To name but a few of the mixed martial arts that have been witnessed in the UFC (which has become synonymous with mixed martial arts) one should mention san sho, muay thai, Brazilian jiu jit su, tae kwon do, judo, wing shun, not to mention the grappling techniques of college wrestlers and the less refined boxing that is also showcased. These art forms are not labelled as barbaric (granted boxing does come under criticism), and to label ancient art forms upon which countries pride themselves (Brazil, Japan, the Philippines, and China) would be to degrade their history and culture.

To become a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jit Su takes many years of study and hard work. This is not the sport of somebody who just likes to get into fights for the hell of it. Mixed Martial Arts includes many skilled practitioners of Brazilian Jiu Jit Su, and many champions form the world renowned Abu Dhabi grappling competitions. The image of human cockfighting comes from the early 90s image of the sport when it was no holds barred, and was made up mostly of 30 year old white males who were not actually versed in any particular form of martial arts, excepting a few exceptions, most notably Royce Gracie who turned early UFC events into an advert for Gracie Jiu Jit Su.

Although mixed martial arts is for all intent and purpose is allowing to grown men to 'kick ten bells out of each other', there is alot of skill involved. As mentioned above, martial art forms such as Jiu Jit Su are a perfect example of how to defend oneself appropriatly.It is a graceful from which takes years to master,aswell as promoting self-control and obedience. The men that fight in the UFC are all athletes who do what they do because they love using their skills and put them to good use in an 'octagon' rather than out on the streets.

Mixed Martial Arts is actually safer than boxing despite its outward appearance. Any TKO's are called immediately. In Boxing a competitor can fight on after being knocked down, or, so long as they keep the fight standing, can be continuously punched in the head for 12 rounds. Mixed Martial Arts has only had one recorded death since rules have been sanctioned, and there has never been a fatal injury in the UFC, Mixed Martial Art's big top in the U.S.

If it were human cockfighting then this assumption would presume that those who watch it want to see somebody get seriously injured. However, there is a huge amount of gentlemanly conduct in the sport, with massive respect between competitors, and in Japan, which can be regarded as the birthplace of Mixed Martial Arts; the fans appreciate the ground game of the athletes probably more so than those that keep the fight standing.