if you listen to certain corners of the internet blogosphere like this, or this, you would be well within your rights to assume that anyone who enters MMA as a career is, to quote the first article that was linked here, "doing nothing more than buying into a fantasy." And while this blog has, with regrettable results, tried to prove the point that those who have a bias towardss MMA should consider themselves to be as shameful as those who have biases towards athletes because of the color of their skin, the big fight coming up between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar drove me to revisit this thought. Because, after all, I am going to try and watch the fight.
So with that in mind I figured I'd explain why the persons in the main event of this show are better role models for your children than you think they are.
1: All of the american-born MMA fighters are at the very least high-level collegiate athletes.
The men in the main event of this show, Randy Couture, a three-time Olympic team alternate (1988, 1992 and 1996); a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials; a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-I All-American and a two-time NCAA Division-I runner-up at Oklahoma State University. What else could you want someone to do? World-class wrestler, got his degree from a very reputable institution.
Brock Lesnar, on the other hand, finished his amateur career as a two-time NJCAA All-American, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Conference Champion, and the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion with a record of 106-5 overall in four years of college. Both of these men are well-spoken, capable of representing themselves and their sport well, and are well-rounded men. Hell... Randy Couture got the nickname "Captain America" for goodness sakes.
Two: Competitive grace.
To be sure Lesnar and Couture will try their best to mine their arsenals as deep as they can to ensure the victory. for themselves but i can also guarantee to you that when the night is over, whether one of them wins or loses, they'll treat each other likes sporstmen. No Tito Ortiz-like grave digging here.
Three: Can Randy Couture do it again?
Every time anyone with even a casual interest in MMA has believed that Randy is done, that the new young bull is finally going to knock the old bull off, Randy refuses to die. Whether utterly dominating Tim Sylvia, out-striking Chuck Liddell, or battling through a broken arm to beat Gabriel Gonzaga, it has gotten to the point where there are few things that you believe he can't do.
In the days to come I'll add more listings to this list. Enjoy.
