Olympics Should Ban Taekwondo, Judo, Wrestling and Boxing -- Or Add MMA

I like this argument for people that want MMA banned altogether, but I'm not sure when it comes to the Olympics.

Olympic boxing is so watered down and different from actual boxing, I shudder to think what Olympic MMA would look like.

With the safety concerns and the fact that few people come out of a match without minor injuries, I just don't see how you could fit a 16 or 8 man tourney into the timefrime of the Olympics and have it be worthwhile.

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I take it that you didn't fare well in your correspondence course in logic. Your attempted analogy is ridiculous. Boxing is an Olympic sport, but the boxers wear headgear and the scoring is largely based on the number of blows effectively landed rather than the impact that the blows have on the opponent. The martial arts in the Olympics are similarly scored. Even fencing is scored much the same. (I'm sure the MMA advocates would prefer that the fencers duel to the death.)
The street brawl tactics used in professional MMA are not something that the Olympic Committee would or should endorse any more than it would endorse bringing back the Roman gladiators.

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Basketball is an Olympic sport. Baseball if, for now, an Olympic sport. Let's make baseketball an Olympic sport!

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I think banning those sports would be incredibly stupid all for the sake of pushing MMA. As for MMA, remember that in the ancient Olympics, one of the sports was Pankration, one of the precursors to MMA. It's still practiced in Greece today and it's a somewhat watered down (and safer) version of MMA, but if anything should be pushed first, I think it should be that.

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If having a large American audience is desirable, they should definitely add MMA. Actually, there are a number of sports that should be dumped and new ones added.

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This article presents an overly simplistic analysis if I ever heard one. What you fail to consider is that the goal of competition in each of the individual martial arts mentioned -- judo, taekwondo, wrestling, etc. -- is to demonstrate one's skill in that respective discipline. Fairly strict rules apply to contests in each of those disciplines and each is built on a well established body of knowledge and technique. In contrast, the goal in cage fighting (call it MMA or whatever you like, it is what it is) is to kick the crap out of someone. This does not qualify as "sport" in my opinion. When MMA can develop the curriculum similar to the body of knowledge that underlies the recognized martial arts, then perhaps it may some day rise to the level of sport.

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When I saw this headline in the RSS feed I knew exactly who the author was. The idea that combining acceptable activities will only lead to an acceptable fusion is so amazingly absurd. MDS doesn't address the fact that these sports are so heavily watered down that if you fused the Olympic versions of the disciplines that make up MMA you would not be left with a product that looks anything like the sport that I am a fan of.

As stated I like MMA but it is not a sport that fits in the Olympic image due to the high level of violence.

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Martin and RM, although I do not necessarily agree with MDS that this is the right course of action for right now (I haven't made up my mind), your responses demonstrate a gross lack of knowledge and respect for MMA.

"Street brawl tactics"? Have you ever seen BJ Penn fight? Do you know his background and history? Are you actually circa-1998 John McCain?

Street brawlers don't last that long in MMA because of the high level of skill that true MIXED MARTIAL ARTISTS now possess. Not every Joe Schmo who wants to "be like Mike" is allowed to compete in Olympic basketball, so what makes you think that Bad@ss Johnny from your local pub is going to be throwing hands at the Olympics? The best of the best compete there, and I promise you "street brawlers" need not apply.

"When MMA can develop the curriculum similar to the body of knowledge that underlies the recognized martial arts, then perhaps it may some day rise to the level of sport."

This is just plain ignorance. MMA has a curriculum. It's got the submissions of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo, the throws of wrestling and Judo, the takedowns and ground control/riding time of wrestling and the effective striking of boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and Karate. It would be very easy to incorporate those skills into an Olympic scoring format, and implement helmets for safety.

Why does blood equal violence to uninformed people? I'll bet Muhammad Ali's brain and Earl Campbell's knees and spine would argue that your "accepted" sports are just as violent as MMA.

::stepping off soapbox::

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No way it makes it into the Olympics. Not because it wouldn't be entertaining and make for some great rivalries and matchups. The toll MMA fights take on the human body require way more time to heal than say Olympic boxing matches. Even watered down MMA with increased protective gear or rules modifications would still involve some damage that just wouldn't have time to heal during the course of the Games.

Can you picture a Pulver v. Faber or Torres v. Maeda fight winner having to fight again a few days later? How do you put in rules that take away the harmful effects of leg kicks, slamming takedowns, elbow strikes, knees, punches with 4 oz. gloves, etc., to make it feasible for a fighter to be sufficiently healed to perform at a high level a short time later, and still call it MMA?

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hootie_69 states: "It would be very easy to incorporate those skills into an Olympic scoring format, and implement helmets for safety."

Then why hasn't it been done?

Of course we know the answer. If nothing else, the MMA promoters at least know where the money is.

If you want to be an Olympic sport, you clean it up first and then pursue that level of recognition. You don't become an Olympic sport first and then clean it up later.

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RM, that was me who mentioned helmets and scoring systems.

But, I don't understand your response. It doesn't make any sense.

Why would professional MMA leagues choose to use helmets in order to get into the Olympics? Professional boxing doesn't use helmets?

The Olympics would choose a format of the professional sport to pursue, and regulate it as Olympic MMA; not the other way around. They would choose the scoring format and safety precautions, much like they do with boxing and taekwondo (WTF vs. ITF rules).

Your insinuation that the sport is not "clean," again displays a lack of knowledge of the current incarnation of MMA.

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Michael, it doesn't sound like you have really watched that many MMA fights. If you have you would know your quote makes no sense whatsoever.

The majority of MMA matches now-a-days are nothing short of street brawls. The fighters display little technique (if any at all) and rely on brute force for victory. In the martial arts you mentioned, skill, technique, control, and discipline are at the forefront of the art.

There is also a sense of honor in the real martial arts - a true practitioner would never allow himself or his student to trash talk or act like a thug in public like many of the MMA fighters do.

I'm a big fan of the old Pride and Pancrase organizations but UFC and especially EliteXC are now nothing but spectacles not much above professional wrestling. All aggression, no technique. Great for ratings, obviously - as CBS is going to continue the EliteXC programming - but not so great for real martial artist or enthusiast who want to see a meaningful battle.

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this guy Smith is spot on of his assesment, i do belive that thier is way to much force in mma these days , however i think its due to the fack that there is the time limit factor encouging the powerful and explosive over the technique. lose the time limits and althetes will have to train diffrently.

wes you def have no idea what your talking about. these guys in the ufc and elite have plenty of technique.

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When i read this im getting MAD!
I am learning taekwondo and i like to see this sport at the olimpics
the people that want this out of the olimpics are selfish!
they can have thier favorite sport in the olimpics but other people's sport cannot be in it, that's selfish!

I know... taekwondo takes A LOT of skill!
more than basketball, swimming, sailing, watherpolo and many more things.

I think taekwondo is one of the greatests sports of the olimpics!

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