I looked into Putin's eyes and saw a Judo Master

Judo is gaining grounds in the repertoire of most MMA fighters, some feel that its presence is making the key difference in fights. Karo Parisyan pioneered the use of Judo in the UFC and fights like the one between Carlos Condit and Hiromitsu Miura show how truly electrifying judo can be.

If these reasons weren't enough to pay attention to Judo in MMA there is now a geopolitical excuse. Vladimir Putin, Premiere of the USSR.......er......I mean Prime Minister of Russia, celebrated his 56th birthday with Judo demonstrations.Before Putin conquers Eastern Europe he must conquer the mat! Now ever since Russia went all preemptive on Georgia, there has been talk of a new cold war. If there really is a resumption of hostilities I think I will put my money on the ex-KGB colonel over the National Guard pilot who saw goodness in the man's soul. At least until we have a new president whoever that may be.

But enough about politics, what this really shows is how international MMA can be. Since it integrates so many forms of martial arts that are popular all around the world it is quite easy to see why the UFC has such international ambition.