When I was a kid, I used to love football.
The men on the pitch, playing the game, were the epitome of what we all aspired to be in the schoolyard. Athletic, effortlessly talented, imperial on the pitch.
But when I got older and started Muay Thai myself, every time I watched a game, all I could see on the pitch were effete, effeminate boys, falling over from the most innocuous tackles. Rolling around, grabbing their face from nothing but a clip on their heels. Drama queens wincing in pain at the slightest graze.
Sure they were athletes: fit, strong, explosive. Everything I aspired to be in my sport. But they weren’t combat athletes.
There are some things that set a fighter apart from all other athletes. Things that you’ll never find an equivalent in any other sport.
Here’s a list of what makes an MMA fighter different from all others.