In a Friday letter, a reader stated that mixed martial arts (or "ultimate fighting," as it is often called) is akin to the human version of dog fighting. The reader has little understanding of mixed martial arts.

Among the most successful in mixed martial arts are collegiate and even Olympic-level wrestlers, boxers, judokas and submission grappling champions. The days of what Sen. John McCain called "human cockfighting" are long gone. The sport has run toward regulation instead of away from it, and it has exploded in popularity as a result.

Since mixed martial arts began in the United States in 1993, only one documented death in a competition has occurred. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine published a study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine indicating severe head trauma is actually less likely in mixed martial arts than some other sports.

Forcing animals to fight to the death is barbaric and rightfully illegal. Two human beings of sound mind who choose to participate in a sporting event where, in all but rare cases, both fighters leave with no lasting physical effects and show each other respect and admiration, is another story altogether.

- Mike Kessler, Madison

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