UFC

 


I was watching the the UFC fights this weekend, and I stumbled across the popular 2007 unofficial UFC theme song "Ready to Fight."  The song begins with the lyrics "I'm willing to fight for this.... I am willing to fight."  The word "fight" can be interpreted in two ways in the song.  First, there is the literal meaning. UFC fighters obviously fight.  The second meaning is very clever.  "Fight" in the song can also be interpreted as fighting for an idea or belief.  This is because fight in the song is associated with great black historical figures including Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, all of whom played significant roles in the Civil Rights Movement.  The song makes a clever, albeit, faulty analogy.  UFC fighters are certainly heroic in the sense they have the courage to enter the octagon but they are obviously not fighters in the same way as great civil rights leaders.   
 


The song goes on to mention Bruce Lee and the movie Rocky.  Here again we have a faulty analogy.  Obviously, Rocky and Bruce Lee (at least his movies) are fictional fighters not real fighters.  The appeal of the song is partly derived from the faulty analogies.   One gets the feel that the UFC is made up of people who are fighting for liberty-both real and fictional.  There are also reference in the song to women, men and virtually every minority group.  It is as if the song is saying that the UFC is a reflection of this country--the great American Melting pot.