"With all due respect to John Naples, a Montville man in pursuit of his dream to become a successful mixed martial arts fighter, we don't consider this brutal activity a sport and urge the Connecticut legislature not to sanction it.

Mr. Naples' first professional fight at the Mohegan Sun Arena and his preparation for it were the subject of a front-page feature story in The Day on Nov. 6 and an extensive photo essay on theday.com.

Despite efforts by Ultimate Fighting Competition (UFC), the dominant marketing and promotional business in the mixed martial arts field, to clean it up, we still think Arizona Sen. John McCain's initial assessment of the activity had it right: "Human cockfighting." UFC shrewdly dumped the name of a competitor it acquired last year, World Extreme Cagefighting. Some names are too honest."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Spectacle, not sport (The New London Day 11/8)

Also Today:
In state, only casinos allowed to host mixed martial arts (The New London Day 11/6)