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Hector E. Medina

Professor Zani

ENGL 1302

18 October 2021

Why Do Fighter’s Fight?

The attraction that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) holds seems to be the rawness of the

sport. MMA has presented a chance for fighters to retain control over their skills and for

spectators to indulge in unadulterated fighting in a cage. But what seems to be the motivation

behind fighters choosing MMA? According to studies, many fighters decide to fight because

they have been inspired to fight because of other fighters or because they simply have love and

respect for the sport.

This is a brief introduction to what MMA is. Mixed Martial Arts also known as MMA is

a full contact combat sport. The world’s greatest organization for MMA is UFC which stands for

the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it is considered the platform of all the competitions

that happen between various MMA fighters across the globe. MMA allows a wide variety of

fighting techniques to be used in this competition such as Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo,

Karate, Kickboxing, Kung-Fu, Taekwondo and Wrestling. All of these fighting techniques can

be used while playing in a competition.  Victory is usually gained through submission, knockout,

technical knockout, and judges’ decision.

In order to become a UFC fighter there are several steps that the athlete needs to

overcome. First, is to start competing in amateur competitions. An athlete cannot become a UFC
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fighter overnight he needs to train hard and participate and win in as many competitions as he

can so he can be considered to take part in a UFC competition. Secondly, he needs to work hard,

train hard and win all his fights. Lastly, he needs to have mental strength. An athlete needs to

have the motivation and drive to overcome the pain and exhaustion and still train the next

day. My question remains unanswered and that is why UFC fighters decide to enter this world of

fighting? Over the past decade, the increase in the popularity of MMA has led to more athletes

wanting to join MMA. One major reason is that since these are very well-trained athletes, they

feel the need to compete. Several authors, like Jensen try to find out the association between

competitiveness and MMA fights and what role does the competition play when the fight takes

place. Another interesting fact revealed is when fighters fight in a cage their feeling of survival

and competitiveness rises and this leads to them becoming more aggressive during their fights.

Therefore, the competitive nature of the fighter plays a very significant role in deciding to fight

with another MMA expert.  In a study conducted by Rodrigues, the authors have reported that

fighters tend to experience the requirements to “fight” to be different from “violence.” While

fighting, athletes are generally able to remain focused and aim at using their skills to win instead

of hurting their opponent. The reason being is that all fighters want to prove their skills and

mental strategies are better than his opponents. This has been corroborated by findings reported

by Jensen, who has provided insights into the experience of competition. The authors have

reported that fighters tend to be able to focus on the competition and manage their regulated

skills due to a demand of what they call a “cage reality”. “Cage reality” refers to the experience

of chaos that fighters report when they enter the cage to compete. The experience of an MMA

fighter seems to be the same as that of any other athlete involved in combat sports. Even though

the studies conducted by Jensen and Rodrigues have reported an experience of a need to inflict
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violence when opponents aim at hurting the fighter instead of winning the fight through their

skills, there are no studies that compare these feelings of wanting to “retaliate” instead of

focusing on the fight to the experience of competition on other combat sports. Therefore, the

popular idea that fighters fight because they enjoy violence and aggression seems to be

unfounded. As it has been presented by Anderson, the notion of “fear” becoming dominant and

letting all the focus on the fight break down has been reported to be the danger that is inherent in

MMA fighting, but such experience of loss of focus, anger and aggression have also been

reported in other sports such as boxing and wrestling. 

Once the thought that MMA fighters fight because of their desire for violence and

bloodshed has been ruled out, it would be imperative to discuss evidence related to other reasons

behind their reason for fighting. A study conducted by Biernat has explored the reasons provided

by a sample of 470 men who possess a level of proficiency in MMA. The reasons provided in

this study have been pleasure, keeping fit and maintaining a healthy body shape and health. The

category of health includes aspects of mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.

Fighters primarily choose to fight because MMA fighting gives them a sense of pride. The sense

of pride has been associated with the ability to use one’s skills to explore unrestricted avenues of

challenge and growth as a fighter as explained by Jonathan Snowden in his book, Total MMA:

Inside Ultimate Fighting. According to the narratives presented in the book, most of the fighters

who dedicate themselves to MMA do so because it allows them to explore their skills in relation

to other forms of martial arts. They also have the opportunity to learn, develop and seek new

challenges as a fighter is what seems to drive fighters to choose MMA. In Snowden’s book,

fighters from different training backgrounds such as Ju Jitsu and Karate report finding a calling

in MMA because of its sheer ability to challenge themselves from the monotony of their
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respective sport. MMA fighters have described their sport as being more exciting and stimulating

therefore, attracting fighters from all walks of life. 

The authors have reported the narratives used by fighters to choose MMA. The fighters

expressed their boredom and the unstimulating nature of their routines to claim that MMA has

been a savior for their mental and physical health. They report feeling motivated, strong, and

more resilient after training and fights. MMA training and fighting seem to provide them an

opportunity to create a meaningful identity for themselves. When these fighters are fighting, they

seem to be creating meaning and the sport offers them a sense of purpose. The narrative of

aggression and violence in MMA may be a result of media representation that ignores all the

subjective experiences that point to a more complex set of motivations behind choosing MMA. 

Respect is another key element that MMA fighters strive for. In this article Varney,

addresses this point that many fighters who are thought of as being aggressive and violent

individuals are not given the respect they deserve in the “cage” and off the cage. However, many

researchers do not agree with the popular opinion of money, fame, and respect. There are many

MMA fighters that do not live lavish lives and the only money they earn helps them get a

respectful living and nothing else.

 In conclusion, there are many arguments why MMA fighters decide to fight, such as

being a competitive person, because of their physical and mental well being, because of the

income they generate, because of fame and fortune and lastly and most importantly because of

the respect the fighters achieve while fighting. All of these are determining factors why MMA

fighters decide to fight, but there is one that is clearly stated and that is the love for the sport and

the pride they feel when they compete. MMA fighters fight like their own life depend on upon

them.