Watching team mixed martial arts (MMA) is off-putting, at least for me. The action appears intentionally chaotic with the product itself seemingly geared to deliver gratuitous, overwhelming violence. Its origins are rooted in spectacle. While the activity involves elements of sport, it’s dubious to label the product as such.
Yet, these criticisms should be familiar to fans of MMA. They are precisely the sort of arguments cynics, skeptics and other doubters have used to challenge the acceptance of mixed martial arts over the course of its rise to prominence.
What team MMA truly is, and where it’s headed is up for debate, but what seems beyond dispute is that it represents an attempt to iterate MMA.