MMA and Me

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. His
challenger on that night got scared and ran home to Mommy.
His name was Phil...um, Doow. Yea, Phil Doow O_O

Before I begin, let me say this is not a rant! I followed mixed martial arts and the UFC for about three years now; I understand how the UFC operates, the controversy between Dana White and the fighters, and violence in sports and sports entertainment. I get all those, but this will not focus on any of those, or maybe they will?

Tonight, world champion and Canadian phenom Georges St-Pierre defends his belt again interim champion Carlos Condit. Condit is the interim champion because St-Pierre took a year off fighting due to an ACL injury he sustained in December of 2011. GSP returns to the octagon for his first fight since then, and in his home province of Quebec at Montreal's Bell Centre, no less.

When I would go out with friends to watch any UFC event, dozens of "fight fans" would pack the restaurant we would visit. For the most part, everyone was there to eat food, watch a fight, and have a good time. Of course, there would be divided loyalties, but no one cared too much.

However, when my friends and I would go out to the same restaurant to watch a UFC event involving Georges St-Pierre, you could see "fight fans", but there were many more "GSP fans" in the same space. Now, a small percentage of a VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE of "GSP fans" know three things about mixed martial arts:

1. Georges St-Pierre is Canadian.
2. Georges St-Pierre always wins.
3. Georges St-Pierre never loses.

You can't question the first part, at least successfully o_O, but if one "GSP fan" encounters a fan that supports BJ Penn or Matt Serra and believes the second and third parts are incorrect, then that "GSP fan" starts a fight in the parking lot outside of the restaurant. Invariably, at some stage during the night of a GSP fight, there will be lights from a police cruiser flashing outside of the restaurant because a "GSP fan" came to blows with a "heathen" or "non-conformist". I stopped going out to watch UFC pay-per-view events on Saturday nights because I'm afraid I will be one of those "non-conformists" featured in the bonus fight in the restaurant parking lot on UFC nights.

GSP: He killed four hecklers in the back row with that look o_O Two more while wearing that suit O_O
I was almost a mixed martial artist, but I took an arrow in the knee.

I ask my friends the next day, if with their food and entertainment they get the 'bonus fight in the parking lot', and they answer yes every time.

I had an incident at a bar, about three years ago. I bumped into a fellow as I went to my seat before the UFC event began, and we stared at each other for what seemed like five minutes before I apologized and sat down. He shook it off, said "sorry", and sat down next to me. o_O We didn't say a word to each other until the waiter brought me my appetizer: Mushrooms stuffed with cheese and spinach ^_^ He looked at them and said "Those look nice!" I agreed, and proceeded to wolf them down.

The whole experience lasted three or four seconds, in hindsight, however it stuck with me until now. I hate imagining what would happen if I was with others, if his buddies were nearby, if I spilled something, or if I wasn't a Christian what my response would be. I don't like thinking about it or possibly undergoing a similar situation with different variables. If there were two reasons why I don't go out to watch UFC PPVs, then that would be the second reason (you already read the first one).

Now, like every other branch of the sports entertainment tree, the act of competition is neutral; what we as humans do with that particular competition is where we find a lot of what we love and detest about sport today. The difference is how much each of us are willing to tolerate, and keeping in mind our relationships and responsibilities to our family, friends, or employers and wards what we will watch or when we will go to watch a live contest of competition. Does that make sense? I hope so; if you would like to engage in this discussion, feel free to leave a comment or six.

If you would like to know, yes, I hope Georges St-Pierre wins, and no, I don't want there to be a bonus fight in the parking lot tonight. GSP is a great dude, and a good, well spoken representative for Canada at home and aboard. If you are going out tonight, be safe...PLEASE be safe.