Honor in Martial Arts (UFC 229)

UFC 229 really put me into a funk for a bit, and I've been trying to process why.

Did Khabib miss a "GSP opportunity" to show the world what true martial artists are like, what true honor looks like as he helped up Conor and spoke to the crowd about why honor is important, about why what we say to each other matters?

Yeah.  He really did.

And did his actions endanger the audience, and tarnish the reputation of mixed martial arts?

Yeah.  They did.

And was Khabib wrong for ganging up on Conor's friend?  Probably.  I don't really know what the story behind that is/was, but I heard some pretty disturbing stuff about that.

Was Conor acting like a criminal lunatic when he attacked the bus?  Yup.

Was what Conor said during the fight buildup "crossing a line"?  

...I don't know.  

"Trash talk" is a thing, and it works.  Knowing what to say to make your opponent fight angry is a legit tactic.  It's not only one of the tools he used to GET both of his belts... it's how he got the fights in the first place.

But here's where I get bogged down.  Here's where I start to get bummed out if I'm not careful.

Was the UFC absurd when they used Conor's illegal, dangerous, insane behavior as a promotional tool?  

I think so, yeah.

I think that's what's really bugging me.  

That we're encouraging and financially compensating the behavior that is the antithesis of martial arts.

Or, at least, what martial arts used(?) to be.  

Maybe that's living in the past.  Maybe that era is done and it's time to move on.  Maybe.

Shane says that Bruce Lee used to represent martial arts, and that he was different from Conor.  

But, truth be told, Bruce had more in common with Conor than either of us would care to admit.  

In the early years, Bruce was often arrogant, often short tempered, and would fly off the handle on a regular basis.  

It was only later in life when he calmed down and found a more balanced approach to life.

So, maybe this is a stage.  A pendulum that will swing one way, and then the other.  Maybe we need our Conors in order to appreciate our Georges.  

Which again, brings me back to Khabib's wasted opportunity.  

He could have been the Georges we needed in that moment.  He could have shown the world what martial arts is all about.

It could have been a storybook ending.

...

Okay.  Enough whining.

What is the solution?

It's easy to sit on the sidelines and tell the fighters they should all be honorable, respectful, courteous and represent martial arts and the UFC with integrity.

And some fighters do.  

What are their names?

How many magazine covers, movie deals, endorsement opportunities and sponsors do they have?

If the system in place, and we, the consumers, compensate those outliers that attack buses, beat their wives, pee on their fans, torture dogs or whatever else our sports "heroes" do in their off time... 

Who but the fans are ultimately at fault?  

What's that saying?  

"Don't hate the player, hate the game"?

Is it the UFC's fault that fans want what they want, and they provide it?  They endorse it?  They promote it?

Maybe.  

Maybe they could swing the narrative away from the chaos and embrace the calm.  

Maybe.  

But 229 sold a shitload of PPVs.

Demetrius Johnson is an amazing human.  

He's kind, humble, extremely talented, extremely representative of a martial artist.  He might be the most talented martial artist the world has ever seen.  

He might be the kindest fighter on the roster.

But nobody is buying his whiskey.

Know your limitations

I once taught a class where everyone who was there had been there for about a year and a half.  There were formally abused wives, formerly overweight men, former smokers, former inactive people, formerly timid people etc.

And they were all sitting there, panting after the grueling class with proud smiles on their faces, and I told them to sit and close their eyes.

And visualize themselves as they were.  As they were when they first came in, not knowing what martial arts was, or what they could do.

I asked them to put themselves into that mindset and to "watch" the class that these people just did.

I asked them to keep their eyes closed, and to raise their hand if they thought they could do (what they just did)

No hands raised.

What they just did had been impossible for them to visualize doing less than two years ago.

I asked them to ponder that.  To think what else in their lives was currently "impossible."

I told them I was very proud of what they had become, what they had achieved, and that I was looking forward to seeing the new them in another few years.

Tears and hugs were plentiful after that class.  And lives changed.

Never look at your current self to know your limitations.  Because your current self doesn't have a damn clue what they are.



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