【英语趣味课堂】综合格斗-MMA

Erina: Hi, Mike. I was wondering the difference between MMA and boxing? What are the differences?

Mike: Well, there's a lot of differences actually. MMA stands for mixed martial¹ arts so I guess by the name you can tell that there are a lot of different variations of MMA. It's usually a combination of stand up fighting and ground fighting. So in contrast with boxing, boxing is only stand up, you never fight on the ground and with MMA there are many different styles and different tournaments, different kinds of rules. There's fighting standing² up and there's fighting going to the ground which would also include submission³ and so right off the bat that's quite a big difference there.

 

Erina: Oh, I see. Do you like MMA better or kick boxing better because I know you used to box, right?

 

Mike: Yeah, I mean kick boxing is definitely, you know, heading towards MMA whereas boxing is quite a strict discipline and the rules are a lot more basic whereas MMA has different variations and stuff. It's very difficult to choose which one I like better. I really enjoy watching both and I don't compare them as if one is better than the other but they're just very different sports.

 

Erina: Oh, I see, I see. So you know in Japan pride and kaewan are, you know, very famous here.

 

Mike: Right.

 

Erina: What about in Canada? Is MMA big?

 

Mike: Well, recently in Canada as well but, you know, in America, in North America now MMA is really big. It's much bigger than boxing is now and UFC, Ultimate Fighter Championship, is the league which is by far the biggest MMA league in the world and it's been growing in popularity ever since it started and I think the reason that MMA is becoming so much bigger than boxing is because it's so much more versatile⁴. You have people from so many different disciplines in martial arts and recently it's not enough to be just disciplined in boxing or taekwando or judo⁵ or jujitsu, you have to be disciplined in various disciplines because the guys that are the best in the UFC league they can do it all. So they can do stand up fighting, punches, kicks, they can do ground fighting so some people would say it's more interesting to watch and you get a lot more people from different places and different styles so I think the doors to MMA are open a lot wider than they are to boxing.

 

Erina: Wow. I would love to go watch MMA tournaments one day.

 

Mike: Yeah, absolutely. They're a lot of fun so please check them out.

 

Erina: Yeah, I will.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

variations

 

There are a lot of different variations of MMA.

 

When there are 'variations' between similar things, there are small, but significant, differences between the different types. Notice the following:

 

This is a variation of a soup my grandmother used to make.

Many people play this card game around the world, so there are lots of different variations.

submission

 

 

There's fighting going to the ground, which would also include submission.

 

Here, 'submission' refers to the act of one opponent giving up during a wrestling match. Notice the following:

 

The match ended with submission less than a minute into the first round.

Most of his matches end with his opponent submitting.

off the bat

 

 

Right off the bat, that's quite a big difference.

 

'Right off the bat' is another way to say 'to start with.' Here, Mike is using the phrase to talk about one big difference the two sports. Notice the following:

 

So predictable. I get a new white shirt and then spill something on it right off the bat.

I think she knew right off the bat that they were going to get married.

versatile

 

 

MMA is becoming much bigger than boxing, because it's so versatile.

 

A 'versatile' fighter would be able to use a large variety of methods very well and easily switch back and forth⁶ between them. Notice the following:

 

My favorite thing about these shoes is that they are so versatile. They're comfortable too.

He's one of the best players on the team, because he's very versatile.

check them out

 

They're a lot of fun, so please check them out.

 

You tell someone to 'check something out' when you want him to see or experience it. You 'check out' things that you haven't seen or done before. Notice the following:

 

There's a new movie that I would like to check out.

Did you get a chance to check out anything interesting on your business trip?

1 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

4 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

5 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。