The Distinctive Subculture of the UK MMA Community

John Hopton

Department of Applied Social Science

University of Manchester

Oxford Road

Manchester

M13 9PL

I am a social science lecturer with academic interests in mental health, public sector management, gender studies, civil liberties and human rights; and have a record of academic publications in the fields of education, mental health and gender studies. My interest in researching Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) began in the Autumn of 1999 when Manchester City Council refused to license a tournament under the ‘no-head shots’ KSBO (Knockdown Sport Budo Organisation) Rules, promoted by local MMA coach Chris Bacon. I was initially delayed in starting the research by the need to meet a deadline for an existing research project in the early Summer of 2000; and subsequently by a combination of a series of domestic crises and changes in research protocol at the University of Manchester. I finally began serious research on the subject early in 2002.

I became interested in the sport of mixed martial arts as a research topic for the following reasons. Firstly, as someone returning to traditional martial arts after a 16 year absence, I was struck by the similarity of some traditional martial artists’ criticisms of MMA and criticisms of full contact kick-boxing by similar authorities twenty years earlier. Secondly, it seemed to be a civil liberties issue. Manchester City Council have a reputation for open-mindedness in respect of many minority groups (e.g. disabled people, ethnic minorities, gay men and lesbians); has permitted Mike Tyson to box in the city despite public opposition based on his widely publicised criminal convictions; and has often licensed boxing and Muay Thai events. Therefore banning a martial arts event which does not allow headshots on the grounds that it was akin to street-fighting and would encourage real violence seemed not only absurd, but also out of line with the council’s usual libertarian stance. Thirdly, I thought that there was a mental health angle. Depression and suicide in young men is one of the major mental health concerns of our time, and this is sometimes linked to a supposed crisis of masculinity. This supposed crisis of masculinity is usually attributed to physical strength and prowess at combat no longer being a pre-requisite for survival, and physical strength and physical skills no longer being required in industries dominated by information technology. Significantly MMA offers opportunities for young men to enhance their self esteem (and thereby overcome depression) through participating in a well-regulated challenging sport based on skills historically associated with male identity, i.e. strength, agility, strategy and tactics.

The core of this research activity to date consists of 12 Interviews (9 in person; 2 by e-mail; one by telephone) with people who are MMA coaches, MMA fighters at the highest national and international levels; ‘progressive’ self-defence coaches, and/or people concerned with the organisation of MMA events. This has been supplemented by the following activities. I have been in sustained contact with Paul Lloyd Davies of KSBO ( a very experienced MMA coach and promoter) since early in 2000 and have attended several KSBO events since that time (latterly acting as an official time-keeper and weight-checker on tournament days). I attended 3 UFC press conferences set up around UFC 38 as well as UFC 38 itself and had several informal conversations with PR people at Zuffa and RDA Communications (the London PR company retained by Zuffa to promote UFC 38). I attended and participated at SFUK Open Mats 5 and 6 and have watched videos of UFC and Pride promotions as well as MMA events promoted by KSBO, Total Fight Forum, Grapple and Strike, Ultimate Combat and Cage Warriors. By October 2002 I had become so interested in MMA that I began training at Manchester Budo (the MMA club at Manchester Metropolitan University) which unfortunately had its training facilities suspended in mid December 2002 as a result of not being affiliated to any national body. At the beginning of January I began training at the Colosseum in Leigh (Greater Manchester). I have been an active member of the SFUK internet forum since April 2002.

There are three core themes that have emerged out of my research; safety, community and education. The sport’s critics like to portray the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as if it were the most barbaric sporting pastime imaginable, often using the epithet "human cockfighting", and citing concerns about the safety of competitors. In these attacks, uninformed politicians have found unlikely allies in sections of the boxing community; presumably keen to make friends with ‘politically correct’ politicians who might otherwise be actively campaigning to ban boxing. However, anyone who has watched MMA contests closely can testify to the absurdity of the claim that MMA is just about two blokes beating each other senseless for the entertainment of a bloodthirsty crowd. In reality, as with other combat sports, a mixed martial arts match is a fighting contest between mutually consenting adults. Contrary to what some of the sports’ critics allege there are actually a lot of rules about fouls (including an absolute ban on striking to the head in some amateur formats) which are known to all participants before any contest and which are strictly enforced by officiating referees. Furthermore, in mixed martial arts there is no shame or disgrace in verbally submitting or tapping out (tapping the opponent or the floor to indicate submission) for any reason.

Importantly, there is a very real sense of community spirit within the UK mixed martial arts community. For example, there is a huge social side to the UK mixed martial arts. This is evident in the fact that most of the people communicating on MMA internet forums are known to each other; the social side of training events such as SFUK’s popular Open Mats in Leicester and Manchester which are as much about meeting old friends and making new ones as they are about training; and inasmuch as it is not uncommon for people who have met each other through these media and/or the lively tournament circuit to visit each others’ clubs to train. Also, although the sport is intensely competitive on the mat and in the cage or ring; the sport is organised in a non-hierarchical manner. Beginners are welcomed into clubs and will typically be helped to understand and perfect technique by all members of the club (as well as by the instructor or coach). For example, in a marked contrast to SOME traditional martial arts clubs where an instructor might delegate the teaching of beginners to a senior student and senior students only spar with their peers, in MMA environments it is common for everyone to spar with everyone else on an equal footing and for senior students to coach beginners by setting up opportunities for them and/or telling them how to apply a technique correctly. Another important feature of the MMA community, which some of its more ‘politically correct’ critics might care to consider is the position of women in the sport. Women are as welcome as men in MMA and, although women in the sport are greatly outnumbered by men, female fighters command as much respect from the MMA community as their male peers.

It is also worthy of note that training and/or competing in mixed martial arts is an intellectual activity as well as a physical one. This is most obvious in respect of groundfighting and submission grappling which require good-problem solving skills as well as strength, agility, flexibility and a good knowledge and understanding of anatomy and body mechanics. However, there is a culture of learning in the mixed martial arts community that goes far beyond this. In Mixed Martial Arts clubs and gyms as well as on internet forums dedicated to the sport, discussions of issues such as body mechanics, nutrition, psychology, applied physiology and other aspects of sport science are commonplace.

In conclusion, on the whole, the Mixed Martial Arts scene in the UK is characterised by respect for one’s peers; admiration of skill and dedication, collaborative learning and mutual assistance. For these reasons, it makes a valuable contribution to the social fabric of twenty-first century Britain by providing welcoming and friendly communities where people who start training are likely to find a sense of belonging and paths to enhancing their self-esteem. Many authorities on the subject consider a sense of belonging and a sense of self-esteem to be the two core prerequisites for the achievement of good mental health. Therefore, attempts to ban or marginalise the sport (which, in any case, are based on a failure to grasp how safe this sport really is) are fundamentally misguided. The culture of this sport is not one of violence but a culture of personal growth. Furthermore this is not only personal growth in the purely physical or psychological sense but holistic personal growth (i.e. personal growth with physical, psychological, social, spiritual and educational dimensions).

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