Fight Game
DURING the press conference after the Fedor Emelianenko—Fabricio Werdum fight, Emelianenko’s translator’s eyes started to well up with tears right as a reporter asked the stoic Emelianenko what emotions were going through his head after he tapped. Wiping her eyes, the translator asked the question to the fighter in Russian, who just chuckled at the poignant moment. The steely-eyed Emelianenko spoke softly in Russian, measuring his words carefully before finishing his sentence. He said he was sorry for disappointing his fans and all those that believed in him, and graciously praised his opponent in defeat.
The loss was the first true defeat for the 32-year-old Russian, his only other coming under dubious circumstances because of a cut sustained from illegal blow 10 years ago.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a fast sport, if somewhat inaccessible to the casual fan, that has spawned its own culture. It takes a certain degree of insider knowledge to enjoy two sweaty men rolling on the mat for a few minutes. It lacks spectacle, but has great atmosphere and enjoys incredible popularity at the moment—Emelianenko’s upset loss to Werdum was the No.1 Yahoo! story after it broke. Emelianenko’s first-round defeat at the hands of Werdum wasn’t a very dramatic fight, despite the result. Fedor and Fabricio danced around the ring before Fedor attacked the tentative Fabricio, knocking him to the ground with two punches. An overzealous Fedor sensed victory and joined his opponent on the ground, where his hastiness resulted in a match-ending submission.
Warriors of Wood
Freestyle BMX is a sport that oozes panache, something the MMA lacks, yet is remains on the periphery of America’s conscious. It doesn’t take familiarity with BMX to truly enjoy the sport, like MMA does. All it requires is a fundamental understanding of the law of gravity and a pair of eyeballs. Yet, despite BMX’s accessibility, it doesn’t have many casual fans.
Veteran professional BMX rider Ryan Nyquist hosted the second-annual Warriors of Wood event at San Jose PAL stadium on Saturday afternoon, an event mostly populated by those that participate in one form of BMX or another. The free event had some of the best riders in the world, riders that are completely anonymous to most Americans. TJ Ellis won the event for the second year in a row, claiming the $2,500 purse.
They flipped, spun and contorted their bikes and bodies in gravity-defying ways that seemed unimaginable. Incredible feats of coordination and athleticism from the riders garnered cheers from the half-filled bleachers.
Casual fans tune in to watch MMA and buy tickets to the events, despite not knowing the difference between an arm-bar and a triangle. A reality TV show and a soon-to-be-released videogame speak to the popularity of the sport among casual fans.
The culture of BMX is an insular one. A large percentage of fans that follow the sport are BMXers themselves, but it doesn’t take the ability to perform a back-flip to appreciate one.
