Is UFC Scripted and Is MMA a Real Sport?
MMA is rising fast and is about to become the most popular combat sport, even bigger than boxing. But many new fans who don’t know much about MMA have a lot of questions. Some of the most popular ones are whether MMA is a sport after all, and is UFC scripted?
It is far from being WWE as the strikes and injuries are real. MMA fighters are real athletes who always look to hurt their opponent with every strike they throw.
Keep reading this article to find out more about UFC and the sport of MMA. We will look at whether the UFC matches are fixed, and is MMA a sport.
Is UFC Scripted?
UFC and MMA events in other promotions are not scripted, like wrestling for example. MMA fighters are all elite and very skillful fighters who are aiming to hurt, knock out or submit the opponent with every move. The blood, fractures, and deep cuts are as real as it gets, and, fighters end up in hospital after every event. MMA is a combat sport that has a high injury rate, even higher than boxing according to studies.
MMA is not like WWE wrestling where the entire events and fights are prepared behind the scenes. When an MMA fighter ends in an armbar, for instance, their opponent would pull the arm until you tap out, or hear the crack. The same stands for any other choke, joint lock, or strike.
You can’t script a fighter getting blasted with a shin right to the head and flying across the cage unconscious. Maybe you can, but you would need some of the best actors to carry out these stunts.
Why do many people see the UFC as WWE?
When we say “people”, we are usually talking about the younger generation. In most cases, they are fans of WWE wrestling and are yet to learn more about real combat sports. The UFC and WWE do not have much in common when it comes to actual fighting, rules, and many other aspects. But at the same time, there is a reason why these people/kids may think the UFC is also scripted like WWE.
First of all, a lot of WWE fans know a thing or two about MMA thanks to the likes of Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. Lesnar, in fact, deserves a lot of credits for drawing the WWE audience into the UFC. He is still one of the biggest MMA stars who won the UFC title in a very short time span. This on its own was enough for many wrestling fans to think that UFC is scripted and the same as WWE.
The other reason is the way the UFC is promoting their events and matches. It’s not a secret that the promotion likes money fights, and that they are using the same marketing tools as the promoters from professional wrestling.
In a lot of super fights, we have “villains” and “ heroes” and a ton of fake drama. The UFC is doing a really good job in dividing the audience and forcing people to pick a side, which is a great marketing trick WWE has been using for decades.
Is MMA a sport or not?
Overall, you can look at MMA as a combat sport, but, bear in mind that there are a couple of issues with this statement. Many people think that MMA is yet to reach the status of a real sport because it differs a lot from the other ones like basketball or football, and their argument is strong.
You see, the UFC is a leader in the MMA market and it holds a monopoly. It is a private company and their interest is to put on fights that the audience would pay to watch. The promotion favors matches that will bring high pay-per-view sales and revenue. To some extent, you can say that the UFC is manipulating their business and matchmaking with the goal to make as much money as possible. They always analyze the market and give the people the fights they want to see, instead of following a strict competition system that is the same for all the fighters.
This is a problem because we don’t always see the best fighters compete against each other or for a title. For instance, we can have a popular fighter on a 4 fight winning streak getting a title shot over a fighter who is on a 10 fight winning streak. This happens in the UFC all the time. On top of that, fighters who talk trash, and are good with the media tend to rise much faster and receive more opportunities.
Although this sounds normal, it’s not. If we look at NBA for instance, the teams that enter the playoffs are the ones with the best records in the league. And later on, the two teams that enter the finals are the ones that eliminated the others. You might not be a fan of the Lakers vs. Miami matchup, but that’s the one you got in the finals.
But in MMA, the UFC can replace the Lakers with the other team if that is what people want to see, and they are doing this all the time. This is the main argument why MMA is not a real sport, but on the other side, there are people who think it doesn’t even matter.
Is UFC fixing matches?
No, there is no evidence that UFC is fixing matches. The UFC is a leader in the MMA industry and its annual revenue is close to a billion dollars. In other words, UFC is a strong brand that doesn’t need to fix fights and ruin its reputation. They already make enough money.
However, although the UFC is not fixing the outcome, the promotion is often manipulating the matchmaking to set up the fights fans want to see. In the end, their main goal is to make money in this business. But, how that works in practice?
The matchmakers favor fighters who can create a lot of attention and are outspoken on the mic. They favor rivalries, trash-talking, or any other story that can draw viewers to watch you perform. These fighters can get special treatment, enter the rankings quicker, and get a title shot. If you have a strong fan base and you know how to sell a fight, you can climb the lathers much faster than the fighters who stay quiet.
As a result, fans always get matches that are very popular, but on the other side, not fair. A fighter on a 3 fight winning streak can receive a shot at the title instead of a fighter who is on a 10 fight winning streak. Although this is not fair, it is how the UFC is doing business.
It is the same when it comes to official UFC rankings. First of all, the ranking system itself is not transparent, and we don’t know how credible the people who vote for the rankings are. And second, the UFC is often ignoring the rankings. For instance, instead of giving the #1 contender a shot at the title, they would go with the #3–4 ranked fighter. The best instance was when Conor McGregor got a title shot after coming off a 2-year layoff.
Are UFC and MMA the same thing?
No, MMA is a combat sport and UFC is the private company that promotes MMA matches and events. A lot of people use these two terms to describe the same thing, which is a mistake. But why is this happening so often?
The reason is quite simple. MMA as a sport emerged in the 1980s in Japan, but, it exploded with the birth of the UFC in 1993. The UFC is a pioneer of MMA in the western world and the promotion deserves a lot of credit for regulating the sport and making it suitable for the broad audience. In modern times, it is the best MMA promotion and home to the most skilled fighters and largest events.
As a result, it has become synonymous with the sport of MMA, which is a reason why people are mixing these two terms with one another.
