UFC 109: The story of one man's 'Relentless' conversion to MMA fandom

I know, it's hard for us to believe that there are twenty-something males out there who are die hard sports fans that don't know a thing about our beloved sport of mixed martial arts -- nor do they care to.

I'm sure that there are plenty of them that surround us daily, but that doesn't mean that we're not baffled as to why they couldn't care less. I happen to work with a few gentlemen who fit this description "to a T" over at the SB Nation.

It's not their fault.

They're not ignoring our sport on purpose. They just haven't been exposed to that one moment that each of us have experienced at some point in our lives that made us fall in love with the purest form of sport known to man. 

That all changed for one person this weekend. Senior Editor at SB Nation, Andrew Sharp, was in attendance at UFC 109. It was the first time he had ever seen what the sport was all about. He had his preconceived notions going in, and they weren't all favorable. But like many of us now know, it takes just one truly memorable experience with the sport to become hooked.

Mr. Sharp tells a great story of how it happened to him.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Mixed Martial Arts-and its most prominent brand, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or the UFC-has struggled to gain mainstream acceptance. At least among the more traditional sports fans and media, the fastest growing sport in the world still percolates beneath the surface. Or worse, it gets dismissed altogether.

You don't like Mixed Martial Arts? You don't respect it? I used to be in the same boat.

Depending on your levels of cynicism, it's either a form of human cruelty, or a slightly more legitimized form of WWF wrestling, equal parts barbaric and cartoonish. And it's stereotypes like those that have kept the UFC relegated to the margins of the mainstream. So far, "serious" people have refused to embrace it, and as a result, idiot sports fans like me just dismiss it.

But a note to "serious" people everywhere: Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that, in so many different ways, demands to be taken seriously. Taken seriously by the fighters, by promoters, by advertisers, and most of all, by the fans-the Mixed Martial Arts obsessives that have made MMA and the UFC the fastest growing sport on the planet.

People see the UFC as an organization promoting these barbaric cage matches, bastardizing the sports of boxing and wrestling, and turning them into pure bloodsport. The athletes train hard, yes, but can they really compare to other pro athletes? Someone like Randy Couture may be tough, but so is Ray Lewis-can Randy Couture also run a 4.6 40-yard dash? These are the arguments that sports fans use when they're dismissing MMA as a perversion and a waste of time. Much ado about nothing.

It may be insanely popular, but so are the Black Eyed Peas. And look at all the fans, wearing those ridiculous Affliction shirts. We're supposed to take this seriously? What the hell is a tap out?

This is how people like me have ignored the rise of Mixed Martial Arts over the past decade. It's like there's this awesome party going on, and nobody can be bothered to show up and check it out.

And it's our loss. I went to a fight this weekend - UFC 109, which wasn't even supposed to be a spectacular card-and despite some serious skepticism, it took all of five minutes to be converted. The energy gets you first, then it's the fighting styles, then it's the fans, and finally, the fighters, themselves. It's all on par with any big football or basketball game, and yes, a boxing match. The UFC culture is insular, and I was an outsider, but again, all it took was five minutes.    

I strongly suggest you check out the rest of his piece over at the SB Nation. It paints a great picture as to what it's like for a young guy like Mr. Sharp, someone who writes about sports for a living, to make the leap that we have all previously made in giving MMA a chance to win us over.

The sport has never failed us, and it didn't fail him either.