Stephan “American Psycho” Bonnar said he can’t walk through an airport without someone asking him for an autograph or a hug. This summer, Bonnar said, an elderly woman approached him at baggage claim and said, “I really enjoy your fights.”
As a professional mixed martial arts fighter, Bonnar is enjoying his moment in the spotlight.
Mixed martial arts, also known as ultimate fighting, is growing in popularity and prosperity despite criticism that the sport is too violent. Illinois, which previously banned mixed martial arts events, legalized and will regulate these extreme fighting events under legislation Gov. Blagojevich signed last week.
On Wednesday, Season 6 of the “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality show that pits professional mixed martial arts fighters against one another for a six-figure contract, premieres on Spike TV.
“Before, it was mainly a guy thing. Now you get women, old people, young people knowing you and recognizing you,” said Bonnar, 30, who moved from Chicago to Las Vegas this summer. “It’s not the old days when your fan was in the NASCAR demographic.”
More than 13,000 fans watched Bonnar take down an opponent in a pay-per-view cage match in July at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, according to the California athletic commission. Bonnar won the fight with a rear naked choke — a Jiu-Jitsu move that’s a version of the sleeper hold.
Mixed martial arts fighters use a combination of boxing, wrestling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu and karate techniques to try to knock out opponents.
Coaches and promoters say the sport has evolved over the past decade as the rules have changed to favor skill over brutality. Though there are injuries in mixed martial arts events, supporters claim there hasn’t been a death linked to the sport in the U.S.
Nevertheless, critics say these no-holds-barred slugfests are just too violent.
Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) in 1996 likened the sport to “human cockfighting.” State Rep. Jim Meyer told RedEye the practice is “basically a barroom brawl without the bar.”
“I believe that no matter what they’ve done in terms of supposedly trying to bring regulation to the fights and make certain that there are doctors present, I think that’s all just window dressing,” said Meyer (R-Naperville).
Meyer pushed to ban mixed martial arts events from Illinois in the mid-1990s, about the time the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts association that holds tournaments to test athletes with various combat skills, was gaining steam.
UFC events at that time focused on raw fighting, several fighters said. The UFC tagline was “There are no rules!” There were no weight classes, so smaller opponents would battle larger ones. Eye-gouging and biting were not allowed.
Because of its anything-goes attitude, ultimate fighting was banned in many states, including Illinois. Some states held the events, which were available on pay-per-view. In the past decade, though, UFC officials honed and tightened the rules to focus more on martial arts skills. Now states have started to allow UFC events.
“Guys were kicking each other in the [groin] … and just doing some things that really don’t show skill,” said Bob Schirmer, a mixed martial arts coach in Cicero. “We wanted a skilled martial arts event that demonstrates skill and not brutality.”
Under UFC guidelines, there are five weight classes that range from lightweight to heavyweight. There are rules about how long bouts can last. Fighters are fouled if they pull hair, attack the groin, strike the throat, spit or kick to the kidney, among other offenses. A referee can stop the match at any time, and fighters can “tap out,” or yield to their opponents.
Bonnar, who said he usually trains six days a week, is no stranger to the sport’s dangerous side.
In the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Bonnar won a contract after a match he described as an epic battle, “a really bloody, back-and-forth fight.”
He said he has sprained his neck, pulled some muscles, broke his hand a few times and fractured his ulna. But he still claims mixed martial arts is safer than boxing and NASCAR.
“At least in our sport, you get hit and drop. You’re out of it,” Bonnar said. “It’s like a kinetic chess game.”
UFC has its own rules, but states also regulate the sport. Now that Illinois is allowing ultimate fighting, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation plans to devise guidelines for UFC events in the state, said department spokeswoman Sue Hofer.
Marc Ratner, UFC vice president of regulatory affairs, said he hopes to bring a UFC event to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont or the United Center by mid-2008, depending on when the state creates event rules.
“We know it will be big business in Chicago,” Ratner said. “They’re clamoring for it in Illinois.”
Chicago already is the home to the Red Bears, a mixed martial arts team in the International Fight League, which is separate from the UFC.
Other Illinois fighters are finding success.
Terry Martin, 26, of the South Loop, holds an 18-2 mixed martial arts fighting record, according to the UFC Web site. Martin, who is set to fight Chris Leben at UFC Fight Night on Wednesday in Las Vegas in a middleweight showdown, credits the sport with helping him turn around his life.
While growing up on the West Side, Martin — a Mike Tyson look-alike — said he dabbled in gang activity. Then he attended Triton College in River Grove, where he met wrestling coach Shonie Carter.
“He was just raw talent, raw power with the proper mentality to be a fighter,” said Carter, 35, of Logan Square. “He had it in his heart.”
Martin agrees.
Fighting “is just a part of me. It’s a thrill.”
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‘THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER’ on tv
Matt Hughes, 33, is one ultimate fighter looking forward to the UFC debut in his home state.
Hughes, a Hillsboro native, said he started training in mixed martial arts as a hobby more than a decade ago while he coached college wrestling.
Hughes will appear as a coach in Season 6 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” premiering at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Spike TV. Hughes, who also coached Season 2, said fight fans should be in for a dramatic season.
In the show, Hughes will coach a team of fighters that will spar with another team coached by UFC champion Matt Serra. The 16 fighters, who have to live together, will square off during the six-week tournament-style competition. The winner gets a six-figure UFC contract.
“With the contestants being cooped up in the house, each other gets under each other’s skin,” said Hughes .
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RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
Mixed martial arts, also known as ultimate fighting, utilizes boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai (kickboxing with knees and elbows), karate, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, Sambo (a form of wrestling), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a mixed martial arts association. The UFC holds combat events around the country.
UFC fighters spar in an octagon-shaped cage, and they must wear approved gloves and shorts or trunks. Shirts and shoes are not allowed.
DIVISIONS
There are five weight classes in the UFC: Lightweight (145 to 155 pounds)
Welterweight (155 to 170 pounds)
Middleweight (170 to 185 pounds)
Light heavyweight (185 to 205 pounds) Heavyweight (205 to 265 pounds)
BOUT LENGTHS
Non-championship bouts are three rounds; championship bouts are five rounds. Rounds are no longer than five minutes. There is a one-minute rest period between each round.
DECLARING A VICTOR
Fighters can win if their opponent submits verbally or physically by tapping out, or by a technical knockout — when the referee determines one fighter is unable to continue the battle.
If the bout ends and there are no submissions, a panel of three judges decides the winner using score cards.
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tswartz@tribune.com
