Start the Summer Off Right... With Some Ground and Pound

On my drive home this afternoon after a nice three-day weekend in the Catskills, far removed from the city, I pondered what a relaxing time it's been- kayaking and canoeing on the lake, fishing bass and pickerel, playing cards with the family, biking the quiet roads of the upper Hudson Valley. My mind was clear of all the distractions I left behind- work, chores, TV, Internet. However, one thought from the connected world lingered within my mind: UFC 60 was this Saturday.

(For anyone who's not been following this blog (shame on you), and doesn't know what the UFC is at this point, you can get a primer from my previous post here.)

My fight of the weekend: a 15 inch bass

This past Saturday was the big fight between the current welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, versus the world-revered jiu-jitsu fighter, Royce Gracie. The hype-machine cup was frothing over, building this match as one for the ages- the country farm born, straw-chewing, XYience-drinking hick who happens to be arguably the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, against the return of a fighting legend whose family lineage helped create what we know as mixed martial arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship today. In the process, he also made wrestling half-naked men on the ground absolutely baaad assss. Trivia note: The Gracie family started the original Ultimate Fighting Championship to prove that their style of martial arts (Gracie jiu-jitsu) was the best, as it pitted different styles of martial arts against each other- Karate vs. Judo, Kung Fu vs. Boxing, etc. The first UFC confirmed that theory, this match would again put the Gracie jiu-jitsu style to the test.

As always, the UFC is televised via pay per view, and as always, I neither pay for it, nor do I go to a local Hooters to watch it live. All weekend, I yearned to find out who won and how. The only time I watched TV at the lake house was to see if the local sports news anchor happened to cover it- no such luck. Then I checked the local paper to see if it was mentioned anywhere in the sports section, to no avail. Only until this afternoon back home and wired was I able to get the lowdown. And thanks to YouTube, and fans that love to share, I get to watch it too!



NOTE: this video is viewable as of May 29, 6:59pm ET. I presume once the UFC digital police come back on to work tomorrow, they'll have YouTube remove any user created digital recordings of this event, as they've done in the past. So enjoy it while it lasts. To see other fights of that evening (while they're up), search for 'UFC 60.'

To meet the demand of viewing this and other classic bouts when you want it, the UFC is finally getting into the online 'On-Demand' video realm by launching 'UFC On Demand'. However, since I'm on a Mac and don't meet the system requirements currently, I'm unable to see what they have to offer, so I'm forced to continue getting my fill from YouTube's generous copyright infringing members.

For those still not convinced this sport is catching on and spreading into the mainstream like ebola in the Sudan, the TV trade publication TV Week just today reported that Fox Sports, MTV2, and Oxygen (yes, that chick channel brought to you by this woman) have all got on the mixed martial arts bandwagon. After seeing the success that Spike TV has had with televising events and creating a popular reality based show around the sport, all three networks are planning to produce similar themed programming based on mixed martial arts. It looks like the corporate suits are starting to get over the violent stigma tied to the sport and are seeing green behind those bloodied faces.