Perhaps it’s simply due to the fact that mixed martial arts (MMA) is a relatively young sport in comparison to, say, basketball. But when it comes to documentaries about the other sweet science, the pickings are rather slim. That being said, there are still gems to be found out there such as Choke, Like Water, and perhaps the greatest of them all, Fighting In The Age Of Loneliness.
Produced by Vox Media’s SB Nation, this gripping two-hour experience details a pretty complete history of MMA – from the inception of judo by Kano Jigoro, how judo laid the foundation for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the impact of UFC 1 circa 1993, the incredibly loose (borderline lawless) era of Pride Fighting Championship, to the establishment of the UFC as a legitimate sports promotion, and all the oddly emotional chapters along the way. i.e. the glory days of the legendary Anderson Silva.
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But the most unique aspect about Fighting In The Age Of Loneliness isn’t its comprehensive nature, nor the potent mixture of sentimentality and melancholy (you’ll understand why the latter soon enough). It’s how the entire journey has also been examined through a social and political context, which is best encapsulated by the following quote:
“Your home belongs to the bank, your gas tank is lining the pockets of those who had more to do with 9/11 than the country your brother just died fighting in, and you’re told the economy is in high gear even though your paycheque is buying less and less. But what you just saw in the cage was unambiguous. One person hit another and the other fell. Nothing about it lied to you.”
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Written and narrated by Felix Biederman of Chapo Trap House fame, produced and directed by Jon Bois, here’s the official synopsis for Fighting In The Age Of Loneliness:
Throughout its history, mixed martial arts have served as a refuge for people disillusioned and confounded by the world at large.
The sport was invented by those who were thought too small, evolved by those who were thought too poor, and enjoyed by outsiders who just wanted to find some measure of escape within the honesty of primal combat, even if only for a few hours on a Saturday night.
It’s no accident that it has become so massively popular in such a lonely time. This is the story of our weird, stupid, magical bloodsport.
Sit back, kick your feet up, and enjoy Fighting In The Age Of Loneliness above.
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