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We're sure we're not the only one who looked at the front page of the Times this morning, saw that horrible photo of the man in a cage getting pinned by a man in very ugly shorts, read the headline "Alive and Thriving in Midwest: Brawling in Cages," and thought, thank God we live here instead.

But then we checked out the article online, and we saw the little slide show the Times is offering, and we happened across these two (above). And, we've got to say, with their muscled, sweaty bodies, their nice inkwork, and their sexily sagging boardshorts, now we're thinking: Maybe we should check this stuff out.

Slide Show [NYT]
Alive and Thriving in the Midwest: Brawling in Cages [NYT]