The 411 Book Review: Fighting for Acceptance - Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society.

Posted by John Curry on 01.31.2009

A look at the human side of Mixed Martial Arts fighters, including interviews with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jason “MayheM” Miller and more.




Title: Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society
Author(s): David T. Mayeda, PH.D. & David E. Ching, M.A.
Publisher:
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100
Lincoln, Nebraska 68512
www.iuniverse.com
Copyright 2008

In modern society, continuing the pattern of history, the way those "gladiators" who fight for our own enjoyment are viewed is often skewed and misrepresented to the point that the fighters identity is linked more to their behavior and attitude inside a cage or ring than it is to who they are in everyday life. There is no Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell. There is only "Rampage" and "The Iceman," two examples of how the sport identity overshadows the personal identity. It is often this discrepancy that creates a false sense of identity and can lead to an identity crisis in fighters. The fighters deal with being loved one night as a main event fighter and loathed the next night as an undercard competitor. This ever changing and always fluctuating aspect of the sport often times can lead to depression, which is a large factor in what fans refer to as "Not knowing when to walk away." How often does anyone ask how does a fighter see this behavior, the sport they are involved in, it and most importantly themselves and how it influences what they do. Enter David Mayeda and David Ching.

Fighting for Acceptance takes a look at this complicated and often ignored conundrum of not only how society views the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (and yes it is a sport) but how that view impacts the way fighters view themselves and their sport. Mixing their expertise in sociological and psychological research with the personal opinions and feelings of some of the sport's most extraordinary and enigmatic fighters, including Randy "The Natural" Couture, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Jason "MayheM" Miller, Travis Lutter, Frank Trigg, to name a few, Mayeda and Ching create and interweaving look at the world of MMA that is exciting, innovative and most importantly brutally honest.


Fighting for Acceptance does not sugarcoat the fact that we as a society and as a species thrive on competition regardless of the amount of risk or violence involved and that much of society holds a hypocritical view towards MMA. Mixed Martial Arts are often referred to as "barbaric" or as one former Presidential candidate enjoyed referring to it "human cock-fighting", yet these same people can be seen as spectators in such events as boxing, football, baseball or basketball where "between 1995-1999, there were 542 league punishments dealt out….249 (46 percent)for fighting." (p.29) Mayeda and Ching not only introduce their findings but substantiate them with evidence found not only in medical reports or their own opinions but by allowing the fighters to be completely honest regarding this hypocrisy.


The book allows criticism of all sports including boxing without disrespecting any of them. Two of the most fascinating chapters of the book focus on the often contested and disputed symbiotic relationship between the sports of boxing and mixed martial arts. Mayeda allows the fighters to distinguish what the differences between boxing and MMA are, with a majority of the fighters explaining that the amount of violence in boxing is exceeds the amount in mixed martial arts due to the focus of the strikes as well as the length of the matches. One of the interesting examples of the differences in safety between boxing and MMA comes from Pride FC legend and current UFC fighter Dan "Hendo" Henderson who stated:

"Boxing you get hit in the head, you know, twelve rounds straight, and you get your bell rung in boxing and the ref has to step in and give you an eight count. Then they let you go out there and get beat up again two or three times before they stop they fight. We get our bell rung, and the fight's over, so I think, I'd say we're wearing a lot smaller gloves, but either way, when you get your bell rung, the smaller gloves might be safer for your head. You know, you don't take all the multi-trauma to your head like a boxing glove."

In the end it isn't who is right or who is wrong regarding which sport is the safer rather how the participants of each respected sport see themselves. From feelings of lonliness, exclusion, and how they feel their childhood upbringings influenced their lives as mixed martial artists, Fighting for Acceptance is the standard by which all fans, critics, and media of mixed martial arts should base their opinions. Without understanding how the fighters view themselves it is impossible to form a legit, understanding, educated opinion of the sport. By the time you finish this book you should walk away with the only constant in the world of mixed martial arts---ALL MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS

The 411 Rating: 9/10 ------A Must Read for MMA fans and people who seek to understand the sociological and psychological impact and influences of MMA.