Popularity sparks interest in physical fitness, self-defense

The popularity of mixed martial arts, aka MMA or “ultimate fighting,” seems to be moving from a subculture into the mainstream.

This has been a big year for a sport that Sen. John McCain once dubbed in the 1990s as “human cockfighting” and is characterized by tough guys displaying their shaved heads, tattoos and lean muscles in sweaty, often bloody, all-out fights inside “a cage” ring.

Long a prime-time staple of testosterone-laden cable stations such as “Spike” and “Versus,” the sport made its transition to network TV last May when CBS started periodic, prime-time broadcasts of “Saturday Night Fights.” The next is scheduled for Oct. 4. Meanwhile, the CBS Sports Web site has a quick link to MMA among just a handful of sports, including the more familiar NFL, MLB and NBA.

In April, Forbes magazine called the Ultimate Fighting Championship the “Ultimate Cash Machine” and estimated its earnings would be $250 million. North Carolina and Georgia have legalized MMA fights and are raking in revenue from bouts. (And there’s pressure on South Carolina to do the same.)

Earlier this summer, real estate mogul and reality TV superstar Donald Trump invested in a partnership with Affliction, an MMA fashion label and event promoter, and proclaimed, “MMA is exploding.”

One element of that explosion, however, appears to be a new trend in personal physical fitness and a renewed interest in self-defense.

Read more in Monday's Your Health section.