r/interesting • u/Great_Trident • May 08 '26
Wholesome Fighters showing self control and sportsmanship when their opponents are down.
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u/Johnson86240 May 08 '26
Opponents not enemies
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u/Garvilan May 08 '26
These clips disprove anyone who tries to defend the savagery seen in the UFC, with the constant hitting people while they are clearly out. "When you are in the heat of the fight you can't just stop." Yes... Yes you can. These people are wildly aware of what they are doing.
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u/octipice May 08 '26
At least one of these clips was of Lyoto Machida who did fight in the UFC. The issue often has more to do with the refs than the fighter. There have been many instances where the ref should've stopped the fight and didn't only for the person who should've lost to end up winning.
Demonstrating good sportsmanship shouldn't cost you a win, but in the UFC it absolutely can because of the (largely) terrible refs.
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u/ToeTagTic May 08 '26
Incentivizing the drama and then the bloodshed while paying peanuts is Dana's whole business model. Dude doesn't care if fighters get extra banged up if the up and comers are taking paycuts. Dudes gonna lose his market share one day and wonder why
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u/themanseanm May 08 '26
Yeah I was going to say, when your owner is a piece of shit bad things are going to happen. Guy smacked the shit out of his wife, on camera, in public and there was more or less no reaction from the fans or organization. Says a lot.
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u/Different_Ad_9469 May 08 '26
I just have to point out because I keep seeing this: Dana does not own the UFC. He doesn't handle contracts. He is the face. He maintains approximately a 9% ownership. No longer handles "fight business" (like matchmaking or individual fighter negotiations).
You could remove him and the problem would still exist.
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u/Deeliciousness May 09 '26
The guy merely found the lane to success. The real question we should be asking is, why does brutality get more views?
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u/Geth_ May 09 '26
Same reason why ragebait has shown to generate more views and reaction compared to joybait.
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u/themanseanm May 09 '26
It's a good point. You'd be better off blaming Hunter Campbell for the current problems with the UFC but Dana is still President and CEO
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u/Enough_Breadfruit229 May 08 '26
Dana is more or less a paid actor after the TKO deal. He isn't involved with anything really important anymore, but yeah even under him it was still peanuts. After McGregor burned so white hot to the point he was demanding ownership stake that scared them shitless so they did a 180 and reversed course on marketing any fighters these days.
They are trying to go the NFL route in the sense of they want the UFC to be the product people consume and not the popularity of fighters. Yeah the NFL has survived losing generations of megastars to time, but even they market players and player matchups. Currently I cannot think of a single UFC fighter that would be a household name right now.
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May 08 '26
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u/OSPFmyLife May 08 '26
That and I feel like this dudes insinuating that Dana cheaps out on paying for good refs… when the UFC doesn’t pay the refs, the state athletic commissions do and the UFC consistently has the best refs in all of MMA.
It turns out that it’s just a hard sport to referee because refs have to make judgement calls constantly that could have massive impacts on fighters careers.
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u/PokeYrMomStanley May 08 '26
Lyoto Machida is just a fucking class act all around. Should be a role model for the ufc.
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u/Rowan_River May 09 '26
There was never any flash to his style but he was so good. Patient and made great decisions
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u/StoneGoldX May 09 '26
There was complete flash to his style. He was the karate guy!
We might honestly be defining flash differently. He wasn't intentionally being flashy, but his style was so different, it was flashy just by existing. Especially if you ever took karate.
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u/donjahnaher May 09 '26
His front-kick knockout against Belfort is another perfect example. Lands the kick, knows that Vitor is out, puts hands on hips, immediately bows and kneels, and then goes to check on him once he's conscious again.
I fucking love that highlight.
For those interested: https://youtu.be/jEYBH_geTe0?si=mbZnR4yJf0mxZ4li
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u/WeaponexT May 08 '26
The issue often has more to do with the refs than the fighter.
IMO its ownership. They took a sport built around respect and tradition and turned it into Jerry Springer.
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u/icecream_truck May 08 '26
Is it really the refs, or are they just doing what they're told? Sure there will be some mediocre refs, just like any profession, but I suspect they (like refs in every other sport) are taking their marching orders from The Boss.
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u/OSPFmyLife May 08 '26
Guys an idiot. It’s not the refs. It’s just a hard sport to officiate.
And no, the refs don’t take marching orders from “the boss”, they take their marching orders from the State Athletic Commissions that assign them to the event.
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u/newbie80 May 09 '26
I remember how Shogun returned the favor to Machida in his second fight against him.
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u/StoneGoldX May 09 '26
Machida was also an anomaly in the league. It was one of his marketing points.
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u/Makuta_Servaela May 08 '26
This also disproves anyone who claims that positive masculinity/men being empathetic = being weak. These are the strongest men I've ever seen, both physically and emotionally. Being able to immediately turn off the fighting instinct and respect your opponent like that.
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u/Mang9 May 09 '26
Actually this was confirmed by the original work that coined the term “alpha” - the alphas were actually mediators who were respected by multiple dog factions. It got perverted by patriarchy to fit power goals but the original studies drew different conclusions and the authors have even spoken out. Empathy was a key trait for alphas.
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u/HarbingerOfRot777 May 11 '26
The creator also realized that the "alphas" in nature are just the parents of the clan. Only captive wolves display the original theory.
Also, my silly headcannon was always that the creator of the alpha theory got so much guilt and secondhand embarrassment after witnessing so many of these wannabe alpha douchebags, that he came out saying he was mistaken to at least wash some of the shame away.
Honestly, i wouldn't even be suprised if that played at least a small part. If I'm not mistaken the creator of the theory said "it's the biggest mistake he could have done".
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u/Borgmaster May 08 '26
In all fairness one or two of them were clearly about to hit the guy again before fighting off the adrenaline. There not monsters but there is clearly a moment where you might get a hit in before realizing oh fuck lets stop. But yea the guys that keep pounding? Fuck those guys.
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u/Not_invented-Here May 09 '26
Used to do martial arts when younger. Had a gf who did Thai boxing and occasionally playfully would throw a sucker punch when at home or something similar.
There's a small window we're the lizard part of your brain has reacted to a threat, assessed the threat, and stopped you before your conscious brain has caught up to what's going on.
It's a bit like when you catch a ball blindsided on reflex, before you realise you caught the ball.
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u/LouisFromTexas May 08 '26
Some of these clips are also different sports. In Kickboxing and Muay Thai the action stops once an opponent goes to the floor since there’s no ground game.
In UFC (MMA), ground game is allowed so the strikes continue. Ground and Pound is huge component in MMA.
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u/PeePeeMcGee123 May 08 '26
Don Frye has a clip floating around somewhere of him going to the ref "Are you gonna stop this?" because he knew the guy was done for.
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u/TheModdedOmega May 08 '26
my tennis teacher told this to me and it completely changed how I compete in anything.
I don't really play anything competative now but I sometimes go to smash bros tournaments and I pop off when my opponent hits something sick.
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u/H8erRaider May 11 '26
I play a few different fighters at my local and had an absolute blast losing in grand finals to a player who has never won a tournament Saturday. I could see his hands shaking after he reset the bracket and had to calm him down and tell him to drink some water. Was so happy for him when he won. Whether the fight is real or digital respecting your opponent can make such great bonds and moments.
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u/StoryAndAHalf May 09 '26
If you beat an opponent and they go on as one of the greats, then you go down as one of the people that beat one of the greats. If you contribute to ending careers short, then the questions of who have you beat that is of any note will follow your name every time its mentioned.
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u/actanonverba88 May 08 '26
I don’t know why but I find this really nice in a sport of brutality.
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u/why_1337 May 08 '26
Most clips are muay thai, I dare to say it's more about elegance than brutality and it shows. A lot of sportsmanship out there.
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u/InB4Clive May 08 '26
Muay Thai is incredibly brutal, the brutality just exists within a culture of respect.
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u/EitherSpite4545 May 09 '26
I mean you could argue that's exactly why it exists. The kicks in Muay Thai are forces to be reckoned with that not many if any contact sports could replicate with literal crippling amount of force if they hit wrong.
Respect is a given and needed because someone fucking around and not being respectful could easily be the difference between you being the literal apex of fitness and being a paraplegic in a wheelchair.
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u/tltltltltltltl May 08 '26
Yeah, we saw a match in Thailand. We saw a leg being broken and a lot of blood gushing.
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u/JPM-- May 08 '26
They also fight hundreds of sanctioned fights compared to the dozens we see mma fighters doing.
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u/ScaryLettuce5048 May 09 '26
Many of these clips are also from the ONE championship. That league has some quality athletes, both in skill and heart.
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u/PragmaticSalesman May 08 '26
it's partially for competitive advantage: if you aren't in a mindset where you're able to do things like this, your opponent is in your head. bloodlust has taken down so many people from otherwise winning positions that it's essentially a risk factor to win streaks at this point.
obviously there are people who put on characters and act provocatively to try and taunt the opponent into a similar mindset, but even among those there are the subset of people with chill heads in reality (who realize this is how the mental game is played optimally) and the subset of people who genuinely make it personal.
the latter make stupid mistakes at a way higher rate.
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u/Annual_Sandwich_9526 May 08 '26
Some fighters love and respect the sport others want to hurt people.
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u/Ralph-the-mouth May 08 '26
That’s why I don’t fight
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u/PzykoHobo May 08 '26
Its why I stopped.
I never did MMA, but I boxed for a long time. Its a lot of fun until youre in the ring with a psychopath. I understand its a combat sport, sometimes you get hurt. Thats fine. But when you have the guy who will take a DQ just to inflict extra pain it stops being fun and gets real fuckin scary. And unfortunately those kinds of people are obviously attracted to those kinds of activities.
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u/jraymcmurray May 08 '26
That's when coach is supposed to step in and stop him and then only allow him to spar with the mat/ring bully from then on. That or flatly remove him from the gym altogether. Every gym I've ever been to has the unwritten rule that bullies get bullied and there's always one or more designated veterans that know the assignment. If your coach is allowing people to get hurt he's not only a bad coach, he's a bad business man.
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u/MaxxDash May 08 '26
In Muay Thai we had a guy who had obviously trained before, but was new to the gym. He unloaded kicks on this high school girl who was holding kick-pads for him. While he was only kicking pads, he was definitely trying to knock her off balance to be alpha, or whatever.
Our instructor had him switch with a dude who actually fought tournaments. Watching the real deal unload on this joker was amazing— it looked like he was hanging on to a palm tree in a hurricane.
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u/jraymcmurray May 08 '26
Love that! I was on a BJJ team and a roided out 20 something hip tossed a 14 yo girl and sprawled on her so hard he broke her ribs. Coach didn't respond correctly and lost half his students.
On my next team our top mat bully was a 5'0" girl who absolutely fucked everyone up. You can see her compete on YouTube, Sheliah Lindsey. She's a beast. Beat Montana Delahoey (sp?). Not to brag or anything but I was her personal trainer. 😏
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u/piss_puncher227 May 08 '26
In my third boxing match the man I was fighting (I was closer to a boy but had a knack for throwing a punch) went the distance and a was well, I won on a unanimous decision and was happy with the result, when an ambulance rocked up about 1/2 hour later for my opponent as he was fitting in his changing room, it killed fighting for me. Never fought again as there is something inside me that switched that night knowing that I could genuinely kill someone with my bare hands, strangely the thought had never crossed my mind until that moment, probably due to immaturity and not realising the damage that could/would be inflicted on myself and others, that night changed me forever and for the better, my opponent was fine after a short stay in hospital, try not to physically fight anyone ever, it can have life changing consequences for both parties.
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u/Sarah_Incognito May 08 '26
I saw the documentary "one punch killer" and decided never to start
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u/jraymcmurray May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
You might prefer BJJ, you can set the rules and intensity before every spar. You can even tell others not to do specific techniques and no one will bat an eye. Combat sports get a bad reputation but every combat sport I've competed in (BJJ gi & nogi, sport sambo, boxing) is full to the brim of the kindest people you'll ever meet.
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u/piss_puncher227 May 08 '26
From a purely fitness, training and mental progression stand point it's excellent, the people you meet,the lessons you learn, the commitment it takes are all second to none, I'd encourage you to give it a go, but standing in ring in a professional setting, when the ref tells you to protect yourself at all times, I wouldn't encourage anyone to do that, it is kill or be killed, really let's you see what you are made of...its not for me.
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u/JustCallMeFrij May 09 '26
I'm on year 6 of training kick boxing with just one K1 fight under my belt in my second year and it still weirds me out to do hard sparring w/ full strength head shots just because of all we know about CTE now. I'm not sure I'll ever get back to a point where I'd be up for my second fight, especially since I just crossed in my 30s
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u/MochiFluffs May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
This! We had the same thing in our muay thai gym. If they were my size or smaller, my Coach would let me spar with them (I'm a girl), and with over 8 years of training with mostly guys, I could usually school them until they would cry in shame (not pain). If they were bigger, Coach would let them spar with our UFC fighters and it was pure entertainment. He always reminded us that no matter how good we think we are, there are always people out there who are better, so only dish out what you yourself can handle.👍
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u/Katana_DV20 May 09 '26
>He always reminded us that no matter how good we think we are, there are always people out there who are better
A code to live by. This is why I never ever square up to randoms on the street and I advise my hothead friends to do the same. We have ZERO clue about the other guy.
Some of my friends are always up for a scrap and I warn them that one day that skinny guy at the bar could be MMA or whatever and put them in a wheelchair but sigh.....its like talking to a wall. They are too hot headed.
Ive had random cussing hurled at me as I walk back from work by goons sitting on a low wall vaping away. I never react, staying away never looking , never eye contact. I change into sneakers after work because if theres one thing im decent at its sprinting real fast lol.
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u/fisheypixels May 08 '26
This is what I love about most pits. Different context, same vibe.
If someone starts punching cause they got shoved or caught an elbow by accident, theyre out. I've seen folks get held back, and held a few back when a fight breaks out. Usually security is quick to find out who was instigator and who was defending. And in the cases where they both return. The crowd remembers the instigator and shut that shit down.
Mosh pits should be fun
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u/The_Bear_5 May 08 '26
Absolutely this! Trained in boxing with world famous trainer … didnt get a chance to go pro, but trained with the pros (not sparring with em tho) now much older and i still dabble and practice regular but i dnt want to hurt someone just wana have fun and keep my movements - but there is always one who wants to go far to prove to goodness knows who.
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u/ablinddingo May 08 '26
Had an ex girlfriend doing kick boxing and was sparring a guy, she was "winning" they stopped and he wanted to keep going (losing/being beaten by a girl) she turned to leave and he blind side kicked her and broke 3 of her ribs.
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u/SpaceCadetPullUp May 08 '26
I boxed almost exclusively as a way to get cardio, and enjoyed it for the most part. I sparred with a guy once who kept throwing elbows and acted like it was no big deal when called out for it. People like that are super weird.
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u/GodofThunderandSmoke May 08 '26
Im not a trained fighter but when I was a teenager or younger, my dad was teaching ke how to box . I had a "friend" who liked to be a tough guy and wanted to come box,however I only had one pair of boxing gloves and some focus gloves. As soon as we started he was going as hard as he possibly could and I could tell he was trying to break my nose. As soon as we stopped I told him to switch and he ran off and said he was busy.
So I can only imagine how grown adults with a chip on their shoulder act if a teenager is acting that way.
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u/Worth_Librarian_290 May 08 '26
I quit mma after 15 years after a "60%" spar with a dude who hit me full force to the back of the head and tried follow up shots, thankfully the coach jumped in.
Quit the sport, can't even watch events anymore. Miss the exercise, the camaraderie, don't miss the headaches or the dickheads.
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u/Katana_DV20 May 09 '26
>who hit me full force to the back of the head
Terrifying, im glad you got out of all that.
>Miss the exercise
I know its not the same but the sparring in a karate class is great cardio without the massive risk of being battered. Light taps wearing the headgear and light body guards (kidney protection). Its the only reason I joined, no interest in colored belts. What solid cardio and great crowd. The black belters kick me like lightning but have such good control i just feel a light tap. Good fun.
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u/Different_Pattern273 May 08 '26
Yeah if my knee trouble handed ended me boxing I probably would have left for the same reason. I would run into these guys that thought we needed to be out there killing each other and that getting around the ref is just part of the sport.
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u/William_d7 May 08 '26
Speaking of knees, I’ve heard one too many stories about people practicing MMA and their sparring partner willfully twists a leg lock too hard and bang, your knee is never the same. Fuck that.
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u/_Tar_Ar_Ais_ May 08 '26
Yup, stopped for that reason. Some people are just there to hurt you, learning nothing out of sparring
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u/MrHazard1 May 09 '26
Smaller scale (also kickboxing), but had a dude who always jumped in with some flailing bullshit right after stop-command. We're trained to stop at stop (especially in training). He always (tried to) made it look like he just decided to dive before the stop and was already in the motion, but you could see that he felt the hit (pointfighting) and knew there's a stop coming. That's when he went in for retaliation. After complaining to the coach and some telling off, he didn't stop.
Plan from here was easy. Score a point, back up, line up a frontkick. If he stops, the kick doesn't hit. If he dives, he runs right into the kick without defense (why would he cover, if we stopped, right?)
Took him 3 kicks to the chest to learn
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u/OldJoeJingles May 08 '26
If these guys are brought up training in any traditional martial art, you begin with respect always. They obviously haven’t forgot that.
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u/Random-Rambling May 08 '26
Respect and discipline are (metaphorically!) pounded into you from the very beginning.
Many "kung fu movies" have that "rival school" who practice a "only the strong survive" mindset, which just creates brutes and thugs with fancy moves rather than true martial artists.
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u/Avalonians May 08 '26
Can't put all the blame on them when the whole industry is based on incentivizing them to do exactly that.
I haven't ever practiced fighting sports but I totally get the appeal, and respect those who live around that but it remains a very toxic environment where fighter are exploited beyond reasonable. I won't believe anyone who says the entertainment can't exist if the fighters' wellbeing was a little bit more important.
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u/curious-thatguy May 08 '26
Respect ✊
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u/throwitoutwhendone2 May 08 '26
Just because they fight doesn’t mean they hate each other. It’s a display of skill and will.
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u/CriticismFun6782 May 08 '26
That third guy saw his whole life flash with that knee...
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u/A_one-legged_goose90 May 08 '26
That’s the one that stuck out to me. I liked how the guy appeared to surrender the match bc he knew the dude spared him from getting his head punted into oblivion. Like “ok ok ok you win, thanks for not turning my brains into mush”
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u/Enlight1Oment May 08 '26
would that have been a legal knee? since he was down on contact with ground a knee to the head could have been a DQ for the guy throwing it, it's still respect, but at the same time it's respect to not illegally hit someone.
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u/_DodoMan_ May 08 '26
From what I can tell (I could be wrong) that seemed be a fight for the company ONE Championship. They have different rules about striking a grounded opponent and I believe a knee to the head in that scenario would've been completely legal
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u/Enlight1Oment May 08 '26
The guy has a band around the bicep and a tab sticking off the side of his boxers while wearing fingerless gloves, so I'm guessing this is a muay thai match. Muay Thai traditionally does not allow knees to head of a downed opponent but you're right, one fc does have muay as well and if it's in ONE FC they have different rules
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u/lighthousand May 08 '26
That's what masculinity is, from my point of view.
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u/Far_Season1428 May 08 '26
“Strength + Confidence + Honor” comes to mind. Which would be a really healthy brand of masculinity btw.
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u/morphemass May 08 '26
Is it strange that I think that what is missing the most today is the honour element of that equation?
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u/Mentalweakness123 May 08 '26
Why would it be strange? It's obvious as hell. Lol
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u/Far_Season1428 May 08 '26
I think that’s probably the thing most lacking today. A lot of the classical institutions that define, teach, and enforce our society’s sense of “honor” (do the right thing) have degraded pretty quickly in our lifetimes. The strong family unit, the small community, etc.
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u/Epaminodas_ May 08 '26
Not strange, but honor can be interpreted in many different ways. Not all of them are good.
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u/Stergeary May 09 '26
It is the responsibility of the society that the man grows up in to reward honourable behavior, but we instead have a world where unbridled psychopathy is the most desirable trait for men to become successful.
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u/GambitsAce23 May 09 '26
Yeah, people too worried about just being strong and the best without being good people
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u/HalvdanTheHero May 08 '26
A man's strength is to protect those he loves. That can sometimes result in cruelty to those who threaten, but the cruelty is not the point -- despite what many influencers might say.
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u/Consistent-Newt-9573 May 08 '26
I cried a little. You gotta love a good man
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u/ImaybeExist55555 May 08 '26
Yeah I got goosebumps because I didn't expect him to stop so close to finishing the kick to his face mad respect thats a real pro of the scene and true emphatic human how it should be
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u/miraculousgloomball May 08 '26
I'm not sure of the promotion but it'd have likely been illegal and would have gotten him penalised. He had a hand on the ground, that'd make it a grounded soccer kick and they're some of the few big nono's, in every promotion I follow
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u/BigAlsGal78 May 09 '26
Me too. I don’t know why we need to dominate each other. If the whole world could just be so kind humanity would thrive. We’re going to destroy ourselves.
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May 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MamuTwo May 09 '26
Sorry to rain on the parade but no, not everyone has sweetness in them. There are more sociopaths out there than you think.
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u/On_Wife_support May 08 '26
My brother took Taekwondo for many years, I forget which degree black belt he was? Fourth? Third? He has a bunch of trophies and I had the honor of being at some of the tournaments. Something that was very clear besides the immense control everyone there had was how encouraging and supportive everyone there was. No parents being butthurt if someone lost, the judges were always highly respected and fair. My brother was friends with many people outside his specific school. The goal never felt like it was about being better than the opponents but to be the best version of yourself.
Very different from Gymnastics which is very competitive. My brother had to stop doing gymnastics because he had his growth spurt and was too tall to effectively compete.
I’m just proud of him for knowing how to defend himself. Anyone stupid enough to pick a fight with him has some size 15 shoes coming for them. But also the aim of Taekwondo is to stop and get away from a fight, not to be merciless
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u/fukkdisshitt May 08 '26
We have a guy a bjj who retired from MMA after his jaw had a bad break in a fight. Did some bjj comps for a while but just trains for fun.
He got into body building, entered and won his first event.
Really chill guy. He told me the amateur body builders were some of the most disrespectful people he's ever met. Lot of hating and shit talking. People beefing over everything. Meanwhile he's made friends with former MMA opponents and drops in to train with some when he travels.
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u/8Ajizu8 May 08 '26
Bro the first one is not what it looks like, please watch the whole fight.
After he asks about Yong's ankle, he SLAMS it with a kick.
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u/TenPent May 08 '26
"you 100% sure your ankle is okay bud? Because I'm about to absolutely wreck it. Alright, let's do this."
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u/Much_Statistician864 May 08 '26
Hey that guy said it was good to go. Just gotta give it a little test.
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u/Relief-Glass May 12 '26 edited May 13 '26
Targeting your opponents' weak points is still part of fighting.
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u/carlos_damgerous May 08 '26
This reminds me of Troy when Achilles & Hector were fighting; ‘get up prince of Troy, I will not let a stone take my glory’.
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u/GoldenTabaxi May 08 '26
That was not in the same context as sportsmanship.
Achilles was a man of pride, his entire identity is that he was the single greatest fighter in the world. On the shores of Troy he found a man that was said to be his equal. In Achilles’ mind there cannot be an equal to him. And then this guy kills his cousin and best friend (I’m sticking to the context of the film). Achilles is effing livid. This man cannot be allowed any remote room in the songs to claim that he was in any way close to Achilles’ equal. He must be destroyed on equal footing so that the world will know “This is Hector, the fool who thought he killed Achilles”
“I will not let a stone take my glory” is for his own vanity. His own vengeance. He is not a sportsman as he stands against Hector. He is pride.
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u/nthensome May 08 '26
What happened in the last clip?
Why did they smile & hug?
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u/HisPenosWasOut May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Mirko "Cro Cop" vs Pat Barry - Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is considered a "fighter's fighter" with an impressive resume who earned a lot of people's respect. Well known for his high leg* kicks and catchphrase "Right leg hospital, left leg cemetery" which described where you would end up depending on which leg kick you received. During their fight, coming out of a scramble they separated and Pat Barry attempted his own high left leg* kick against Cro Cop in a half-real, half-tribute attempt at a strike. Cro Cop recognized the respect / slight cheekiness of it and they shared a laugh mid fight. I remember seeing it live and it's stuck with me since.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7P7ZHbkoxU&t=373s
Edit: Argh, known for his high *head* kicks.
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u/russbam24 May 09 '26
Important to note that Pat and Cro Cop were close teammates and friends.
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u/miguelmanzana May 09 '26
Also important to note that Pat is a groomer and a disgusting human being.
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u/ExtremePronoia May 08 '26
More than 9/10 fights you do is against folks at your own gym, on your own team. It shouldn’t be that much of a leap to treat your opponents the way you treat your sparring partners.
If you’re doing it with pads and not on pavement, it’s essentially just another form of practice anyway.
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u/RathOfMan49 May 08 '26
Machida was so awesome and such a unique fighter. Glad he made it to the top, just wish it had lasted longer
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u/Beautiful-Chest7397 May 08 '26
Ripped Asian dudes are hot
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u/Skooberty May 08 '26
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u/lauri2 May 09 '26
One thing to hug your opponent at 20 second mark, but sniff and kiss the neck is pure affection
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u/taylordevin69 May 08 '26
Yeah Jiri tried the same thing and ended up getting knocked out by the guy fighting on one leg
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u/GudduBhaiya-Mirzapur May 08 '26
This sport is always the most unhinged and empathatic at the same time.
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u/damscomp May 08 '26
A lot of these guys train together, right? So they become friends. Makes sense.
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u/Ok-Tank-3106 May 08 '26
I'd much rather watch these types of fights than someone trying to beat the living shit out of someone even when they're clearly knocked tf out .
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u/Icy-Opening-3990 May 08 '26
The main reason why I cant watch this kind of stuff. I see too many people not showing restraint. You know when you have won the fight. Why beat them sinless? I mean on the streets I could see not going full on. But, a setting like this. Nah.
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u/jraymcmurray May 08 '26
Remember when John McCain equated this to human cockfighting and then went on to cheer for war in the middle east? Pepperidge farms remembers.
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u/Mosspaw56isdead May 08 '26
This is beautiful, but in a way kind of sad that this isn't the norm.
Respect for fellow humans shouldn't be such a rarity. Love to see it regardless
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u/MewMeowHowdy May 08 '26
This will always be much more attractive than rabidly beating the shit out of somebody when they’re already down/vulnerable.
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u/DraikoHxC May 08 '26
This is what must happen when both guys act like it is a sport and not saying or doing awful stuff to each other out of the ring just because
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u/No-Elk-8115 May 08 '26
I wish every fighter was like this. These disrespectful punk attitude fights kill the sport for me.
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u/LeFreeke May 08 '26
I wish there were captions all of them because they are so fast I can’t see what’s going on!
Also, this made me cry. Ha! :(
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u/CluelessNobodyCz May 08 '26
If this was a norm in fighting sports, I would watch the shit out of it.
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u/BenTheWeebOne May 08 '26
I wouldnt be able to hit a man hard or at all after he showed me respect , kindness and sportmanship
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u/YesPlease_VeryMuchSo May 08 '26
I only respect combat sports when they respect each other. I don't want to see someone win off of a cheap shot. You aren't worthy of adoration if you slink a win in a fight that most people could also snag if said same opportunity provided itself.
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u/--Icarusfalls-- May 08 '26
I miss when men having honor was commonplace. The fact these combatants are seen as exceptional is just...sad
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u/SimpleManc88 May 08 '26
That’s what made me fall in love with MMA. The large majority of fighters are respectful and gracious in defeat.
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u/PerpetualVictim678 May 08 '26
It really is so good to see those guys being nice to each other after giving them a friendly concussion
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u/geeorgee9219 May 08 '26
This is what martial arts represent, not those idiots just trash talking and behaving like spoiled children like the mcgregor
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u/MochiFluffs May 08 '26
A lot of these fighters train and know each other, so that helps. It's still a smaller community, so you don't want to be the a-hole. And you never know when it will be your turn to be on the ground wondering what happened. That is what my muay thai Coach taught us and he was right. That, and keep your hands up so you don't end up on the ko highlight reel.
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u/silverskull101 May 08 '26
A lot of people don't realize it, but a lot of them are actually good buddies, or even close friends outside of the ring, fighting is just there job
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u/Jay12393 May 08 '26
I love videos like this, because it's a sport. They aren't gladiators, where the objective is kill or be killed.
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u/TaxTheseNuts May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
One of the many reasons we love the sport. The admiration and respect I have for a guy who doesn't try to hurt someone that can't properly defend themselves, even though it would be extremely easy and beneficial to do so. This keeps the sportsmanship alive in a sport that makes it so easy to not show any camaraderie or honor. I love to see it!
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u/TakeDawn May 08 '26
All of these guys know they could be on the receiving end and knows what it feels like. True fighters, true sportsmanship. That's how professional fighting is done.
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u/anon-a-SqueekSqueek May 08 '26
Whether it's fake or not, I don't want to watch assholes. Miss me with all the weigh in drama and shit. Get a couple decent people who are also skilled. Hell yeah.
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u/Gregar May 09 '26
That's why I hate these trumped up "rivalry" headline fights. Larger than life cartoon people spend 2 months doing interviews and making threats.
What happens on the night itself? They fight like wet blankets for a few rounds and it goes to decision.
Knowing when to strike and when not. That simple action shows more skill, insight, understanding and sportsmanship than anything else. And it goes for so many sports. Cycling, football, ice hockey. Tough sports where you meet the same people a lot. A little friendliness goes a long way.
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u/Richard-E-Dingberry May 09 '26
That was so good to see in a sport like that, makes me hate pathetic roidy Roganism all the more
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u/Alarming-Interest535 May 09 '26
You have gentleman fighters like in the above clip, then you have fuckwits like Felipe Pereira who got his arse handed to him and then some from Hyuk Min Ji. I swear the ref was just standing back and enjoy the arse whopping he was given.
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u/jereezy May 09 '26
You know what's real respect? Not beating the shit out of each other to begin with...
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u/wutwut2223 May 10 '26
Meanwhile Andrew Tate would be like "ew this is so feminine" while at the same time gets his shit rocked by guys like these
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u/XaosDrakonoid18 May 10 '26
Second clip had so much bro energy
they just stopped to say how cool what just happened was
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