Justin Sims

Mr.Runyon
English 7-8 BK 5
December 3, 2015

Evolutionary Survival

Martial arts began when men and women began to walk the earth. It is a part of our
evolutionary psychology. Somewhere back in our collective prehistoric days, one of
our ancestors had a battle to the death. Why are we here? They figured something
out. Fast forward to todays world, we have mixed martial arts, a sport around the
world where men and women practice fighting for both entertainment and self
defense skills. MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts is a famous worldwide, it supports local
economies, safety is a top priority, and it promotes violence no more than the rest
of the media children are exposed to today.
Despite the common idea that MMA is unsafe, safety is a top priority to the industry.
In fact, it has been statistically proven that many other less criticized sports are
even more dangerous. In the article titled, Event Reignites Safety Debate Sean
Myers explains, Since the UFC held its first event in 1993, there have been two
recorded deaths in professional mixed martial arts competitions, compared with 70
in boxing between 1998 and 2006, according to BoxRec Boxing Records. And both
boxing and the National Football League have higher rates of concussions. This
article proves that even though many people believe that MMA is unsafe, its much
safer in comparison to sports like Football and Boxing when proper precautions are
put in place.
Advocates against Mixed Martial Arts make sense when they assert that the sport is
violent. Indeed, that is the whole point of MMA. According to Dr. John Haggie from
the Canadian Medical Association, The objective is to render your opponent
insensible Its the commercialization of violence, it sets a bad example for
children (Myers). Admittedly, the sport is violent; on the other hand, most movies,
video games, and other forms of entertainment are equally violent. Yet, they dont
contribute to its own evolutionary survival. In fact, these forms of entertainment will
probably render us extinct.
Furthermore, MMA is incredibly stimulating for local economies, Myers writes, The
UFC coming to town can mean an estimated $4 million injection into the local
economy and would likely attract visitors from across Western Canada. The events
are also widely televised through pay per view. So Mixed Martial Arts supports the
economy and helps small communities gain an average of $4 million.

Mixed Martial Arts is not only an entertaining sport, but a breeding ground for
economic wealth, its equal to and less violent than many movies and video games,
and it is safer than sports like Football and Boxing. Altogether, its apparent that
MMA is a sport that has little to no reason to be banned at all, and should remain
legal. In the future, mixed martial arts will expand becoming more popular and the
already widely watched sport will bring in more income to local economies.

Works Cited

Gleason, Bucky. "Common Sense Takes a Beating in New York's Singular Ban on
MMA."
Buffalo News. 24 May 2015: B.17. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
Lane, Daniel. "Young Set Their Hearts on Entering the Octagon." Sydney Morning
Herald. 08
Nov. 2014: 51. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
Myers, Sean. "Event Reignites Safety Debate." Calgary Herald. 05 Mar. 2012: A.1.
SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
Roth, Leo. "Legalize MMA or Feel Rousey's Wrath." Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle. 29
Mar. 2015: 8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.