Nice to see that CBS is taking a proactive approach to educating the public that MMA isn’t “no holds barred cage fighting to the death” or whatever the AP and/or Bill O’Rilley is calling it this week. In this video from the official CBS YouTube profile, veteran MMA ref Herb Dean explains the rules of the sport as well as some of the things he’s looking for as a ref:

In fact, this video has inspired me to add a new category to the blog which I’m calling MMA 101. As the name implies, this category will be used on posts of particular interest to new fans. Topics addressing basic concepts like technique, strategy, terminology, rules, as well as the history of MMA and its component martial arts disciplines will get this category label.

Pick a fight with the guy in the pink shirt…
let us know how it works out for you…

That’s actually a big peeve of mine and was part of the inspiration in the creation of this site and its format. So many MMA websites, discussion forums and magazines do everything they can to intimidate new fans. I can think of a couple of forums where it appears that the primary interest of the posters is to denigrate newer fans as “clueless noobs” and try to “pull rank” in terms of their own MMA expertise and longevity as a fan. “Judo” Gene Labell could post on some of these sites and there would be responses that he’s a “clueless noob” and trying to downplay the significance of that 9th or 10th dan black belt he holds (I read somewhere that the Japanese Kodokan judo oversight organization promoted him to 10th dan earlier this year but I can’t find an independent verification of that. I know that the USJJF awarded him the 9th dan a couple of years ago. Regardless, 9th dan or 10th dan he’s a legit badass and arguably the baddest man walking the face of the earth even at age 75). I can almost hear some poster saying that training Bruce Lee is “no big deal”.

What’s really ironic is how antithetical that attitude is to so many sports. Boxing enthusiasts love to share the sport’s rich history with newcomers. I even have video clips of fights saved on my laptop for the purpose of “proselytizing” the sport. If someone can watch round 11 of the first Ward/Gatti fight and not show an interest in boxing, there’s no hope. Actually, if someone can watch what I consider to be the single best round in the history of prizefighting and *not* become fascinated with boxing I start checking for a pulse I’ve always found NASCAR fans to be equally welcoming, happy to explain the basics and the significance of such legends as Junior Johnson, Richard Petty and the “Silver Fox” David Pearson.

Perhaps it is something of a defense mechanism engendered because MMA doesn’t have what could be called a “rich history”. It has an interesting history, to be sure, but particularly in the US you’ll find few–if any–fans who’ve been following the sport for more than a decade. You’ll hear a lot of forum posters insist that not only were they fans *before* UFC 1 they were trading Japanese tapes from the UWF since the mid 1980’s. Obviously in the case of 99.9% of these posters that’s BS. Unless you’re Japanese, or you’re Dave Meltzer, no one believes that you were captivated by Akira Maeda matches when you were six.

Another primary gripe with much of the MMA media (particularly online) was just how damn seriously they take themselves and how little fun they seem to be having. I’ve read chemotherapy survivor forums that have a better sense of humor and enjoyment of their subject than some of the major MMA websites. That was another important component of the SavSci vision–while we have nothing but respect for the sport and the fighters, we’re not talking about Ethiopian famine relief here. As you’ve no doubt seen from my blog postings I can be vociferous in my defense of fight sports when they’re attacked, but don’t get me wrong–I’ve got the best gig in the world. How others with essentially the same gig come off like they’re doing open heart surgery day in and day out is beyond me.

So those are a couple of the most significant components of the Savage Science “mission”–we’re going to take very seriously our role in introducing new fans to not only MMA, but other fight sports. We’re going to do everything we can to share whatever knowledge and wisdom about prizefighting that we’re able, and will go out of our way to welcome “newcomers”. Simultaneously, we want to always emphasize the sheer enjoyment of fight fandom. We’re never going to forget that writing about fighting and getting paid for it is the best gig in the world. So don’t expect us to sound like Edward R. Murrow in Berlin waiting for the Nazis to arrive. Again, with all of the respect for the sports we cover and the profound admiration of the men and women who compete in them, this is supposed to be fun.

Saturday Night Fights–MMA The Rules @ CBS/YouTube