Dana White opens his mouth yet again. He goes onto NBC Sports declaring that “We totally make make this a ‘Family Friendly’ sport”.
First off, the UFC does not equal MMA. It is a brand, not the sport. We will run with his statements though and equate his comment as “We totally make the UFC a ‘Family Friendly’ event.” which is what I think he was trying to get at.
I personally found this laughable as they showed Chris Leben with his mohawk and the unedited video cuts with the sounds of fighter’s fists landing on the other person’s head.
Maybe I should get Dana to talk to my wife because she has forbidden my kids from watching “the sport” after my little boy had a “little” incident at his preschool.
My three year old went to his school and declared to everybody that fighting was good because his daddy did it and called his teacher a “b*tch”. MY THREE YEAR OLD!!! How do you explain the nuances of a ring, consenting adults, referees and protective gear, plus discipline and restraint in the outside world to a three year old? All he sees is two half-naked guys trying to purportedly bash each others skulls in. When one of them eventually succeeds in the UFC they then get to grab the mic and curse to their hearts content and declare their unspoken intentions of knocking the other fighters block off.
Don’t forget a commissioner who likes to drop the eff-bomb every third word. I thought I saw Dana White’s eyes bulging as he had to restrain himself from cussing as he was being interviewed by NBC.
We haven’t even gotten into attire yet. My wife asks me why I watch grown, half naked men hugging each other in a cage. She then compared it to “girl porno”. Her statements made me pause and think about it for a second. Shoney Carter wears a speedo and a cup into his matches. They all vaseline up beforehand. Most wear form fitting gear with bulging crotches. They all practice moves called “The Guard” and “The Mount” that in another situation could be called provocative.
My daughters comments on the matters were about the ring girls. “Daddy, the fighting is all right but those girls don’t dress very nice."Do I really want my six year old daughter watching this?
Granted, all these things can be explained away. Bulges are because of cups and are necessary for protection. Vaseline is to protect from lacerations. You don’t want a lot of gear on because it can be used as a dangerous weapon and you can overheat. “The Guard” and “The Mount” are valid pieces of a ground game in a fight and the last thing on a fighters mind at that moment is sex. I can’t explain away the language or the ring girls and I don’t want my kids watching it on TV.
Regardless, calling the UFC a “Family Friendly” event is a little ridiculous. MMA is and can be a family friendly sport but the UFC is far from “Family Friendly”. Once again Dana White opens his mouth and sticks his foot in it.