Wrestling/MMA fans!!!

I know there are quite a bit of pro-wrestling and MMA fans on DU, but I don't know how many of you are "crossover" fans (fans of both) like me. One reason I think there is a crossover is that MMA is what pro-wrestling would look like if it were real.

the people involved, no matter how choreographed their bouts. I haven't watched wrestling since I was a kid, aside from a few minutes here and there when I stumble across a televised extravaganza and watch in outright awe of just how bad the theatrics are, but those wrestlers really are very competent athletes.

MMA -- the UFC kind seen in competition, anyway -- disgusts me because it perverts traditional martial arts with an ugly, very American emphasis on braggadocio and winning at all costs. It lacks honor, finesse, and humility, among other things valued in martial arts. Call it brawling, or fighting, but drop the 'martial arts' from the title...in martial arts fighting evolved to become the least important aspect, or at the very least was accompanied by moral and character traits that are admirable. This is not to say that the people involved in UFC and the like are not good fighters.

I'd probably be more likely to admire a pro wrestler over a UFC champion, no matter that the latter's background likely coincides far more with mine. Martial arts is important to me and I just plain do not appreciate it being gutted and twisted as it has been since UFC came on the scene (even the '80s iteration of kickboxing, and the ninja fad, was not as bad).

I do get irritated when casual people lump them together.

I was dismayed to hear that Vince McMahon was maybe looking to get into MMA promotion. Even if he didn't bring the same pro-wrestling style involvement to MMA, I think ANY kind of link between the two (no matter how minor) ultimately hurts the sport of MMA in the long run.

I've tried to watch MMA but I can't get into it. There's no motivation behind MMA, A Fighter wants to fight B Fighter to see who's tougher, sorry don't care to see 2 idiots fighting over who's the best in bragging rights, specially repeated 4-5 times in a card. There's no further background that can be spotlighted to generate interest, sure their fighting for money, not as much as they should be making. I've seen some of the money thrown around even what the UFC guys are making their getting screwed. Pro Wrestling is a more controlled environment, motivation and background can be put into a fight to generated interest. I mean in wrestling there are so many directions in determining purpose for a fight that can be played, I find it a lot more interesting.

What motivation do the Red Sox and Yankees have when they play? Or Andy Roddick and Federer have?

It's the competition, stupid (No, I'm not calling you stupid, it's just how that saying goes!)

I personally consider the fact that they don't have to pump a bunch of fake ass drama into an MMA fight to be a huge point in its favor.

Now the fact that there often isn't a lot of background information on the fighters is a valid point. There actually is a lot of info and background out there, you just have to hunt around for it. Due to MMA's mainstream infancy that kind of info isn't served up on television or the newspapers like it is for other sports. Not yet anyway, that trend is changing obviously.