Man, this would do very well in New York City.

The space, the atmosphere, the vibe, the babes. Everything resembles the energy-filled subculture aura of a rock n roll live house in the East Village or the Lower East Side. "Demolition!" Even the name sounds like some rock n roll band that somehow crawled into New York from Boston or Philadelphia back in the late 70's.

"Demolition" is the name of a Mixed Martial Arts fight event in Japan for young fighters - some professionals, some amateurs - and it is usually held at fringe spaces like a rented production studio or a restored abandoned red-brick warehouse in Tokyo's metropolitan area.

What is interesting about "Demolition" is the audience. Besides friends of fighters, trainers, and referees, the space is usually packed with followers. Some are here to see a particular fighter but most of them are actually fans of "Demolition," the event itself.

"I like 'Demolition' better than Pride or K-1."
Akemi Nakamoto, a 29-year-old accountant, was absolutely sure of her preference. "I like the energy and I feel closer to the fighters here." Her first encounter with "Demolition" was back in September of last year in Yokohama. Immediately, she fell in love with the entire scenario. The underground-like atmosphere; good looking young boys sweating it out in the ring, beers, the entrances, dim lighting, and of course loud music. Right off the bat, her jaw dropped - she was completely hooked. Everything literally happened right in front of her face at an arms reach! Punching, stomping, bleeding, shouting! "Nothing beats this excitement," says Akemi. Since then she openly admits to being a certified "Demolition" groupie.

"DEMOLITION is the place for newcomers."
"DEMOLITION is the place for new fighters to be discovered."

This was written in the GCM Communications Headline, a sixty-yen-per-copy program distributed at the event.
But it seems to be way more than just this for fans, followers, and groupies.
Perhaps it is a "fantasy world," traveling from one place to another to witness the heart-shaking roar of the human soul. It's a world where some people release all their emotions, where others relax or maybe even meditate, and yet others are healed. Sort of like a rock n roll concert, I guess. In the same way that Lou Reed said, "your life can be saved by rock n roll," I say your life can be saved by MMA.

GCM Communication, Inc., is the promoter / organizer of "Demolition."
They specialize in promoting sporting events and professional athletes utilizing multi-media technology, and they obviously know how to pump up the excitement level in the live show setting.

The event usually begins with a voice blasting out of the loud speakers quickly explaining the rules and announcing the fight cards of the day. It then goes right into the introduction video of the fighters in the first bout. The content of the video is fairly simple - consisting of footage of interviews and training - but it's done in a way that even a first-time audience will get a lot of information. They talk about the fighter's background, personality and sometimes even their daytime job or marital life.

Then of course, most of the fighters have their own entrance music.
The crowd is usually really into it from the very beginning, with this fine mix of live entertainment and the intense energy emitted by the fighters.

Usually, most of the fights are very exciting. Fighters are here trying to get discovered, and it seems that every fighter knows the only way to dominate the spot light is not just to win, but to win by putting on an exciting fight with a stunning finish.

"I like the fighters in 'Demolition' because they really don't look like today's young boys in this country."
Yoko Hashimoto, a 52-year-old housewife, first came to see "Demolition" with her friend to watch the neighbor's son fight in the event. Since then her number one hobby has become checking out the Demolition homepage and coming to the live events.

"Most young boys today, including my son, only care about girls and they don't really know what to like. That's why they all dresses like some hip-hop singer or try to talk like rap stars. Boys at 'Demolition' are different. They are here because they like the sport, and they are so passionate about it. I can feel it. Unfortunately, I don't see that in my son."

Mrs. Hashimoto is right on the money, I believe. The fighters at "Demolition" are here to fight because they like to. They are not here to please the crowd or move people. They are here to impress and better themselves. (And of course, to get discovered and move up in the MMA world)
Just like a rock n roller, jazz musician, or any other real artist, for that matter, how can women resist such passionate men?
"Demolition" is something like that. This event itself is quite different from other mainstream MMA events.

"Demolition" also attracts some regular MMA fans because it is an ideal place to take a peek at newcomers from various fight organizations such as Pancrase, Shooto, Wajutsu Keishu-kai
(where Akira Shoji and Caol Uno are from) to Kiyoshi Tamura's very tough U-File camp. The fans though are so-called "Demolition" followers, not MMA fans. Most of them are obsessed with the sport and / or are fighters who are passionate about this sport.

"Demolition" is to MMA, what punk rock was to rock n roll in the late 70's. The whole existence of this event is rocking and shocking the general public as well as shaking the foundations of the "business only" geared MMA industry. This is the reason why I believe this event or concept would do well in New York City. Yes, it is still illegal to hold MMA events in the city, but in the future anything could happen.Collaborations with rock or noise bands, modern dancers, or performance artists could also work very well towards creating an interesting spectacle.
Then the event could really be called " Vale-Tudo / Anything Goes!"