NHL Players Respect UFC Fighters

by Luke Thomas on Apr 16, 2008 4:49 PM EDT in News Comment 4 comments

Canada's TSN has a nice article about the growing and existing popularity of MMA (more specifically the UFC) among professional hockey players. The article is great because it pays proper reverence to both sports and quite frankly, professional athletes in respected sports giving MMA daps goes a long way toward converting MMA doubters. Notable quote:

''Even the worst UFC fighter that there is would beat me because of their training,'' said Pittsburgh Penguins enforcer Georges Laraque. ''It's so much harder than anything I've ever seen.

''I'm a fighter, so I know how hard they work and I know how hard it is to go against someone.''

Laraque counts Montreal's Georges St. Pierre among his good friends, although busy work schedules often limit their contact to phone conversations. He watches fights on pay per view.

I'm not a huge hockey fan, but I do know Laraque is a bruiser and has a running battle with local bruiser Donald Brashear. Laraque isn't Alex Ovechkin, but he's an established NHL player and for him to be so complimentary - particularly about the difficult training regimen fighters go through rather than just the "balls" MMA fighters have - speaks volumes.

HT: Reader Adam B.

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