the fight if one of them can no longer defend themselves and fighting on the street where somebody can hit there head on concrete or get attacked with a weapon etc.

18
Ben of Canberra says… November 11, 2011 at 9:57 AM

As a massive fan, but also someone who trains in MMA I have to say that the sport is the best around in terms of skill levels, fitness required and the discipline and focus that the martial/combat sport teaches. If you were to talk to elite athletes of other hard sports, AFL, rugby, etc most of them will tell you that the training, conditioning etc is some of the toughest and most functional around - full stop. Whether you like to watch or not, the training and lifestyle has benefits that far outway any of the risks!!

19