The True Meaning of Fighting

Fight.

What does this ensemble of five letters mean to you? What memories –  but more importantly emotions – are evoked when somebody mentions FIGHTING, or speaks of a FIGHT?

Is the first thing that pops into your mind an argument you had with your significant other regarding which of Starbucks six new frappuccino flavours are the best? Or a fight you had with your co-workers regarding fairly splitting the workload, so you do not have to take as many aspirins from carrying the company on your back?

The word “fight” triggers different memories and emotions for every person, as it is a very intimate and personal concept. Despite the many connotations of the word – “any contest or struggle,” “an angry argument or disagreement” (reference) – most people understand the meaning of the word fight with respect to a physical altercation. For example, UFC, boxing, or a street fight.

While the UFC is now commonly associated with the word “fight” or “fighting,” what is often missing in this association is that the UFC is a display of mixed martial arts (MMA). Despite this, we still call the athletes in the UFC “fighters,” and a match between two athletes a “fight.” While many people who watch professional MMA for the first time (likely the UFC) are quick to point out how violent it is, they often ignore the complexity and skill involved. That is not to say that MMA is not violent, as there are still conflicting reports as to whether MMA is as dangerous as most label it to be.

However, we cannot simply discredit everything that these athletes and superhumans do in their sport. Many are quick to say they dislike the sport because it is “too violent” or “unsafe;” however, many other sports also have an excessive amount of contact (such as boxing, football or rugby). Those sports are apparently presented in a more organized manner where the physical contact is not the focus and thus, the violence is apparently more acceptable. The “protective” padding in football and boxing also perpetuates this illusion that these sports are more safe, when in actuality, this “protection” also allows players to endure more pain and punishment before it occurs to them that they are truly hurt.

As mentioned earlier, MMA is an incredible display of skill. Many individuals spend a great deal of time training boxing, muay thai, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, wrestling, karate or taekwondo. Whereas you or I might take a class or two, or train in one of those disciplines, MIXED martial artists spend their time training ALL of these disciplines. And they must! Each fighter is usually a specialist, with one discipline being their specialty as they trained this discipline from a young age. However, as the sport evolved, many fighters are now becoming experts in various disciplines in a very short period of time. What these athletes can accomplish is truly fascinating and it is all with dedication, training and hard work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJj3ceWj8o

In MMA, there is no preseason or exhibition, there is no regular season, nor is there an offseason. Every single fight is a “playoff” round, a “knockout” round, a do or die situation. A fighter cannot simply have a bad performance and say “it happens,” because they do not have 82 games in a season, let alone 82 fights in a career. At the highest levels, a fighter typically fights 2-3 times a year. And this is why every time you watch a fight, you can expect an athlete who has trained their absolute hardest, who has done everything in their power to be ready to showcase their talents to the world. And while it is true that their bodies and physical well-being is on the line in a fight (and that this is “dangerous”), for almost every fighter, that is the least of their worries. It is their ego, pride, determination and dedication that they are most concerned about. They are fighting for the satisfaction of knowing the countless hours in the gym and many sacrifices – most notably, being away from family and loved ones – have paid off. And they wouldn’t have it any other way, because they love their job.