Most people simply see the competitors as simply bloodthirsty degenerates who have nothing better to do than beat each other half to death, which is simply not true. People say that these people are just thugs off of the street that would fight anyone just for the thrill of it, which is also a misinformed view. In fact on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter, producer Dana White, gathered people from all walks of life. Forrest Griffin, now one of the most famous “fighters” known was a schoolteacher, another man was a police officer, another a hospital security guard. These people were acceptable regular people who showed some potential. Sure it is a violent sport, as well as a contact sport, but it is very controlled. The competitors almost every time get up after the round and hug each other or tap gloves in a friendly way. They see it as a career, just as anyone else views their job.

             People see it as dangerous, but when compared to other sports the fatality rate and the injury rate are much lower. There were 48,335 sports related deaths from 1997 to 2006 in Hamburg alone. This number is higher than the entire history of mixed martial arts (Turk 1).

In fact there are more injuries and deaths in football itself than in mixed martial arts. The ring referee is a trained expert in both mixed martial arts and in basic medical care. He knows the limits of the human body, he can and will stop the fight for any reason he deems without contest. There are paramedics and doctors standing nearby if something were to go awry, which does happen on rare occasion. Critics and supporters alike have forced the sport to become as safe as possible for health and legal issues.  Continued.

Referee Rick stepping in to call a fight before someone gets hurt courtesy of www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com