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Getbig Misc Discussion Boards => Mixed Martial Arts (MMA/UFC) => Topic started by: SinCitysmallGUY on October 02, 2009, 03:42:00 PM
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With the announcement that Brazil will host te 2016 Summer Olympics, Mike Chiappetta over at MMA Fanhouse makes the argument that MMA and Jiu-jitsu should be added to the vast array of athletic sports at the 2016 Summer Olympics:
Jiu-jitsu and MMA deserve to have a place in today's Olympics, and specifically, an Olympics in Brazil. The IOC adds sports based upon their global prevalence, and there is no question that both have a larger international presence than some IOC-recognized sports, including sumo, floorball, boule and korfball (no, I didn't make any of those up). Think about this for a second: tug of war is officially recognized as a sport and jiu-jitsu and MMA are not.
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No one is trying to pretend jiu-jitsu is Brazil's national pastime; clearly soccer is the nation's true passion. But jiu-jitsu and MMA are two of the fastest-rising sports in the world, and they were given to the world by Brazil and its sons, the Gracies. Let them celebrate that contribution in front of an international audience. BJJ and MMA get bigger every year. Who knows how much bigger they will be by 2016? While MMA has certain visceral elements that make it a hard sell to a PG-event, either it or jiu-jitsu deserves the spotlight. Think of the excitement that would follow dynamic MMA stars like Georges St. Pierre, Gegard Mousasi or Jon Jones (or for you grappling fans, Braulio Estima, Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro or Marcelo Garcia).
I'm in complete agreeance that Jiu-jitsu would make a fine addition to the 2016 roster of sports. After all, we don't call it "Brazilian" jiu-jitsu for nothing. Brazil has a huge influence in the martial arts world, and it would make for some great grappling action that could easily grab some attention locally as well as internationally.
MMA, however, won't likely get the nod any time soon. There are a number of concerns when it comes to trying to think about MMA in the Olympics, but the IOC would easily push safety as the number one priority. If we add the number of participants to the amount of time it would take to finish the competition within the context of the question of safety, it almost becomes a near impossibility.
For example, what countries have MMA fighters? North America would have a participant from nearly every country. U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Croatia, Lithuania, Japan, China, Phillipines, Russia, Poland, Germany, England, Ireland, Finland, Sweden... even Iceland (Gunnar Nelson, baby!). The list goes on and on. The field would be enormous, and the amount of time it would take for such a competition would likely span the Olympic Games timeframe. That's, at least, doable.
But how does the Olympic committee view boxing right now? They view it as a tremendous safety hazard when it comes to wearing headgear due to the many bouts fighters must fight over the course of the tournament. MMA fighters wearing headgear isn't exactly a part of the competition that is MMA, and it would basically look like what Combat Sambo tournaments look like in Russia. The problem is that it somewhat degrades the striking attributes of stand-up fighters who happen to have tremendous takedown defense, and it makes for a much more unlikely outcome of a TKO. While most would say that the stand-up fighter would still win based on points, those finishes are a part of the sport.
Furthermore, this would be a Grand Prix tournament of epic proportions. Not only are we talking about a huge field of fighters, but one fighter is going to have to run through possibly a 32-man field of fighters or at least a round-robin style of battle. That's the possibility of five fights or even more fights in round-robin action in a span of two weeks to maybe a month? Not possible. It could easily affect the outcome of who was actually the most skilled fighter.
Of course, there are always solutions. Hold Olympic qualifying bouts to keep the number of fighters entering to 16. Hold preliminary rounds before the Olympics to only hold the semifinals and finals at the Olympics. That could solve all the time table problems as forementioned. Ultimately however, the problem with the headgear likely won't be solved, and I doubt the IOC will rally behind a sport as brutalizing as MMA even though we could easily say some of the sports at the Olympics are much more dangerous. I mean, have you seen how nuts those lugers are?
It'd be nice to think MMA fighters could come home with the gold medal, and it would give MMA a boost in the public eye as a legitimate sport. Unfortunately, it isn't going to happen any time soon.
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This thread could use some kick ass pics.
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This thread could use some kick ass pics.
I agree, 101% ;D
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You bet they will try and get in the Olympics. And it would be much better than Bodybuilding which really has no chance of making it in the Olympics.
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Mud wrestling or darts have more right to be olympic then bodybuilding
:-X, hell i consider nosepicking having more Olympic value