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Ultimate fighting draws viewers, world-class athletes

Posted: Fri August 1, 1997 at 1:32 PM ET

A controversial competition known as ultimate fighting has become a pay-per-view phenomenon.

While the no-holds-barred scraps might offend some, the fights routinely mesmerize more than 300,000 home viewers. The matches, staged by Ultimate Fighting Championship, typically have television production values of more than $1 million, according to UFC, the main ultimate fighting organization.

The ring is an octagon-shaped cage, which was created by John Milius, director of the movie, "Conan the Barbarian." Bouts usually end on the ground with one man punching or choking his opponent into submission. Or the referee stops the fight.

Critics call it barbaric, primordial. In fact, ultimate fighting has been banned in eight states.

But the participants are generally not barroom brawlers. A majority are accomplished martial artists in disciplines such as kick boxing, judo and jujitsu.

"I think when they call it human cock fighting, when they call these guys barbarians, I think it's an insult to anyone who wears a black belt or practices any discipline in combative sport," said Jeff Blatnick, a gold medal winner in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1984 Olympics and a color commentator on ultimate fighting matches.

"In our discipline, we think we're good, but we never have the opportunity to show the world what we can do against others. The format of the ultimate fighting championships allows for disciplines to cross lines and compete against one another."

Indeed, three world-class wrestlers participated in ultimate fighting matches this past Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama.

Their credentials are hardly those of undisciplined brawlers. The three: Marc Kerr, the 1992 NCAA champion at 190 pounds and a 1994 World Cup champion; Mark Coleman, two-time All-American at Ohio State, a double gold medalist at the Pan American Games and a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team; and Kevin Jackson, who wrestled at Iowa State and won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

"I'm Olympic champion, I'm a world champion and there's no way in the world somebody can tell me that I'm not an athlete," Jackson said. "I'm just coming off the street to do this thing -- how can they say that?"

Jackson said he continues to wrestle on a world-class level.

But why would world-class athletes get tangled in an event so controversial that many people don't even consider it a sport?

Kerr, the 1992 NCAA champ, said it's a chance to legitimize wrestling.

"People don't realize there are world-class athletes who had taken wrestling and have made the best of it and have made themselves into Olympic champs and world champs," Kerr said. "Now they've changed gears and are in mixed martial arts."

Jackson said he is trying to prove that his wrestling discipline can stand up to others.

To prepare for ultimate fighting matches, the wrestlers rely on their usual training routines and supplement them with martial arts disciplines.

Coleman said serious training is central to ultimate fighting.

"You don't have two people just coming there like a bar fight," he said. "You know everybody knows how to defend themselves. They train many hours for this."

Jackson said he prepares much like he does for wrestling. "To be prepared for an event like this you have to learn how to defend strikes, learn how to defend kicks, also to develop some striking skills and some kicking skills," Jackson said. "And you have to learn some submission holds to make you a complete fighter in this arena."

With its pay-per-view popularity that has mushroomed since the sport's 1993 inception, ultimate fighting also gives the wrestlers a chance to make a good living. But they have to do it quickly, because by its nature, ultimate fighting does not lends itself to long careers.

"I'm doing it for love, but also I'm doing it because you get paid for doing it," Kerr said. "You know, I didn't enter the NFL. I'm not in the NBA. I'm not in the NHL. This is my means to make money. You know I'm not going to sign a million-dollar contract. I'm going to do this for a couple of years and then that's it."

He and other ultimate fighters know their sport might not be widely respected or accepted. And they understand that standing over a fallen opponent or beating him to the canvas can appear barbaric. But for the participants, ultimate fighting is a legitimate test of strength, skill and courage.

"True, there are some things that happen that might make you cringe," Kerr acknowledged. "But what people don't understand is that there are world-class athletes involved in this. The people have been preparing for this in various forms of arts for 15, 20 years and they're masters at what they do."