For what it's worth, have to give the man respect. Getting into a cage to fight for money in a sanctioned MMA event isn't fun. That takes some stones. That wasn't some backyard brawl. Even if you lost the fight, it's the fact that you had the courage to get in there and give it your best that counts. In every fight there is a winner and loser, but both men who "willingly" engage in combat are warriors.
I look at it this way. Many years ago when I actually enjoyed training, I would spar with numerous UFC fighters at Renzo Gracie's academy. By "spar", I mean that I would practically be a target in front of them and they would have their way with me as an ambulatory punching bag. I loved the BJJ aspect of it, because that didn't involve any head strikes, but as time caught on and arthritis became a real enemy of mine, even BJJ wasn't fun anymore (now my neck sounds like an old clock as I move my head from side to side). This experience made me realize that I could never do that kind of thing professionally as a career. I realized early on that with the accumulation of head strikes, CTE is a real, eventual possibility and not something I would ever want to face. Also, the amount of orthopedic surgeries these guys go through (Chris Weidman comes to mind as he has had numerous surgeries) is ridiculous to think about. Most of these professional fighters end up with multi-level spine surgeries, hip/knee surgeries and shoulder surgeries. To walk away from that sport and then live from the age of 40-80 like a disabled person isn't fun.
I respect that you took a shot at it Bhank and happy that you didn't end up disabled due to not getting out early enough.
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