Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sports

Fighting for higher ground

American Fight League battles to change mixed martial arts’ image

By Fulton Shelley


Atlanta mixed martial arts fighter “The Phenom’’ Douglas Lima remembers the first time he stood inside the octagonal caged enclosure. He remembers understanding that at that moment, it was only he and his opponent, both men intent on pounding the other into bloody submission. No one was there to help. It was fight well or be beaten mercilessly. Such is the world of mixed martial arts.

“I was nervous,’’ the 20-year-old Brazilian recalls for The Sunday Paper as he prepares for the American Fight League’s World Welterweight Championship. “But I couldn’t think too much about it. I just had to fight. That’s what I do. I fight.’’

And he’s done it rather well so far. After a brief but undefeated amateur career, the 2007 Wheeler High graduate carries a pro record of 7-1 into his match against Brent Weedman. Their caged battle will be one of three championship matches on the card for the AFL’s “Bulletproof,’’ the first-ever mixed martial arts (MMA) event to take place at Philips Arena.

MMA EXPLODING

Thanks in part to the wildly popular reality television series “The Ultimate Fighter,” mixed martial arts has enjoyed a tremendous growth spurt in recent years. Somehow, the brutal spectacle once viewed as an underground, violent freak sport by many, which caused Republican presidential candidate John McCain to once refer to it as “human cockfighting,’’ has gone mainstream. Today, it’s a staple on cable TV and covered by traditional media outlets including cover pieces in Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine.

It’s also become a mega-revenue generator in pay-per-view form. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest MMA promotion in the world, and it broke the pay-per-view industry’s all-time record for a single year, generating more than $222,766,000 in revenue during 2006, easily surpassing wrestling and boxing. Many gambling sites, including BodogLife.com, have reported that in 2007, the UFC surpassed boxing in terms of betting revenue. Today, UFC programming is now shown in 36 countries worldwide.

But while UFC is the behemoth of the sport, the Lexington, Ky.-based AFL is making its mark, as well. Co-founded in 2006 by William “BJ’’ Santiago and Jon Hatton, the AFL has stated goals to influence and enhance the sport, as well as to impact every fan and city it comes to—all fighters under contract commit to some form of charity work or corporate citizenship event before every major fight.

Casual observers might find the sheer brutality of the sport reduces the fighters to thug status, but that’s not how Santiago sees his fighters. He envisions a time in the near future when these athletes, like their counterparts in the also violent sport of the NFL, are featured in major advertising campaigns.

“We need to show these athletes are special outside the ring, too,’’ Santiago tells SP. “NASCAR years ago took its drivers out of the car to have them noticed. We need to take our athletes out of the cage. This is the fastest-growing sport in the world and we’re trying to come at it from a different angle, give it a different flavor.’’

MAKING FIGHTERS HUMAN

One way the AFL has been working toward that goal is by distancing itself from the standard fight promotion strategy and adopting a ranking and fighting system comparable to the Professional Bull Riders circuit. Veteran fighters travel on a fighter’s tour, competing on a point system for a predetermined purse. Points earned determine the rankings and matches, rather than a promoter’s idea of what’s best. Also, amateur and pro rookie fighters get the opportunity to pound their fists in a grassroots farming system; the AFL has created a network of associate promoters in different regions of the country to stage shows for local fighters with the support and backing of the AFL.

“With the UCF, a lot of their stars aren’t even fighting, just sitting on the sideline,’’ Santiago explains. “There are plenty of opportunities for all our fighters to fight.’’

And just as the USFL took big names away from the established NFL years ago, the AFL is luring fighters from the rival UFC. Santiago has already signed veteran fighters Raphael Assuncao, Junior Assuncao, Diego Saraiva and Lima. Also, during the Atlanta event, the AFL will reveal two “landmark fighters’’ who have recently joined the league.

In addition to its local charity work, Santiago, a former U.S. Army Airborne Infantry Officer and veteran of Desert Storm, insists that the AFL be actively involved in its commitment to U.S. troops, as well. More than 200 soldiers from Fort Benning, including around 30 from the Army Wounded Warrior program, will be in attendance at Friday’s event. Additionally, the AFL will make a financial gift this week to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta.

“It’s about giving back, recognizing that things can be done differently,’’ Santiago says. “My ultimate goal is to deliver the best MMA production and events in the world, but with the best reputation in the world, too.’’

Which is all fine and good. But as far as Lima is concerned, all he wants to do is fight.

“BJ and the AFL really take care of you,’’ says Lima, who's also a kickboxing instructor at Knuckle Up Fitness in Gwinnett County. “I don’t want to be doing anything else but this. I live to fight. I love it.’’ SP

Courtesy of the American Fight League
The AFL’s Doug Lima (top) in action

What: AFL’s Bulletproof Fight Night

Where: Philips Arena

When: Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m.

Who: Among the Atlantans fighting are AFL Lightweight champion Diego “The Octopus’’ Saraiva; AFL Welterweight contender “The Phenom’’ Douglas Lima; and Lightweight contender “The Punisher’’ Junior Assuncao.