By Shawn W. Smith
To call Saturday’s UFC on FOX 5 in Seattle a homecoming would be puzzling to most. The UFC’s only other show in Washington State — a UFC Fight Night also in Seattle, headlined by Phil Davis and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March 2011 — was unspectacular and did little to garner attention. It’s an area the promotion has avoided and very few shows, either from the UFC or others, have emanated from the North-Western corner of the United States.
But when the UFC returns to The Evergreen State Saturday night, it will feel like home.
Washington State has long been known as a progressive area of North America, with many free-thinking people and ideas coming out of the area. But before Kurt Cobain and the grunge phenomenon made the state a hotbed for culture, there was another Washington resident drawing attention.
Although not born in Washington State, the iconic Bruce Lee made the area his home base when arriving in the United States. The martial artist turned movie star enrolled at the University of Washington where he studied drama.
Lee’s role in the evolution of mixed martial arts cannot be understated, and UFC president Dana White has referred to him as the “godfather of mixed martial arts” on many occasions. Unlike anyone before him, Lee brought martial arts to the mainstream. He made it cool. His overdramatic fight scenes and iconic characters have stood the test of time, and nearly 40 years after his death many young men and women still look to the legendary figure for guidance and inspiration.
The state’s contribution to the mixed martial arts world does not end there however. Hearing the stories of his father training with Bruce Lee, Seattle-based fighter/trainer “The Wizard” Matt Hume was no doubt influenced to take part in combat sports.
Although Hume had an unremarkable MMA career, his contribution to the sport is immeasurable. Hume is owner to perhaps the most accomplished Pankration School in North America, AMC Martial Arts in nearby Kirkland, Wash., and he has trained fighters in the vicious submission grappling style for years. His time spent as a rule director and trainer for the PRIDE Fighting Championship made him a familiar face cageside in Japan, and he has since taken a similar role in ONE FC where he is the Chief Official and head referee.
Hume’s contributions to the sport are in his dedication to making it a worldwide phenomenon. Besides his time spent in Asia for PRIDE FC and ONE FC, Hume was an integral figure in the creation of the famed Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships, more commonly referred to as ADCC.
The tournament has produced some of the most famed moments in the history of submission grappling and many top mixed martial arts fighters of today made their names with wins in Abu Dhabi.
Despite all of this, perhaps Hume’s most prized accomplishment was his part in training former UFC heavyweight champion and fellow Washington native Josh Barnett.
“The Babyfaced Assassin” represented a new generation of heavyweight. His mix of speed, size, and skill were unlike anything the UFC had seen before, and he was rewarded for his hard work with a championship win over another Washington State native in Randy Couture. Of course, Barnett’s career has been tumultuous since, but there’s no denying his influence as a true mixed martial artist in a time of unpolished wrestlers and bar room brawlers.
The state of Washington has produced a number of world champions in mixed martial arts, including both the first and the current UFC lightweight title-holders. Jens Pulver, who became the inaugural champion in 2001, is a native of Sunnyside, Wash., while Saturday’s headliner Benson Henderson, a Colorado native, grew up in the state. Also, former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is from Tacoma, and UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, although Kentucky born, calls Washington State home now, and trains with Hume regularly.
Although often left out of the conversation, Washington’s contributions to mixed martial arts have been expansive and plentiful. With five world champions produced and another young crop of fighters preparing to bed, there’s no denying the state’s immense connection to the sport.
So when the UFC puts on the most talent-stacked freely televised card in history Saturday night in Seattle, don’t think of it as an expansion into an untapped market. Think of it as a thank you to a state which has given so much to mixed martial arts.
Shawn W. Smith is the senior writer at MMASucka.com and has contributed to Train Hard, Fight Easy and Fighters Only magazines. Follow him on Twitter @shawn_w_smith.
