This rocket ship of a sport today started as little more than a spectacle so many years ago. What today is thought of as the fastest growing sport in the world, was designed to be a train wreck. Something that shocked the viewer enough to entice their emotional, more animal urges. Something that beckoned they hand over their hard earned dollars.
Today what was once revered as the human cock fight, and banned from more than a few states, is now a multi million dollar a year business on many levels. It has garnered the intrigue of more than a few generations of fans. Many fans have watched since the times of shoes and gis to now the days of MMA marketing, and MMA 2.0.
The evolution of the sport has been fascinating to watch, and intriguing to follow. Much has changed over the last decade and a half. Temples were erected only to topple over. One temple, the UFC, reigning supreme over the spectrum of the sport. Many challengers have emerged, some falling along the way. Some remaining and garnering warranted attention.
One of the constant yet equally staggered changes in the sport has been in the fight camps and fighters themselves. What was once the domination of the Gracie family, became the Lions Den, became Militech, became Greg Jackson. Men once called the Beast, the Predator, the most dangerous man, gave way to kids named Bad Boy and the Iceman, who now in turn are passing the torch to Sugar, Rush and the Dragon.
It is happening and has happened before the eyes of the fans for years now. It seems the sport of MMA is at yet another crossroads in these times. MMA fans have or will witness the beginning of the end for many fan favorites who in recent history have catapulted a sport started by those brave veterans so many years ago.
Name like Chuck Lidell and Randy Couture have permeated the sport for as long as many younger MMA fans may even remember. Guys like Matt Hughes really have passed the baton to gentlemen like George St. Pierres. Even B.J. Penn, a man who has tested the very boundaries of the sport in every way imaginable, may very well be in the category of waining veteran.
Sure Tito may be talking about joining up with a new promotion, or a warrior like Don Frye may still be doing the damn thing down in Texas last weekend, but in the end their times have come and gone. The spotlight has moved towards fighters like Rashad who has never tasted defeat and carries a UFC gold around his waist.
Sadly men like Chuck Lidell have become an afterthought when talking about the LHW title. How odd is that for those who have seen nothing short of his utter domination of that spot for so long? How strange was it to see Hughes not even compete with the young Alves when they met, after his manhandling of every opponant that would get in the cage with him not so long ago?
Time marches on and with it, young lions replace the old leaders of the pride. With those young lions comes new talent, new rivalries in their quest to reach the top, new blood. The old lions of course will never go quietly, not without a fight. This ensures in some way their legacy is handed down, and the young lions are battle tested against the skills of the old.
At the end of the day, MMA fans must remember the glory they are witnessing as it happens. The gems of history, Shamrock vs. Gracie, Frye vs. Colemen, Fedor vs. Nog, Griffen vs. Bonnar, are rare treats. Domination such as the likes of Fedor, Penn, and Lidell are rare indeed and one would do well to stop and drink it in. There is no telling when the next war will come, or who will capture their hearts in battle.
One thing is for sure, the young lions in Evans, Griffen, GSP, and guys like Maia need to remember is they are part of the legacy. Not only writing their own page in history but adding their own notes to the overall novel of MMA and how it unfolds for fans today and future generations to enjoy.
They have big shoes to fill, on the grandest stage the sport has ever known, with the most attention the sport has ever received. The fans, and time alike, are waiting to see how they take their place at the throne atop the mountain, leading the pride into uncharted waters.
