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Sunday morning, the Sydney Morning Herald ran a piece entitled "Cage Rage coming here" discussing the expansion of the UFC to Australia by using the same outdated inaccuracies many critics of the sport continue to belief are true.

Yes, they called Mixed Martial Arts a "bloodsport" and used the antiquated John McCain "human cockfighting" line too.

Zak Woods brought the story to light here on Watch Kalib Run and drew attention to the power of adjectives when describing the sport, as the inclusion of the word "brutal" certainly gives a certain impression when describing combat sports.

Earlier today, we went one step further, reaching out to Australian MMA star Elvis Sinosic to get his thoughts on the article.

The article mentions the brutal combination of Martial Arts, Boxing, Kickboxing and Wrestling. The article forgets to mention that these brutal sports, Martial Arts, Boxing and Wrestling are all Olympic sports. Why are they suddenly brutal sports in a MMA environment and not when they are in the Olympics?

Let's just say that the first Aussie to fight and win in the UFC was none too pleased. More of his Letter to the Editor after the jump.

My name is Elvis Sinosic. I am Australia’s most well know Mixed Martial Artist (you would no doubt label me a cage fighter). I have been fighting in the sport of MMA since 1997. I read your recent article "Cage Rage coming here" and it read more like a fairy tale than a factual newspaper article. It starts with conjecture stating an opinion that is inaccurate and of someone so irrelevant that it is not sourced at all. First of all the sport is not and has not been referred to as human cockfighting for many years and then only by those who were uneducated to what MMA was. The sport does not promote any sort of "street fighting" as your article claims. If anything it says fighting is for the cage not for the streets.

If you're scoring this at home, Sinosic takes Round One.

He even refers to a move called "Pound and Ground". He hasn’t even bothered to check his facts. When you read things like this you realize that the writer has not taken any effort to check his facts and information. The move is called "Ground and Pound". It then mentions the absence of a blood rule. Where does he get his facts from? Friday night late night movies? The sport has doctors ringside. The sport allows the referee to stop the match to check for cuts and injuries. Making false claims only makes your paper look like a story book not a newspaper. It even mentions that you cannot throw in the towel. It does not bother to mention that nothing can be thrown into the octagon. It doesn’t then state that the corner can stop the fight by signaling the referee. They just cannot stop the fight by throwing in the towel, it must be done verbally. It then goes on to state that the sport of cage fighting started in 2007. Once again does the writer even bother to check his facts or was that just the first time he saw the sport advertised in his local TV guide? The sport of MMA has been in Australia since March 22nd 1997. The sport has been going on, and safely at that, for over 12years. The false and inaccurate claims and facts just reeks of unprofessionalism.

Nothing like writing articles loaded with incorrect information. That's two well-articulated and factual rounds to zero for Sinosic.

Then the writer degenerates even further attempting to compare it to fighting animals. Where does he come off? Fighting animals is illegal and unethical. I’m a fighter and was also at one time a volunteer for Sydney wildlife and I find the comparison disgusting. The animals are mistreated and have no choice in the matter. Fighters on the other do have a choice. They choose to fight. They are treated very well by the promoters who look after them and lets not forget that they are also paid for their efforts. Not only that but the sponsors look after their fighters well. When have you ever seen a sponsor at an animal fighting event? Then you have the fans who do look up the fighters. And if you think they are all thugs you are greatly mistaken. Watch the end of a match. You will see two great competitors who, regardless of the result, will congratulate each other in a mutual show of respect, something that is not seen in many less "barbaric" sports. The writers comparison’s are appalling.

Ah, the always popular "if this were animals, it would be outlawed" argument, which Sinosic adeptly counters. Of course it would be outlawed if it were animals fighting, but it's not. It's people and they both are acutely aware of what risks come with stepping inside the cage. Score that round for Sinosic as well.

I challenge your paper to write a factual article on the sport of MMA. I’ve seen other papers take the time and effort to do their research and write a fair and factual account of the sport. I offer up my services as well. I am a professional MMA fighter. I have been competing in the sport since it first started here in Australia in 1997. I was the first Australian to fight and win in the UFC. I was also the first Australian to get a World Title shot in the UFC. I have competed in MMA across the glove in countries such as the US, Canada, Japan, England and Sweden. Not only have I been involved in the sport as a fighter I have also been involved as corner man helping fighters during the matches. I have also been a commentator in different events such as the UFC, Warriors Realm and The CFC. I also run a martial arts school and teach students who are may become fighters in the future. I have a great understanding and passion for the sport. I hope that your paper decides to do the right thing and write a follow up article that is correctly researched and fair and balanced.

I look forward to hearing back form you.
Regards,
Elvis Sinosic
The King of Rock n Rumble
www.ElvisSinosic.com
www.myspace.com/ElvisSinosic
www.Facebook.com/Elvis.Sinosic
www.spma.net.au

A sure knockout win for Elvis Sinosic!

As if his resume and credentials aren't impressive enough already, Sinosic has also been a judge and referee for MMA events too.Obviously he knows what he is talking about and it will certainly be interesting to see if the newspaper responds.

Though we're becoming increasingly immune to the effects of these articles here in North America, where each major PPV is followed by a series of hatchet-jobs like this using the same tired cliches, Australia is new ground for the UFC and despite the old adage that no press is bad press, the last thing anyone wants is factually false material about your sport preceding your arrival.

Additionally, we don't often here of fighters here standing up for their sport when these careless articles are written; maybe it's because they happen with great frequency or maybe it's a lack of concern. Either way, we don't hear from our fighters about it, which makes Sinosic's immediate action to respond to such nonsense all the more impressive and noble.

Here is a guy who has fought all over the world and worked diligently to put Australia on the MMA map. While he certainly could sit at home and shake off the article, he took action to set the record straight and I applaud him for that.

I'll be staying in touch with Sinosic to see what response, if any, his letter receives and when I know more, you'll know more.

One last thing I know: maybe instead of just writing about these ignorant articles here, we too should pick up a pen and write a Letter to the Editor from now on...