Despite his transformation from a RINO (Republican in name only) to a conservative hero beating back the forces of socialism under Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the new Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has emerged as an unlikely hero of the right.And his history of staunch opposition to Mixed Martial Arts has offered him another chance to redefine his identity. Image has always played a large role in the political arena. And because of McCain’s flip-flopping and Obama’s resume, or lack thereof, identity politics still plays a role today. Character now matters more than policy, perception more than substance.Image creates perceptions, and creating or reconstructing an image can either solidify or disrupt the motives of loyal voters — it can make or break campaigns by either distracting them from or reminding them of specific issues.Glen Greenwald, author of “Great American Hypocrites,” blamed current election coverage for this image phenomenon, claiming “personality and popularity dominates everything they [the media] do, how they think, what their goals are.” This kind of coverage and the impacts of image politics are reflected in audience interpretations and can affect the results of elections.McCain, Grenwald says, benefits most from this type of coverage. McCain would be better served if he refined an outdated position he took over a decade ago and used it to recreate the image Grenwald calls “the uber-patriotic, uber-masculine, uber-courageous Moral Republican Warrior” exemplified by past Republican icons like John Wayne, Charlton Heston and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed image politics.McCain now has the chance to recast himself as a champion of the new face of combat, solidifying his image as an old warrior reborn to take on the ever-evolving world. He can mold himself in the tough-guy images of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush – presidential hard-asses if there ever were any.All he has to do is come around to the sport so many others have turned to as of late — MMA.MMA appeals to the inarguably innate male instinct to hurt people and break things and offers viewers the chance to watch a new generation of rising stars overtake the legendary fighters that helped the UFC fight its way to national prominence.Changing his position on one of the many undeserving topics that plagues election coverage probably won’t win him many votes — but the only thing that could convince me to vote McCain would be watching the Maverick step inside the Octagon opposite Obama.I’d pay to see the Maverick hammer-fist Obama like he’s drilling for oil off the Louisiana coast and giving him a taste of the real RNC.In 1995, McCain successfully spearheaded a movement to get the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) — MMA’s biggest outlet — banned nationwide. For a brief time, Louisiana was one of only three states that allowed UFC events as a result of McCain’s efforts. He got most pay-per-view providers to stop airing the fights via his seat on the Senate Commerce Committee in 1997.USA Today’s Marco R. della Cava noted McCain dubbed the sport “human cockfighting” and claimed it “appeals to the lowest common denominator in our society.”The New Republic’s Mark Crowley reminded us that McCain walked out when boxing’s moral superiority was questioned with regard to the number of deaths and the severity of injuries in boxing compared to MMA.We’ve seen much worse things on TV than the violence borne in the UFC, from Fear Factor to most political commentary to pretty much all the crap aired on MTV.McCain, a former Navy boxer, remains a fan of boxing and an opponent of MMA despite the latter sport’s relative safety and despite his account of Super Featherweight boxer Jimmy Garcia’s death in 1995. When you compare statistics, McCain’s numbers still don’t add up — the sport of boxing has witnessed more than 1,000 deaths in 100 years while MMA hasn’t recorded any in the past two decades.The UFC initially marketed itself as a ruthless blood sport that used a street-fighting appeal to draw crowds. It then underwent an image makeover starting in 2001.McCain should take note of its success. Under the Fertitta brothers’ new leadership and UFC President Dana White, the rulebook was updated to include better safety regulations and was again sanctioned in most states. The UFC added a point system, weight classes, time limits, safer gloves, more protective ring enclosures and tougher safety regulations.And as MMA regulations have grown in venues such as the UFC, so has the sport’s popularity. McCain was correct, but hypocritical when attacking the legitimacy of the sport and the integrity of its fan base. But because of his efforts, the UFC was able to reinvent itself for a mainstream audience.With new regulations countering reminiscent complaints, the UFC was allowed to restore itself in the image of other combat sports — a violent but safe sport. It shattered past images of what a fight looked like and helped launch the advent of a new day in sports history.The rapidity of the sport’s action serves as a welcome contrast to famous American pastimes like baseball and football — and more wholesome, clean-cut fighters have also aided the UFC’s rebirth in the wake of boxing and professional wrestling.Spike TV’s famous MMA reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” perhaps has been the biggest catalyst of the sport’s image revolution. Even Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has joined the cause, claiming in a 2006 study the injury rate of MMA fighters “is compatible with other combat sports” and boasts “lower knockout rates compared to boxing” that help prevent brain injury.Della Cava suggested MMA can provide a vicarious escape into the world of modern day gladiators. This fosters what he referred to as a tough-by-association, outlaw appeal for MMA fans.  Because of its new image, MMA is now the fastest-growing sport in America and boasts of the most coveted demographic in all of sports — 18-34 year old males. According to della Cava, it has spawned five other MMA leagues and a litany of UFC-related merchandise — from video games, TV shows and movies to books and magazines.And as White curiously admitted, this reinvented image is partly a result of McCain’s campaign against the sport. White also said McCain would be the best candidate for president from the UFC’s perspective because the UFC now conducts itself legitimately under government sanctioning brought about by McCain.Despite this, McCain still can’t claim victory in this MMA triumph — he’s still fighting the same battle, just against a different opponent. Things are different now.Crowley correctly described McCain’s obsession, boxing, as a cultural throwback. White told della Cava, “This is a sport for a new generation. Older people don’t get it.” That’s a wake up call for John McCain’s image consultants.—-contact Daniel Lumetta at [email protected]