Blood seems to be everywhere inside the octagon. The fighters look like they just walked off a minefield. Brutal punches, knees, kicks and, not to forget, ruthless ground-and-pounding are the very trademarks of mixed martial arts (MMA), also known as ultimate fighting and cage fighting. Scenes from the movie Fight Club with Brad Pitt seem mild by comparison. Yet the popularity of MMA is evident in the recent increase of MMA classes for children and adults in the Tampa Bay area as well as the rest of the United States. Are these people out of their minds to expose themselves or their kids to mindless physical violence? Recent research findings will surprise you!
This article appears in May 13-19, 2009.