I used to be a huge MMA (mixed-martial arts) fan. I’ve watched all of the original UFCs (Ultimate Fighting Championship) when Royce Gracie was king! I loved the structure back then: Eight fighters face off in one-on-one fights within a single 1 day tournament until only one person is left. It was exciting and romantic and felt more like a video game than Boxing or even WWE (then WWF) did.

Was it good sport though? No, not really. Simply put, it wasn’t fair. If two fighters both make it to the second round, it was very likely that one has just fought a harder fighter than the other. Spectators and combatants alike came to realize this and so my beloved sport mimicked Boxing … and I stopped watching.

To be fair, I did agree that a change was necessary. The old UFC was closer to the gladiator matches of yore. It was meant purely for entertainment and little else. It was hard to take it seriously. I couldn’t see that because of Royce Gracie’s constant domination but it started becoming more and more apparent as time went buy. Why did I quit? Mostly out of bitterness. I loved the way it was and was upset over the change. All of that changed recently though.

A few months ago, a couple of friends kept dragging me to a local sports-bar to watch a certain George St. Pierre in action. My bitterness was immediately forgotten and I recuperated all of the former love and excitement I had for the UFC. What a fighter! What a sport! I can now admit out loud what I knew deep inside all along. The fight is what’s important, not the gimmicks. A crown is worth nothing if the people who fought on it were not fighting on equal footing!

I watched George St. Pierre defeat Matt Hughes and then I saw him beat Matt Serra, two superbly talented fighters on their own. I naturally assumed his recent fight against Jon Fitch would be a blowout! I could not have been more wrong.

Sure, George St. Pierre was the clear winner, but Fitch put on such an inspiring show! After being knocked down no less than three times, Fitch refused to stay down. What’s more, he came up after each knock-down swinging as if he never fell to begin with! The least that can be said about him is that he has heart! What a fighter, what a show! After five rounds of this, George St. Pierre won and, as always, accepted his win graciously by dropping down to his knees in front of Fitch in humility. Now that’s sportsmanship.

Earlier that same evening, Brock Lesnar fought and beat Heath Herring and ended the fight in a less than gracious manner. Yes he won, and yes it was a good fight, but it’s hard to respect someone who disrespects his opponent. Someone should remind Mr. Lesnar that this isn’t the WWF. You can trash talk and say whatever you want before a fight a-la Muhammad Ali to psych-out your opponent, but after the fight is done, shake hands and hold your tongue.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been an MMA fan and it’s good to be back. Thank you George St. Pierre!