Do you know anything about combat sports? You take the Mixed Martial Arts, which is most often presented under the acronym “MMA” for an insurance company? And ” good kid makes you vaguely think of the neighbor’s old spaniel? Well, there’s work to do, but here’s a catch-up lesson to be in the game this weekend when you’ll be asked your opinion on Ciryl Gane, the UFC’s “gentleman warrior” who arrives in Paris for an evening of gala at the Accor Arena broadcast around the world with the best fighters in the world…
Let’s start at the beginning. A ring and two boxers who compete freely with kicks, a clever cocktail of wrestling, judo and boxing, but regularly under the supervision of a referee for five rounds of five minutes. The rules vary according to the level of the fighters, but the combat area is the same for all.
No, it is not square and surrounded by rows of ropes as in so-called English boxing (which is practiced with thick gloves and slippers) but octagonal and enclosed in an openwork cage (with mittens with cut fingers to allow seizures and projections). A bit of a Rollerball decor, it’s true, but that’s the game. Because it’s a game. Yes, you read that right: a game of strength, intelligence and courage; hand game but no villain!
I see some from here who jump on their seat, convinced that these fights « free » remain the regressive expression of ancestral violence in man which reappears against a background of social crisis. « MMA was banned in France until 2021, which was one of the last countries in the world to legalize the practice under the aegis of a federation. “, protests a yoga practitioner, fiercely opposed to the trivialization of violence in sport.
« A decadent ritual, where everything is done to keep the blood flowing, an unbearable corrida for lobotomized barbarians sometimes with kicks in the face, worse on a wounded opponent and on the ground… Even the gladiators in Rome had a less precarious fate. And to say that we dare to speak of a martial art. MMA is a danger for the youth! »
It must be recognized that in the 80s, in the hands of a sulphurous business man, the original MMA did not bother with rules protecting boxers. Three simple rules for fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship: don’t bite, don’t poke your eyes, and spare your private parts. Otherwise, everything was allowed.
Many legends and rumors surround this new sport, which came like Pepsi-Cola from America, after a detour via Japan, Brazil and Russia. Strange paradox considering that MMA descends directly from Greek pankration and Mongolian wrestling, ancestors of well-known martial arts such as judo, karate or aikido.
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We will soon return to this still very closed world with a three-part file on the MMA Business where you will discover the true nature of these sponsored warriors and millionaires in dollars whose exploits, fortunes and also scandals raise the crowds in Moscow, Tokyo, Las Vegas and Dubai, mixing cultures and religions. This sporting discipline now unites more than a billion earthlings in pay per view and in the halls.
A phenomenon that is also contagious in France. The arrival in Paris this Saturday, September 3 of the first Fight Night at the Accor Arena marks a turning point in the history of French sport. Remember this date: there will be a before and especially an after.
You will see that Cyril Gane the ” good kid “Is his nickname apt, despite his 112 kg of muscle for 1.93 m. A nickname not very common in the land of fighters extreme, but so just for this kid from the neighborhoods who, on the evening of his only defeat, in eleven fights and three years of an incredible career which opposed him to the best, will say in front of the camera: “Sorry…”. The gifted champion already weighs 1 million dollars, it’s rare. The man retains elegance and humility, it’s even rarer. Fingers crossed, champ’ ! (Fingers crossed, champ!)