[masraum]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

MMA is making all these guys look like Alterboys in a pushing match.

Superfoot addresses that in the third video from the top. He says that kicking at the legs/knees is designed to damage your opponent so you can get them down and pound them. His comment is that what these guys don't get is that there is life after sport. He's 72 or something like that and still traveling and putting on seminars. A lot of these guys beating the crap out of each other are probably going to be in bad shape when they are older. It's always about how far you're willing to go to win. I know a martial arts instructor from Houston that auditioned for UFC about 20 years ago. He wasn't accepted because, IIRC, he broke someones wrist or arm. I've got to think that there's always some amount of holding back in this fighting, some amount of thinking X is fair, but Y is over the line. Watching some of the videos, you see acknowledgement from both fighters if there's an accidental headbutt or an accidental low blow. It seemed like it was pretty exceptional sportsmanship without trying to kill the other guy.

Originally Posted by speeder

I know a couple of kickboxing champs, one of them has transitioned into Muy Thai. I've also been kicked by Benny's brother, (the one holding his arm up after the fight), I have this weird fascination w seeing if I can take someone's punch or kick so I've been hit by a few notables. He was a nice guy and he obliged me w a sample kick to the gut, it bent me over.

Wow, that's quite the fascination.