Once again, the UFC has brought their cage to a foreign country, delivering a stacked card and the drama that comes with it.
UFC 144 marked the return of the Octagon to the land of the rising sun, and all signs seem to indicate they will be welcomed back with open arms.
As the plan for global expansion continues, more and more countries come to mind: Russia, Mexico, China and many others.
And then there is Rome, Italy.
So, why Italy, you may ask?
Is it because of the history of Rome, or is it the wine, or the Vatican? How about the Via Flaminia or the legendary Colosseum? Well, all of these things are not only well and good, but incredible, to say the least.
But, there is another reason why the UFC should look long and hard at staging shows in what was at one time the beating heart of the Roman Empire: Pankration.
Dave Herbert of BuddhaSport.com recently interviewed one of the few fighters in the UFC stable that comes from Rome: Alessio Sakara.
Sakara talked about many things in the interview and made it clear that he thought Dana White and Zuffa should bring the UFC to Rome.
“It would be a dream came true to fight in Rome! I don’t know when it will come here but it would be an honor fighting in my beautiful city! It’s a place where so many men fought and died in combat. I would also still love to fight Bisping in Rome. It could be like a European Champions League – Italy vs. England. It’s a soccer thing. Italy has always had a rivalry with England and that fight would be huge here.”
Of course, his is no doubt a biased point of view, but let us not forget that Rome has a history tied with what is today’s MMA.
Believe it or not, but Rome is the true fatherland of mixed martial arts, not Brazil or Japan. Granted, both countries have had a huge hand in the sport, and can rightfully claim a kind of stewardship in its early stages, but when you strip away all romantic notions and look at the hard facts of history, mixed martial arts as a sporting event was indeed born in Rome as Pankration.
Pankration competitors were allowed to grapple opponents, strike them as in boxing or strike their lower extremities, such as leg kicks. While it has been noted that sometimes victory occurred as a result of a knockout, most times it was secured by submission, via chokes or joint locks.
Case in point is the story of Arrhichion (Ἀρριχίων) of Phigalia.
Arrhichion of Phigalia was one of the few who won the Pankration event in the Olympics at the cost of his life. It seems he was caught in some kind of rear naked choke, and decided to counter the move with a toe/ankle lock. In the end, the damage he caused to the foot of the fighter choking him was so great that said fighter nearly passed out from pain and submitted, which they did by raising their index finger.
As Arrhichion was being declared the winner, it was discovered that he had died as a result of the choke hold. They placed the wreath on his head, as befitting the winner, and his body was sent back to Phigalia as a hero.
Of course, staging a UFC event in Rome can’t be done just for the sake of nostalgia; it simply doesn’t work that way.
While it’s hard to say with any certainty how the people of Italy and Rome would react, it is sure that the angle of history is strong enough to at least chance a maiden voyage into the country of grappa and gladiators.
And then, of course, there is the Olympic angle. The powers that be would love to see MMA become an Olympic sport, and Rome is the home of Greco-Roman wrestling, one of the cornerstones of mixed martial arts.
To say that the UFC traveling to Rome would be a homecoming is more accurate than many would care to admit, and everyone loves a homecoming―especially when the family in question has a history so rich and deep that the sands on which they were born have passed into antiquity and wonder.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is gravitas.
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