It has been over 20-years since Royce Gracie choked his way past the competition en route to winnining UFC 1 and yet there are still untold numbers of potential fans who are as yet uneducated in the UFC and dont know whether the fighting is fake or sports entertainment (as in the WWE). Indeed, there is a crossover of athletes who have dabbled in both sports, with the likes of Bobby Lashley, Dave Batista, Ken Shamrock and most famously Brock Lesnar swapping the squared-circle for the cage or vice versa at turning points in their careers. While it is certainly entertaining to see transitions such as these, it doesnt help Dana White in his long-standing quest to have MMA universally recognised as a legitimate sport. Bellator MMA ever the thorn in Dana Whites side have recently habituated to sharing their organisation to the WWE. With his outspoken personality, it was arguably a given that Tito Ortiz would join former-UFC rival Quinton Rampage Jackson on TNA after he signed with Bellator. With the number of former UFC champions dabbling in wrestling swelling from just one to three, this is bad news for the UFC to make it clear that the combat shown in the Octagon is completely real and unscripted, MMAs premier promotion must fully disassociate itself from wrestling. Names like Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson and Brock Lesnar carry a lot of weight and are currently scuppering the UFCs plans.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
