Speaking of the Olympics...

While we're on the subject of the Olympics, I have an idea for an event that should be added to the 2012 Summer Games in London: Mixed Martial Arts competition. I understand that this may be a controversial addition to the games for a variety of reasons, but I also believe that it is necessary for several reasons. The first reason they should add it is the increasing popularity of a sport that has begun to rival boxing ( Ulitmate Fighting Championship's current heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar, was 96 on Business Week's Power 100 in sports, as compared to boxing welterweight great Floyd Mayweather Jr., who came in slightly ahead of him at 91, according to sherdog.com. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Business Week's Power 100 is a list of athletes who are not only at the top of their sport but also help their sport sell billions of dollars as well) . In addition, mixed martial arts has gained world wide appeal, with fighters coming from North America, South America, Asia, and even Europe/Russia. Critics of mixed martial arts would argue that it is a more violent sport than boxing, and therefore should not be added to the games. I would counter that argument by saying that boxing can be very violent itself, and the International Olympic Committee can always add stipulations to the sport (such as making headgear necessary, shortening the length of the rounds) to limit its brutality. Finally, detractors of MMA would argue that it is too barbaric to be considered an olympic sport. Well, I would say it is no more barbaric than boxing itself, and, actually, there is more skill necessary to win an MMA event than a boxing event. I believe the best example of this would be Anderson Silva, a middleweight from Brazil who not only utilizes a devastating karate kick but superior boxing skills to wear down his opponents.