MMA (UFC) and catholicism

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Just wondering if it is permissble to be a fan of this “bloodsport” and boxing as well, bearing in mind the aggresive nature of the fighters, the tatoos, the occasional swearing, the brutality of the matches…I love watching UFC and i was wondering what the church’s stance on this is…
 
The Church is supportive of “sport” in general:
Certain societies, such as the family and the state, correspond more directly to the nature of man; they are necessary to him. To promote the participation of the greatest number in the life of a society, the creation of voluntary associations and institutions must be encouraged “on both national and international levels, which relate to economic and social goals, to cultural and recreational activities,** to sport**, to various professions, and to political affairs.” This “socialization” also expresses the natural tendency for human beings to associate with one another for the sake of attaining objectives that exceed individual capacities. It develops the qualities of the person, especially the sense of initiative and responsibility, and helps guarantee his rights. [CCC 1882]
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My intuition tells me this would not extend to “bloodsport” where the objective is to cause pain. However, the people are informed and willing participants, and the violence is not motivated by hatred or other negative emotion, and there is no desire that the violence result in serious injury or death. Given these conditions, I could find no opposition within the Catechism.
 
I’m not a MMA/UFC fan (but I am a boxing fan) and there is nothing wrong with watching them. Just because I don’t enjoy them doesn’t mean they should be qualified as sinful or something.
 
Lilsheep88 said:
Just wondering if it is permissble to be a fan of this “bloodsport” and boxing as well, bearing in mind the aggresive nature of the fighters, the tatoos, the occasional swearing, the brutality of the matches…I love watching UFC and i was wondering what the church’s stance on this is…
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Um… granted that MMA is hardly a bloodsport and the brutality of the matches is about the equivalent of two puppies wrestling around, what about it would be objectionable to the church?
 
Lilsheep88 said:
Just wondering if it is permissble to be a fan of this “bloodsport” and boxing as well, bearing in mind the aggresive nature of the fighters, the tatoos, the occasional swearing, the brutality of the matches…I love watching UFC and i was wondering what the church’s stance on this is…
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I don’t know. I personally find it very morally offensive. But it’s up to you.
 
Boxing has deep ties to Catholicism.
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Manny hears mass before everyone of his bouts.


MMA does not benefit from the long and glorious history of boxing. Despite it being a much more complex sport which requires more strategy due to the numerous fighting styles permitted. It will always struggle with shaking off its image as a “bloodsport”. Its not fair for the fans of the sport but the ones to blame IMO are the UFC itself for perpetuating this image of the tattooed covered, muscle milk gulping, metal head brawler. This is unfortunate but look at all the affliction/tapout/ufc shirts being sold.
 
Despite all the “human cock fight” verbiage, MMA is arguably less violent than boxing. If trapped in a submission hold or being hit too hard, a fighter can always tap out, which ends the fight. If a boxer quits in the middle of a match (Like Roberto “No Mas!” Duran), he will endure far more opprobrium than the MMAist. MMAists also usually suffer fewer blows, as if a fighter is outmatched on his feet, he will change level and shoot in for a takedown. If a fighter is on the bottom and is being struck without being able to adequately defend, the ref will end the fight. The smaller, lighter gloves worn by an MMAist are actually responsible for less trauma to the person who is being punched, as the larger gloves of a boxer don’t protect the person being hit, they protect the hands of the one doing the punching so they can keep hitting them longer and harder. The MMAit has to hold back a lot more to avoid damaging his hands.

I like both sports. Boxing does indeed have a long Catholic heritage (as generations of Irish, Italian, Mexican, and Filipino boxers have shown.) I learned to box in the hall of a Catholic church, and was taught by our priest, Fr. Dallmaier, as generations of young Catholic men were. I also competed in the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Boxing leagues as an amateur. I don’t know if those are still around now. I doubt it.

MMA also has Catholic roots, which as we know it today in America today is largely the product of the (Roman Catholic) Gracie family of Brazil. Rorion Gracie co-created the modern UFC as a showcase for their family’s style of Jiu-Jitsu, and for his brother Royce’s domination of the early UFC fights.

As long as one shows the proper respect and concern for one’s opponent in the match, there is no reason for a Catholic to avoid it if he likes it. If one finds the level of violence distressing (as many do), obviously one should not watch it, just as one shouldn’t watch NFL football if he or she is uncomfortable with the sight of huge men slamming into each other.
 
Posting that last made me look up some info on the Catholic Youth Organization and boxing - I had forgotten that the competitions were so vigorous that we used to joke that “CYO” stood for “Crush Your Opponent”.

Interesting stuff: “By 1930 the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) joined the ranks of national boxing enterprises. The CYO team proved especially popular during the Depression, as it supplied its members with a full suit of clothes as well as medical and dental care. CYO fighters who opted for the professional ranks received guidance from program affiliated management teams. Others got jobs through the Catholic social and commercial network.”

From a history of the Golden Gloves program in Chicago:
Chicago Tribune sportswriter and editor Arch Ward had a dream to raise money for Chicago Tribune Charities through amateur bouts called “Golden Gloves” (the champions received a golden pendant in the shape of gloves), but suffered years of legal setbacks in the 1920s. He helped get boxing legalized in 1926, the year that the Illinois Boxing Commission formed. In 1930, Ward, a hard-working Chicago Catholic, teamed with Bishop Sheil to collaborate on the process of raising money for children and promoting the fights through a new well-funded sports and recreation program called CYO. Young men got initial training at CYO gyms and Catholic schools, then entered the Golden Gloves competitions. That’s why the Golden Gloves and CYO programs often seemed one and the same. Their success spread to similar programs around the country, and CYO boxing went national. Many Golden Gloves and CYO athletes traveled abroad to represent the United States in the Olympics. For the athletes, most of them poor and very underprivileged, this offered the opportunity to go pro. Joe Louis, of course, was early proof of the programs’ success. In 1937, the legend became Heavyweight Champion of the World by defeating Jimmy Braddock at Comiskey Park (now U.S. Cellular Field) three years after his Chicago Golden Gloves victory.
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CYO Youth Boxing is still very popular in the Philippines, as you might expect. Some boxing scholars say the modern style of boxing is largely based on the influence of Filipino boxers in the early 20th century, possibly influenced by indigenous Filipino empty-hand martial arts systems.
 
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