Evolution does NOT take away from the BIG BANG

Evolution Does Not Take Away From The Original Spark

Let me ask you...Does the fact that we are wonderful creations as human beings instead of babbling monkeys (which we still are ;)) make the big bang any less impressive? Do the neandrathals from the past seem unimportant now that we have evolved as human beings into the most intelligent creatures in the history of Earth? The truth is that the beginning should never be considered less important just because something evolves. There is NOTHING that we can do that will ever in life compare to the BIG BANG and BEGINNING of life. With that being said, its time to move on to the premise...The Mixed Martial Arts world.

Now, I admit that I am extremely sympathetic to the old timers, but there are reasons for that. Without these guys, there would be no MMA today and that is a definite. I recently took a look online at the horrible reaction to the possibility to Royce Gracie fighting at UFC Rio. One guy said “He already got smashed by Hughes, nobody wants to see him again”. My first thought was “Are you kidding me?” Didn't George St. Pierre get smashed by Matt Hughes? Doesn't everyone still wanna see him fight, lose, win, die, or something? The truth is that Royce Gracie is the beginning of this sport and some people need to realize and accept that. A Royce Gracie vs. Demian Maia fight would be wonderful to see.

However, its not just Gracie that gets this treatment from the new age fans. Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Kimo, Matt Hughes even, and so many others get this exact same treatment. Someone asked me how I could put Tito Ortiz in my all time greats. The truth is that they were just as HUGE for the evolution of this sport as any. Does the fact that Jon Jones or Lyota Machida can beat Tito Ortiz make his legacy any less impressive. Once again, is the evolved product bigger than the BIG BANG to the point where the Big Bang is only going to be disrespected as if it were never big?

Dan Severn is still out there winning fights, 99 at the time of this piece. If Dan Severn were rumored to fight at UFC Rio, people would more than likely freak out because he may not be able to beat Brock Lesnar. What the hell does it matter whether he can beat Brock Lesnar or not? He is still possibly a top 5 heavyweight of all time and a pioneer in this sport. Hell, he is about to pick up his 100^th win, so why NOT have him at a UFC event in order to do it? Do people not care about history, legacies, and legends anymore? Does Spike Lee's current activities make him a bigger thing than Martin Luther King just because he has a better and more efficient outlet?

Listen, there is no doubt that MMA fighters have evolved into better all around fighters than the fighters in the 90's. However, that does not mean that these fighters are worthless. It does not mean that these fighters are any less impressive. You do realize that the time is going to come when Anderson Silva and George St. Pierre are pushed out of the top 10 of this sport, right? You may be saying not in our lifetime, but what you do not realize is that many of us said the same exact thing about Royce Gracie, Frank Shamrock, and Fedor Emelianenko. Until these guys can't fight anymore, if they choose too, I would be honored to watch them perform their art.

Why? The evolution may be better, but it will never be as impressive as the BIG BANG!