As part of my project I went to an MMA Event in Vienna (XCC 3).
Mainly to get some footage, but also to really immerse myself in the (for lack of better word) industries I was researching.
Fight events are interesting, especially when everything you have seen about said events, are clips from the internet, mostly UFC.
There is an energy in the air that is unlike the ones I had been accustomed to from dance shows, theater, operas, football, basketball and other. I do think that there is a performative component at any event where people are coming together to be witnesses to something. You are, as part of the audience, there to be entertained. But unlike other sports events, there is something primal about watching two people fight each other, brutal even, and yet it is hypnotizing. When you understand the rules fighters need to abide by when entering a cage, it is truly like watching an abstract (and violent) game of chess.
While producing the music you can hear playing in the video, I added recordings of the event and I do think that out of all the tracks in my discography that this one is one of my favorites.
-
"Martial artists have to employ unorthodox strategies to take advantage of uncommon techniques, showing that you are bound to no one specific style, and that there are ultimately no limits to how you can dominate your opponents. Many techniques are allowed in MMA, so a fighter can decide to never perform the same in any given fight. Patience adds value to the authenticity of the performance by the martial artist. There are times when martial artists have the capacity to charge forward with full-on power, but they hold back, deciding instead to take their time and attack when the time is right to ensure that the net output of the attack is efficient.
The outcome comes down to the small but smart adjustments that the martial artist makes to perform effectively. When genuine fans understand all the thinking and analysis that go into a fighter’s performance, that is when they can truly admire and appreciate the beauty and art of the sport." - Janan Shoja Doost (The "Art" in mixed martial arts, 2018)
Track playing: resilient by odetofear (available on most streaming platforms)
