I think the Ultimate Fighting Championship pretty much has done death to the mystique of martial arts. When you have a virtually no holds barred tournament and (in its original version) no weight divisions either, you can clearly see how one style measures up to another.
This whole idea of spiritual power and superior technique that is touted in various schools is put to the test. Overall, it's a pretty brutal spectacle. The techniques tend to be very simple (straight punches or thigh kicks) and the outcomes decided by grappling on the floor with one guy on top of the other. Often the guys that lead the sport seem to be more about pure physical power and aggression than about technique (vis. Tank Williams who has only one technique - a really hard right hand).
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