Thought of the Day - April 30 2021 - The UFC, a Sport for the Times

I am sure most of you are not mixed martial arts fans, so I will give you a little background.

The UFC is the most successful international mixed martial arts organization. While fighting may not be "your cup of tea", the sport (called that as it is honest about the objective to "beat" your opponent) ultimately includes some of the best all-around athletes in the world. The UFC attracts athletes from the favelas of Brazil, the mountains of Dagestan and the colleges of the USA. And their fighting style is just as diverse as their background. Some train in Thai Kickboxing, others in Japanese martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, or wrestling, and many in all of the above. Indeed, the most globally-famous Canadian sports star of all time is not Steve Nash, or Wayne Gretsky, it is Georges "Rush" St-Pierre, GSP to his fans, by a mile.

While I have been critical of how a number of professional sports handled themselves through the pandemic, the UFC has navigated the waves with minimal issue. Moreover, they got creative, as well as leveraging their global talent pool, they also procured an island (Yas "Flight" Island in Abu Dhabi) on which to hold the tournaments.

However, last weekend was different. Last weekend the UFC held its first full-attendance event in nine months - UFC 261 in Jacksonville Florida. And what an event it was. Three title fights (Women's Strawweight and Flyweight, and Men's Welterweight) headlined the card (unfortunately, the sole Canadian on the roster, Tristan Connelly from Victoria, was not successful).

The real reason for this Thought of the Day was not just to bore you with UFC info but to set the stage for the real spectacle from last Saturday night, the audience. Gone were the face masks, gone was the social distancing, instead it was just one giant party over fifteen thousand strong.

When Bruce Buffer stepped up and started with "this is the moment you've all been waiting for", those in attendance and fans watching around the world chimed as one with the infamous line "Iiittss TIME!!!".

Reflecting on it, I guess the UFC mixed martial arts is not the only successful sport of the times, but, as COVID fatigue sets in across the country, last weekend "the Buff" did deliver the line for the times.

Cheers

Cliff