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When people ask if mixed martial arts is a sport they are asking the wrong question. They should be asking if MMA is a martial art. Mixed martial arts is a sport for the simple reason of there are competitors, referees and judges. People train many hours for the matches. People take the sport very seriously and it is truly an insult when people not involved with the combat sports question MMA's validity and turn around and accept boxing and wrestling as sports. MMA is basically a combination of the to sports with elements of the martial arts thrown in for flavor. MMA competitors represent their sport better than many other sports. Many of them make it a point to train younger fighters not only to continue the sport but also because many MMA competitors would have been problems for society if it wasn't for the sport that got them to focus.

What viewers need to realize is that mixed martial arts is not a martial art. This is because they don't have all the elements that make a martial art. Yes, they teach kicks and punches, throws and take-downs and many other elements of the martial arts but the thing they miss is the spiritual aspect of the martial arts. All martial arts train mind, body and spirit. The martial arts are derived from religious and spiritual practices. There can be a debate on whether or not western fighting systems are considered martial arts, but using the above model most would not be considered. As for MMA being a sport, it is a great sport that will within the next 2 - 5 years take the place of boxing and will bring a resurgence of interest in wrestling on the high school and collegiate level.

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