Reader Reax
READER REAX: What hooked you on the UFC and MMA in general? (Part Two)
Nov 13, 2013 - 7:25:57 PM READER REAX: What hooked you on the UFC and MMA in general? (Part Two)

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We asked MMATorch readers in the wake of the UFC's 20th anniversary what it was that hooked them on MMA and the UFC in general. Here's the second batch of responses:


Jason C. Writes: I was in High School in 1994, and the rumor was a few guys from the football team (one who happened to be a friend of mine, which is why I heard the rumor) were going to meet in the history teacher's room after school. The teacher was going to show us some "underground fighting" and it was a big secret because he didn't want to get fired for doing it.

What he showed us was UFC 2. It was like the video game "Streetfighter" had come to life in front of us. I was hooked! I don't think the school board ever caught wind of any if it.


Ross J. Writes: Well I had been watching a while before the Ultimate Fighter came along, so it definitely wasn't the TUF series. But I know that brought a lot of exposure to the casual fan. I've always been an MMA fan; I took boxing lessons as a young kid and into my teens, so I was around contact sports quite a bit growing up. I would have to say that boxing is the reason I love MMA so much. When I made the switch from boxing to MMA it was still sort of new to most people, even though I had been watching it for years with my father.

I haven't missed a pay-per-view since before the year 2000; I've spent thousands on pay-per-view as well as tickets, as I've been to six UFC events, two Strikeforce events, and numerous small local events. I am a die hard MMA fan when it comes to watching it. I still train at the gym occasionally, but after graduating college I landed an outside sales job, which requires a lot of time and effort, and also requires not having busted lips and bruises all over. Because of that, I have unfortunately not been to the gym as much as I would like.

So boxing is the answer, I guess, similar to the way Dana White got into the game through his love of boxing.


Kevin O. Writes: I was actually hooked by UFC Undisputed. I love video games and saw that and just started to look into it a little. I then watched a few fights, but I'm pretty sure B.J. Penn was the first I watched. I became a diehard fan because of Anderson Silva. His beautiful destruction of Rich Franklin made me enthralled by the technique of the sport, and the rest is history.


Desmond R. Writes: What got me hooked on the UFC and MMA? For me it was a combination of a few things. First off the UFC allowed us the opportunities to see these fighters' personalities outside of the Octagon with the Ultimate Fighter and UFC Prime Time reality shows. It showed a lot of people that although they're fighters, they're not all psycho fighting machines out for blood.

Second, It's something that I was able to share with my friends and family. Now me and my friends either throw in some money and order fights on pay-per-view or meet up at Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the fights all the time. They're not as in to it as I am but they still enjoy it and we all have a good time.

Last, it immediately changed my perspective on fighting. The way these people train and fight was brand new to me. I remember being in middle school and hearing people talk about Kimbo Slice and how he can knock anyone out. I was a believer after seeing fights on YouTube. Then I saw UFC Fight Night 5 right before my freshman year in high school where I watched Anderson Silva destroy Chris Leben in 51 seconds. It absolutely blew my mind how he moved. Ever since then he's been my favorite fighter.

Since then I've learned how to watch, analyze, score, and predict fights pretty accurately. The thing that intrigues me the most is how something as simple as a jab can be used in so many different ways to defend or set up other things. Or how people can time and anticipate their opponents next move and react to it in under a second. Now when I see a street fight video on YouTube or Facebook I watch and laugh at how bad these idiots would get annihilated by any MMA fighter. I love this sport and I will definitely be dabbling in MMA trading in the next few years as I start my career in the US marines. Who knows, I might even pull a Brian Stann!


James C. Writes: I would say around the time of UFC 100. The only fighters I used to know about were Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Brock Lesnar. Then one day I turned on the television and it was showing Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida. I'd never heard of them but after seeing the crazy staredown I was sold. During the fight they were advertising UFC 100 with Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir which got my attention. I also found the program '100 Greatest Fights' which helped me learn about fighters like Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn, GSP etc. After the historic UFC 100 event I've been hooked ever since, and what an incredible ride it's been.

[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]