UFC’s raw attraction

Amanda Nunes, right, throws a punch at Ronda Rousey in the first round of their women’s bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 207, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Las Vegas. Nunes won the fight after it was stopped in the first round. (AP Photo/John Locher)

You may not have been an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight fan but it was hard to ignore Amanda Nunes’ fast and merciless 48-second, first-round whipping of Ronda Rousey to retain the women’s bantamweight title.

Rousey was eyeing a comeback win for a return to a pre-eminent status in the UFC world.  You could tell from her walk-in to the ring and game face that she was set for an all-out war against Nunes.

Nunes though was ready to wage battle on her own terms. 

From the opening bell, she attacked Rousey relentlessly, unleashing an avalanche of punches nobody could really hide from.

As boxing continues to search for a new generation of colorful heroes to follow Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the long line of brave and crafty Mexican fighters, the UFC world is like a Pied Piper attracting new legions of fans.

Perhaps the rawness of it all is attractive, a fighting form that many have experienced in brawls during basketball games that went out of control or during parties when some had too much to drink or say. 

In these spontaneous battles, there is grappling, throw-downs and wild punches.  No rules govern these fights but I often wonder why Filipinos tend to look for makeshift weapons in these exchanges.

The UFC fight world has rules but perhaps the deconstructed version of the fights we’ve been through creates the appeal.   

While boxing tends to have fighters wade through early rounds to measure the distance of punches or determine the power of an opponent, UFC fighting flies off the hook quickly, often in the manner Nunes trounced her celebrated opponent.

Boxing purists may not give UFC fighting the time of day but unless the sweet science reinvents itself with new heroes and more exciting and meaningful fight contexts, Nunes, Rousey, and the other stars of the mixed fighting world will attract more converts and fans.