A Quote by Rico Chiapparelli

MMA is in like the bare-knuckle era as where boxing once was. What it has to do is be given time to grow up. The sport is really just starting right now. Slowly, the public will become educated about and appreciate all the different technical aspects of the sport and athletes will develop without a strict adherence to a distinct art or style.
I think we have tremendous media covering the sport of boxing, even if boxing is a little bit lost in popularity with MMA sports. And I think that with the show 'Lights Out' it's going to get more attention to the sport, and it's going to put more attention to the problems that athletes in general have.
I wish MMA was like boxing with fighters from different organizations being able to fight each other. It would be more interesting for the sport, the sport would grow more, everyone would be able to fight everyone.
The sport has definitely moved beyond that founding idea of MMA, but without a doubt we wouldn't be sitting here right now if the Gracies didn't come here and teach their style and create the UFC.
For me, it was very important to be part of a boxing film that actually explores the psychological aspects of the sport, more than just the physical aspects. I haven't seen boxing movies very often that really go so deep into the minds of the boxers. It really puts out how much it is about strategy and tactics and technique.
I want to improve and to achieve many, many things in MMA, boxing and bare-knuckle boxing.
Wrestling is different than MMA or boxing or really any other contact sport in that you can't really draw along an opponent.
For me, boxing's like checkers, and MMA's like chess - there are so many ways to win the match. It's not barbaric; it's boxing, kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, cardio and it's all reached such an amazing level. As fans learn more about the sport, they just fall in love with it.
I have this ambition that when I become powerful and famous, I will host an event of boxing or kick-boxing, which the entire nation watches. That way, this sport will gain attention. People will realise that there is a lot of talent in India.
By continually increasing the difficulty of the sport, we are discouraging younger athletes from starting and continuing in the sport. But most importantly, we are losing the beauty of our sport. We do not want gymnastics to lose what makes it so great - its artistic beauty.
The people who critique me are the people who don't know about the sport. They don't really know about the rules of MMA. They aren't a real fan or follower of the sport, or they're just people who like to talk.
I've been coaching the sport for a number of years. And I went through many athletes. Some athletes stay with your program for a long, long period of time. Some athletes, they have a different approach as far as coaching style or your philosophies. I totally respect their own opinions - they have the right to choose their own coach.
Surely, sport is not fundamentally about the safety of athletes. If it were, we'd probably have to ban professional football, right after boxing.
See, I respect boxing because it has given me so much and that's why I will never allow anyone to mistreat the sport of boxing if I can help it.
My overwhelming concern will always be the well-being of the athletes. In Olympic sport, it is rare for competitors not to devote half their young life to this. Their families will have given up all sorts of things to allow them to do that.
We all love this sport. That's why I will work hard to develop football technically in the way that our sport will give to the fans and the players always emotions and joy.
In the 1930s, in boxing, to be the heavyweight champion of the world was really, really big, people wanted to see the toughest guys. But what I've figured out now, in the '50s, '60s, boxing started to become more entertainment than sport.
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