Sunday, June 15, 2008

The UFC versus the Olympics - the fight to come

Imagine your favorite Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter, now imagine them adorned with an Olympic gold medal. Does that image get your blood pumping?

While some might find this idea a bit far-fetched it may not be exactly out of the realm of possibility. In fact it’s highly likely that some sort of UFC inspired change to Olympic wrestling is on the verge of taking part in the world competition. At least that’s what some in FILA, the international wrestling federation, and USA Wrestling believe.

Now what is being considered is not exactly UFC, nor it’s cousin Mixed Martial Arts. It’s a combined effort that includes aspects of both youth-oriented and commercially successful endeavours and aspects of traditional wrestling. This new format is called Grappling.

According to Jason Townsend of USA Wrestling

“It's going back to the roots. Real combat. Once you submit somebody or you get submitted, there's no question who is the better man. When you're getting choked, you really know that guy had you in a situation where he could have either broken your arm or your leg or choked you unconscious. For me, that's a much more rewarding experience than pinning somebody, which really fulfills no practical combat necessity.”


Now how does that sound? I would expect it’s likely to cause at least the same ruckus as was seem when volleyball and snowboarding were included in the Olympics. Though somehow I think this will pack a bit more of a punch. How bad do you want that gold medal now?

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