Since the days of Athens and Sparta, the rivalry between nerds and jocks has defined western history. If true happiness lies in unifying the seemingly disparate disciplines of athletics and academia, let's not kill a good feud by being rational.
Several MMA stars are avid comic fans. Anderson "the spider" Silva, arguably the greatest MMA competitor of all time, chose his nickname as a homage to Spider-Man. The reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya uses anime references to taunt his adversaries pre and post-fight. Sadly, most comic artists don't show much love to the world of MMA.
That's why Rodrigo Lorenzo López is such a rarity. As a fan of both MMA and comics, López has created an interesting project through his Instagram profile: Marvel UFC. By separating Marvel characters into different fighting disciplines and weight classes, consistent with their comic book presentations, López allows fans to vote for which character they want to earn a proverbial "w" in an MMA fight. For an added level of immersion, López even selects other Marvel characters, both heroes and villains, to act as judges and referees to add an element of unpredictability to his micro-narratives. Let's just say you'd rather have Tony Stark as ref than Dr. Otto Octavius.
If you're looking for a fantastic and interactive Instagram profile with tons of gorgeous art, give López's page a browse. I hope to see you on fight night.
