By Don Kelley
(Aka: Blacksheep)
Evolution, every sport goes through it. Look at all of the sports we love, when Basketball started they used “Peach baskets” for nets nailed to a telegraph pole. Now they have shatter proof back boards and two hundred dollar sneakers. American Football, started on muddy cow fields with leather helmets and little to no padding, to wearing the latest in protective gear looking more like tanks than men. This is just the gear they use, the athletes them selves have also evolved. From average sized football players to 300 pound muscle bound monsters, and from average height basketball players with a vertical leap of a few feet, to an average height of almost seven feet that can dunk the ball from the free throw line. If you’re a follower of MMA, then you’re in for an exciting time the next few years. The average MMA fighter is about to make an evolutionary leap.
While MMA is nothing new to the world and has been around in one form or another for centuries (As covered so expertly in “Mixed Martial Arts: a Global Origin Across Time” mixed-martial-arts-a-global-origin-across-time-1-30-10-t54405.html) it is new to America. On November 12th 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, America (and the world) was introduced to the UFC, and the sports fighting world has not been the same since.
In the early years of MMA, we were introduced to what was then the best fighters in the world. We were left in awe of their fighting powers and skills. Their submission games were like nothing we have ever seen before. Suddenly the top combat sport, Boxing seemed a little “Boring”. Regardless of what the naysayers may think or say, at the time the men of MMA were at the pinnacle of the fighting world. Today the pioneers and early legends of MMA are called “One Dimensional”, “One trick Ponies” etc. And by todays standards I suppose some of that is true. BUT, they were the best at that time and no one could beat them.
But as in all things, the sport of MMA started evolving from a bare knuckle no rules free for all, to a well respected sport with rules. After a few short years, the fighters themselves started to evolve. Most of these early fighters were passed up by younger, stronger more well rounded fighters. Men who entered the the sport with only one great skill such as wrestling or BJJ were soon being beat by men who had wrestling, BJJ, striking and a host of other skills.
For several years the sport of MMA seemed to be pretty even. On any given night no matter who was fighting for or defending the title, there was almost a 50/50 chance on who would win the match. But in recent years we have seen a few elite fighters rise above the rest. In my article “Too good for their own good?” too-good-for-their-own-good-1-17-10-t53456.html I talked about how Fedor, GSP and Anderson Silva have risen above all of their competition. How they have “Evolved” to the next level and passed their competition.
But even these great fighters did not start training in MMA until a few years before they actually competed. Yes they all had a form of Martial arts fighting under their belt, GSP had karate, Silva had BJJ, Fedor trained in Sambo, but the were all basically adults when they started training in MMA. As great as these men are in MMA, as much as they have evolved and forced the sport to grow and evolve with them, can you imagine what the “Next” generation of MMA fighters will be like?
Bruce Lee started Jeet Kune Do, a style “With out a style”. He took what worked and was best from several different fighting styles and made his own. MMA is basically the same thing. A bit of boxing, a little wrestling throw in some submissions and you have “MMA”. Today’s fighters normally come from one style of fighting (Wrestling, BJJ, Boxing etc) and add “Bits and Pieces” of other styles to round them out. This has been the way of MMA since the mid 90’s.
But the next generation, the one that will be in the cage in about 5 years, they will be the first “True” MMA fighters. They will not be a BJJ black belt or a wrestler with added skills. They will be the ones who have only trained in MMA “AS” a martial art/fighting style. Right now, there are countless young men and woman around the world who are training from ages as young as 12 in MMA gyms and even in some school systems. Winchester High School, just outside of Boston, is the first school in America that offers MMA as a sport along side football/basketball and all of the other sports we grew up with.
Can you imagine what these kids will be like when they hit the ring/cage? Just like Bruce Lee stripped all the unnecessary traditions from the martial arts,boxing and grappling and made his own unique style, so will the next generation of MMA fighters. They will not spend years learning ridged styles of sport Karate, useless pinning techniques of wrestling etc. They will only learn the best of what works from each style. They will spend YEARS learning these styles before ever stepping foot inside of a cage or ring.
When I first started reading MMA forums, there was a Sig floating around the web of the ultimate fighter. It had something like, the leg kick of Cro Cop, the heart of Big Nog, the head of Fedor etc etc. I can see the next generation of fighters being this very fighter. Young men, starting to learn MMA at the age of 10 to 12 in gyms and schools around the world. Watching tapes of all the great fighters, perfecting Cro Cop’s leg kick, Anderson Silva’s movements, Randy Couture’s nutrition on and on and on. They will be the very first generation to perfect the fighting style of MMA.
At the “Moment” GSP, Anderson and Fedor have evolved past all of their competition, they have evolved to the next level of fighting. When these “Kids” finally hit the cage or ring, they will make GSP, Anderson and Fedor look as obsolete as the three of them make the first generation of MMA fighters look.
It is no secret I am one of the “Older” members here. But when I was a child, the “Only” sport a young boy could play at a young age outside of school was “Little League baseball”. There was no “Pee Wee football” no summer basketball camps, no “traveling teams” heck even soccer was something only played in other country's. While every little boy knew how to play football, it was only learned in back yards and dusty fields. We were not even allowed to play “Organized” football until we were in the 9th grade.
Now? Unless you started playing football at the age of 8 or 9 you don’t even have a chance of making the high school team, let alone play college or professionally. Baseball, basketball, soccer, all the same thing. Parents trying to give their child the “Edge” later in life in sports are starting their children earlier and earlier. It is only natural MMA is following in the same footsteps.
As amazing as GSP, Anderson Silva and Fedor are now, can you even imagine what the “Next Generation” will be like? The athletic ability of GSP, the head movement of Anderson, the head and heart of Fedor, add to that the nutrition of Randy Couture starting at the age of 12 instead of 30. Now roll all of that into “One” fighter and have him train for years before he ever steps into a cage or ring. Multiply that fighter by a whole generation and what do you have? The evolution of the next generation of “MMA Fighters” !
